bad penny always comes back

== English == === Alternative forms === a bad penny always comes back, the bad penny always comes back, the bad penny always turns up === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ə bæd pɛni ɔɫweɪz tɝnz ʌp/ === Proverb === a bad penny always turns up A person or thing which is unpleasant, dishonorable, or unwanted tends to appear (or reappear), especially at inopportune times. 1989, Jeffrey Boam (author of screenplay), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, (excerpts at wikiquote): Elsa Schneider: I never expected to see you again. Indiana Jones: I'm like a bad penny. I always turn up. 2005, Ron Greer and Mike Wicks, Fire from the Sky: A diary over Japan (2013 iUniverse edition), →ISBN, p. 184 (Google preview): Being superstitious was common among a lot of the military. . . . Aircraft were given names such as The Bad Penny (as in a bad penny always turns up). An action or task that is carried out improperly eventually causes problems. ==== Usage notes ==== Sometimes used in a jocular or self-deprecating manner, as in: 2013 Jan. 20, Ranger Bob, "The Retread Ranger Blog: Where Have I Been?," www.bobmackreth.com/blog (retrieved 25 March 2014): But I'll be back—as my mother used to tell me when my dad was late coming home from work, “Don't worry. A bad penny always turns up.” ==== Related terms ==== bad penny ==== Translations ==== === References === “a bad penny always turns up”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. === Further reading === Gresham's law in Wikipedia