expressions - English equivalent for a Portuguese saying on “bad company”


In Brazilian Portuguese, we have:



"The bird who goes around with a bat wakes up hanging upside down"



Original: "Passarinho que anda com morcego amanhece de cabeça pra baixo"


The literal meaning is that the bat is a bad company (the kind our mothers warn about) and the bird will wake up like a bat, hanging on a branch upside down.


I suspect this kind of humour is more prone to happen in the "New World" than in the old Europe, but maybe all English-speaking people share a similar expression. If not, which expression(s) could be globally understood?



Answer



I’m not quite sure what you’re looking for, but perhaps one of these suits:



  • Bad company corrupts good morals/manners/character.

  • You lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.


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