English

Noun

bad penny ‎(plural bad pennies)

1. Used other than as an idiom: see bad,‎ penny: A counterfeit or damaged penny.
2. (idiomatic) A person or thing which is unpleasant, disreputable, or otherwise unwanted, especially one which repeatedly appears at inopportune times.
   • 1916, Gilbert Parker, The World For Sale, ch. 4:

     "Felix Marchand'll have much money—bad penny as he is," continued Christine in her normal voice.

   • 1918, Rex Ellingwood Beach, The Winds of Chance, ch. 17:

     Pierce remembered Hilda's prophecy that her indigent husband would turn up, like a bad penny.

   • 1975 June 9, R. Z. Sheppard, "Springtime for Mosley (book review)," Time:

     But as the perennial bad penny of British political life, he keeps turning up at embarrassing moments.

Derived terms

• a bad penny always turns up
• turn up like a bad penny

References

• Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., 1989.
• Random House Webster's Unabridged Electronic Dictionary, 1987-1996.