to the core

to the core

Fully or completely; in the most essential or inherent way. That company is just rotten to the core—I wouldn't be surprised if all the employees were embezzling money!

See also: core, to

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

to the core

all the way through; basically and essentially. (Usually with some negative sense, such as evil, rotten, etc.) Bill said that John is evil to the core. This organization is rotten to the core.

See also: core, to

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

to the core

COMMON You use to the core after an adjective to make a statement stronger, especially a statement describing how someone feels or describing the character of someone or something. Father Godfrey Carney said the community was shocked to the core. The insurance industry is rotten to the core. Loxton, the artist, was English to the core yet she was inspired by France.

See also: core, to

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

to the ˈcore

very much; in every way: He’s a Welshman to the core. ♢ They believe that our society is rotten to the core (= completely bad).

See also: core, to

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017