nouns - What does "lemon on" mean in this context?



What does the phrase lemon on mean in this context? Is it an idiom? What is its correct usage?


Excerpt from where I read this phrase:



... Hold on, for this deal, one that does not exist anywhere outside a very fertile imagination, could actually be a lemon on at least five counts. These are the lures that should alert you and beg a recheck before you book the deal.



Source: How to Avoid Common Travel Traps



Answer



The words lemon on don't really constitute a phrase. Here, the word lemon means something that is bad or defective. The prepositional phrase "on at least five counts" means that there are at least five reasons. This usage is from legalese where each individual charge against a person in called a count.


So the original statement



for this deal ... could actually be a lemon on at least five counts.



Can be restated as



for this deal ... could actually be defective for at least five reasons.



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