a bad penny always turns up

Proverb

 * 1) A person or thing which is unpleasant, dishonorable, or unwanted tends to appear (or reappear), especially at inopportune times.
 * 2) * 1989, Jeffrey Boam (author of screenplay), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, (excerpts at wikiquote):
 * Elsa Schneider: I never expected to see you again.
 * Indiana Jones: I'm like a bad penny. I always turn up.
 * 1) * 2005, Ron Greer and Mike Wicks, Fire from the Sky: A diary over Japan (2013 iUniverse edition), ISBN 9781475997132, p. 184 (Google preview):
 * Being superstitious was common among a lot of the military. . . . Aircraft were given names such as The Bad Penny (as in a bad penny always turns up).
 * 1) Things that are done improperly eventually cause problems.
 * 1) Things that are done improperly eventually cause problems.
 * 1) Things that are done improperly eventually cause problems.

Usage notes

 * Sometimes used in a jocular or self-deprecating manner, as in:
 * 2013 Jan. 20, Ranger Bob, "The Retread Ranger Blog: Where Have I Been?," www.bobmackreth.com/blog (retrieved 25 March 2014) :
 * But I'll be back—as my mother used to tell me when my dad was late coming home from work, “Don't worry. A bad penny always turns up.”

Translations

 * Finnish: mikäs se pahan tappaisi
 * Hungarian: rossz pénz nem vész el
 * Italian: l'erba cattiva non muore mai, chi scava una fossa vi cade dentro
 * Polish:, ,