checkered past
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
A history of questionable or controversial behavior
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Lịch sử có hành vi đáng ngờ hoặc gây tranh cãi
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Literally: a past with checks, like a checkerboard
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
The politician's checkered past made him a vulnerable candidate
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “checkered past” mean?
A history of questionable or controversial behavior Literally: a past with checks, like a checkerboard
Is “checkered past” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.