skunk at a garden party

alternative skunk at the garden party

1. idiomaticWithin a group, someone who is unwelcome and actively avoided.

   "You're making us all feel uncomfortable and uneasy. You're a skunk at a garden party, to put it bluntly."

   1963, A. R. Gurney, The Comeback, →ISBN, page 11

   3 more examples

   Mr. Rollins . . . is probably as well known for his big mouth as he is for his campaign savvy, a quality that has made him a favorite source for reporters and often cast him in the role of "the skunk at a garden party" in political circles.

   1996 August 13, Michiko Kakutani, “Books: Confessions of a Big Mouth”, in New York Times, retrieved 06 Dec 2015

   "Her work on the abuses being committed by the Rwandan government today made her something of a skunk at a global garden party," said Carroll Bogert, associate director of Human Rights Watch.

   2009 February 18, Lindsey Hilsum, “Obituary: Alison Des Forges”, in Guardian, UK, retrieved 06 Dec 2015

   It’s no fun being the skunk at a garden party. . . . But even after a glass of pan-Canadian beer . . . it must be said: The annual meeting of premiers, now known formally as the Council of the Federation, is a roundtable of rebels without a common cause.

   2013 July 26, Martin Regg Cohn, “Premiers remain rebels without a common cause”, in Toronto Star, Canada, retrieved 06 Dec 2015