1
general::
Phrase(s): Something is rotten in (the state of) Denmark.
Prov. Something suspicious is going on. (From Shakespeare’s play Hamlet.) • Jim: Look, there’s a light on in the office, even though it’s way past the time everyone should have left. John: Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. • Jane: I wonder why Fred is coming in so late every morning. Jane: Something is rotten in Denmark.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs