checkered career

Idioms  

1. A background that includes many changes, especially of employment. For example, Heather's had a checkered career, hopping from one city to another and one job to another. This expression, first recorded in 1881, uses checkered in the sense of “constantly alternating,” much like the squares on a checkerboard.

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Example Sentences

He’s had a checkered career in the postseason, coming in with a playoff record of 13-12 with a 4.25 ERA.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 7, 2023

Before this month, the numbers that defined Patrick’s checkered career were these:

From Washington Times • Oct. 23, 2020

But court documents and interviews suggest that his checkered career speaks to a much broader problem in the Border Patrol: its inability or unwillingness to identify and discipline problem agents.

From Salon • Aug. 19, 2019

These are both complex, layered novels that catch Hole well into his checkered career, so they’re not natural places for a newcomer to start.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 10, 2019

In his checkered career Santa Anna was constantly falling from position, but this was only the prelude to his rising again and to a greater elevation, from which he was sure to be ignominiously hurled.

From Aztec Land by Ballou, Maturin Murray