clang of the rusty bell
Personal or situational negative quality in which something or someone gives off the feeling of falsehood.
"Even from first glance, the politician had the clang of the rusty bell about him."
"So - my new boyfriend - do you like him?"
"Errr...how can I say this without hurting your feelings? No."
"What!? Why not?"
"I dunno... he's just... there's the clang of the rusty bell about him."
"...Oh."
"Even as the clang of the rusty bell reverberated in his ears, Arnold managed to convince the policeman that he had been nowhere near the scene of the incident at the time."
"So - my new boyfriend - do you like him?"
"Errr...how can I say this without hurting your feelings? No."
"What!? Why not?"
"I dunno... he's just... there's the clang of the rusty bell about him."
"...Oh."
"Even as the clang of the rusty bell reverberated in his ears, Arnold managed to convince the policeman that he had been nowhere near the scene of the incident at the time."