bum rap

noun, Slang.
1.
an unjust accusation, verdict, or punishment:
He was sent to prison on a bum rap.
2.
an adverse opinion or judgment considered undeserved or unjust:
The review was a bum rap, but I liked the play.
British Dictionary definitions for bum rap

bum rap

noun (US, slang)
1.
a trumped-up or false charge
2.
an unjust punishment
Slang definitions & phrases for bum rap

bum rap

noun phrase
  1. An erroneous conviction or sentence (1920s+ Underworld)
  2. Any unjustified condemnation: Reagan said, ''Nancy's taken a bit of a bum rap on that buying White House china'' (1980s+)
verb
  1. : he had been bum-rapped
  2. : the Philadelphia Navy Yard has been bum-rapped

Idioms and Phrases with bum rap

bum rap

A false accusation or conviction; also, unfair criticism or action. For example, He claimed he was in prison on a bum rap, or The theater critics gave her last play a bum rap. This expression originated in the 1920s as underworld slang, and by the mid-1900s it was also used figuratively for other kinds of injustice.