What Is the Saying Ne'er Do Well?

: an idle worthless person.

Where does the saying ne'er do well come from?

What's the origin of the phrase 'Ne'er do well'?

'Ne'er do well' itself originated in Scotland and an early citation of it in print is found in the Scottish poet and playwright Allan Ramsay's A collection of Scots proverbs, 1737: Some ha'e a hantla fauts [have many faults] , ye are only a ne'er-do-well.

How do you spell Nair do well?

an idle, worthless person; a person who is ineffectual, unsuccessful, or completely lacking in merit; good-for-nothing.

Marcus Vance

Marcus Vance

Cybersecurity & Digital Privacy Researcher

Marcus Vance is a cybersecurity auditor and technology writer dedicated to educating the public about online safety, data privacy regulations, enterprise security, and emerging cyber threats.