scarlet letter

stigma related to the infamous incidents
For example, if you were caught to have a sex deal with a prostitute in China, your passport may be stamped with a seal of "lewd worm". This infamous seal is the "scarlet letter"

He bears the scarlet letter for his frivolous indiscretion in the past

39👍 87👎

drain the swamp

"Drain the swamp" originally means to get rid of the malaria-carrying mosquitoes by draining the swamp. Figuratively, "drain the swamp" means "to exterminate something that is harmful" or anything that most of the people hate such as corruption or government waste. This term is especially attractive for politicians during campaign.

vow to drain the swamp in Washington DC
vow to drain the swamp of big government

358👍 31👎