raw deal

Idioms and Phrases

An instance of unfair or harsh treatment, as in After 25 years with the bank Bob got a raw deal—no pension, no retirement benefits of any kind, just a gold watch. Raw here means “crude” or “unfair.” [First half of 1900s]

Example Sentences

It was already true that straight marriage is, statistically speaking, a raw deal for women.

From Salon

Sharks have been getting a raw deal from humans for a long time.

From Salon

Logie, who left Division II Point Loma to become Montana State’s head man last season, inherited a raw deal with the Bobcats.

From Seattle Times

For The Times, Charles Arrowsmith wrote that the self-help book “is a raw deal, a hollow PR exercise filled with precepts and quips but devoid of self-awareness or humility.”

From Los Angeles Times

Permit me to save you the trouble of finding out for yourself: “Be Useful” is a raw deal, a hollow PR exercise filled with precepts and quips but devoid of self-awareness or humility.

From Los Angeles Times