bars sinister

Noun

bar sinister (usually uncountable, plural bars sinister)

1. (usually, considered nonstandard) A bend sinister or baton sinister in a coat of arms.
   • "A king's son, though with the bar sinister on his shield, is at least a match for this marmoset of a marquis."1825, Sir Walter Scott, chapter 24, in The Talisman
2. (euphemistic, idiomatic, usually) The state or characteristic of having been born out of wedlock; illegitimacy; bastardy.
   • He was not influenced by sordid considerations. . . . Had she been merely of illegitimate birth, he would have overlooked the bar sinister.1900, Charles W. Chesnutt, chapter 16, in The House Behind The Cedars
3. (broadly, idiomatic, usually) A state or characteristic which is dishonorable or shameful; a stigma.
   • Europe is troubled with sensational rumors as well as our own country. Among the most recent was one prevailing at Paris that Maximilian I, Emperor elect of Mexico, had recognized the independence of the Confederate States. But this rumor was pronounced improbable from the fact that Maximilian had...1863 October 3, “A Rumor of Recognition”, in New York Times, retrieved 04 Apr 2014