give a dog a bad name and hang him

give a dog a bad name and hang him

proverb It is very difficult to lose or change a bad reputation. A: "Ever since I failed my exam, my teacher sees me as a slacker, no matter what I do." B: "Well, give a dog a bad name and hang him, right?" It's so frustrating that everyone still sees me as the fool who traded my ace pitcher for next-to-nothing. "Give a dog a bad name and hang him," as they say! A: "Remember: you have to make a good first impression." B: "I know, 'give a dog a bad name and hang him' and all that."

See also: and, bad, dog, give, hang, name

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