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A bad penny always turns up

 

Proverbial Meaning: A person with a bad reputation who has left their town or village, one who causes trouble and turmoil in the community, always returns.

Literal Origins: A shopkeeper will return a bad penny (i.e. a forgery) when he discovers the mistake he made in accepting it.

Common Usage: This proverb is still in common usage. It is spoken in a few different ways, for example:

When such a person returns into people’s lives, often preceded by a sigh, “A bad penny always turns up.”

Or, much more common, in a shortened form to describe someone: “She’s like a ‘bad penny’ that one.”