The phrase literally means "Our mistakes return to haunt us; also, nasty people have a way of reappearing." as it is defined in The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, 3rd ed.
The expression was originally English and the unit of currency referred to was the shilling. Sir Walter Scott, in one of his early nineteenth-century novels, whereto: "Bring back Darsie? Little doubt of that. The bad shilling is sure enough to come back again."
There is some evidence that it has to do with whether or not a coin is counterfit.
The expression was originally English and the unit of currency referred to was the shilling. Sir Walter Scott, in one of his early nineteenth-century novels, whereto: "Bring back Darsie? Little doubt of that. The bad shilling is sure enough to come back again."
There is some evidence that it has to do with whether or not a coin is counterfit.