The Black Sheep of the Family
La oveja negra de la familia
Meaning:
A person who is disgraceful for a group of people. Someone who nobody can feel proud of.
Origin:
This idiom has been used since the XIX century to describe someone who brings dishonor or who brings shame to a family, group of people or community. Farmers thought that black sheep were a disgrace for them since they couldn´t dye their black fleece. Moreover, people believed that black sheep were brought by the devil to scare the others. Invariably, black sheep were always put to death.
Example:
• My cousin James dropped out school when he was 15. Then, he starting doing odd jobs to survive, but at 18 he started a criminal career that took him to prison; where he will stay for five years. Every time that people ask me about James, I just answer. I don´t want to talk about him. He is the black sheep of the family.