something is rotten in the state of denmark

English - English

Definition of something is rotten in the state of denmark in English English dictionary

Something is not right, rife with errors from top to bottom, leading to suspicion of motive

If the administration knew about the problems and chose not to prevent them, then clearly something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

something stinks around here (taken from Shakespeare's "Hamlet," commentary on the corruption in Denmark's royal palace)

Hyphenation

some·thing I·s rot·ten in the state of Den·mark

Turkish pronunciation

sʌmthîng îz rätın în dhi steyt ıv denmärk

Pronunciation

/ˈsəmᴛʜəɴɢ əz ˈrätən ən ᴛʜē ˈstāt əv ˈdenˌmärk/ /ˈsʌmθɪŋ ɪz ˈrɑːtən ɪn ðiː ˈsteɪt əv ˈdɛnˌmɑːrk/

Etymology

() A line spoken by Marcellus in Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act I.