bum steer

[ buhm steer ]

noun

, Slang

1. a piece of erroneous or misleading information or advice:

   He's been our broker for ten years, and far too honest and knowledgeable to give us a bum steer.

bum steer

noun

1. slang.
   false or misleading information or advice

Word History and Origins

Origin of bum steer¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; bum ¹( def ) (in the sense “of poor or unsatisfactory quality”) + steer ¹( def ) (in the sense “a tip, hint on a course of action”

Idioms and Phrases

False or misleading information; poor advice. For example, Gene felt his doctor had given him a bum steer, as he hadn't lost any weight on the diet . [ Slang ; c. 1920]

Example Sentences

Greenhorns Stan and Ollie go to Brushwood Gulch with a gold-mine deed and get a bum steer.

From Los Angeles Times

One last note, one that almost became a rant that subsumed my entire newsletter today: I think Android users are getting a bum steer in 2020, and I blame Qualcomm and the US carriers.

From The Verge

The Fed is not alone in giving hypersensitive markets a bum steer in recent weeks.

From Reuters

In other words, the man who literally co-wrote the book on human oestrus now believes that he and others in the field were the victims of pervasive problems in the way that the psychology was done—a bum steer that affected not just their research, but many others’ too.

From Slate

Still, the bum steer from the papers has opened up an important discussion: when are you working and when are you not working?

From The Guardian