bad sort, a

Idioms and Phrases

An unpleasant, mean person, as in We cautioned Bill about his friend, who was clearly a bad sort . The antonym is a good sort , a pleasant, kind person, as in She's a good sort, always helping her neighbors . The latter is stronger than not a bad sort , as in He seems ill-tempered now and then, but he's not a bad sort . All three terms use a sort in the sense of “kind of person.” [Second half of 1800s]