skunk at a garden party
English
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Noun
[edit]skunk at a garden party
- (idiomatic) Within a group, someone who is unwelcome and actively avoided.
- 1963, A. R. Gurney, The Comeback, →ISBN, page 11:
- "You're making us all feel uncomfortable and uneasy. You're a skunk at a garden party, to put it bluntly."
- 1996 August 13, Michiko Kakutani, “Books: Confessions of a Big Mouth”, in New York Times, retrieved 6 December 2015:
- Mr. Rollins . . . is probably as well known for his big mouth as he is for his campaign savvy, a quality that has made him a favorite source for reporters and often cast him in the role of "the skunk at a garden party" in political circles.
- 2009 February 18, Lindsey Hilsum, “Obituary: Alison Des Forges”, in Guardian, UK, retrieved 6 December 2015:
- "Her work on the abuses being committed by the Rwandan government today made her something of a skunk at a global garden party," said Carroll Bogert, associate director of Human Rights Watch.
- 2013 July 26, Martin Regg Cohn, “Premiers remain rebels without a common cause”, in Toronto Star, Canada, retrieved 6 December 2015:
- It’s no fun being the skunk at a garden party. . . . But even after a glass of pan-Canadian beer . . . it must be said: The annual meeting of premiers, now known formally as the Council of the Federation, is a roundtable of rebels without a common cause.