The curate's egg

Locutio Anglica "The curate's egg" (scil. "vicarii ovum"), e pictura lineari orta quam Georgius du Maurier anno 1895 titulo "True Humility" in libellis Punch divulgandam depinxit, rem denotat partim vitiatam.

Episcopus: "I'm afraid you've got a bad egg, Mr Jones." Vicarius: "Oh, no, my Lord, I assure you that parts of it are excellent!"
"True Humility" a Georgio du Maurier die 9 Novembris 1895 in libellis Punch picta

True Humility

Pictura convivas monstrat qui ientaculum sumunt, videlicet mulieres duas, episcopum (qui et hospitem), vicarium: ille, "Mi paenitet," ait, "te ovum putidum habere;" hic, "Minime, domine," inquit, "mihi crede, partim optimum!" Omnes ovum sentire intellegendumst et tale ovum omnino reiciendum scire; vicarius autem timidus reicere haud valet.

Usus locutionis

In litteris Anglicis locutio the curate's egg, ad hanc picturam referens, anno fere 1905 introducitur; quo anno de modis vestimentorum scriptor quidam libellorum Minister's Gazette of Fashion taliter adseveravit: "The past spring and summer season has seen much fluctuation. Like the curate's egg, it has been excellent in parts. De libro quodam legitur in libellis Oxford Magazine (1962): "All the same it is a curate's egg of a book. While the whole may be somewhat stale and addled, it would be unfair not to acknowledge the merits of some of its parts."