give bad marks to (someone or something)

give bad marks to (someone or something)

To view something negatively or unfavorably. I bet the boss gave bad marks to Pete's presentation because it was so disorganized. If the board gives bad marks to our proposal, we definitely won't get any funding this semester. Pundits have generally given bad marks to the candidate's performance in the debate.

See also: bad, give, mark, to

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

give bad marks to

Judge unsatisfactory, as in They gave bad marks to the President's program. This expression transfers the marking used in evaluating schoolwork to other endeavors. [Late 1800s]

See also: bad, give, mark, to

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.