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View synonyms for bum rap
bum rap
[ buhm rap ]
noun
, Slang.
- an unjust accusation, verdict, or punishment:
He was sent to prison on a bum rap.
- an adverse opinion or judgment considered undeserved or unjust:
The review was a bum rap, but I liked the play.
bum rap
noun
- a trumped-up or false charge
- an unjust punishment
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Word History and Origins
Origin of bum rap1
First recorded in 1910–15; bum 1( def ) (in the sense “disappointing, unpleasant”) + rap 1( def ) (in the sense “blame, punishment, criminal charge”)
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Idioms and Phrases
A false accusation or conviction; also, unfair criticism or action. For example, He claimed he was in prison on a bum rap , or The theater critics gave her last play a bum rap . This expression originated in the 1920s as underworld slang, and by the mid-1900s it was also used figuratively for other kinds of injustice.Advertisement
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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