Learn English – ny equivalent for this Persian idiom: “Like a cow with a white forehead”

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The Persian idiom like a cow with a white forehead is used when one wants to characterize a person who is very well known in a crowd or even in a society.

Although it has a negative meaning, it does not mean notorious or ill-famed. Also, this definition that a person with a white forehead is someone who is very famous is not exact but not necessarily wrong. We use this idiom when we want to say that the person has done some works or has made some mistakes that have made him or her known. He or she has betrayed himself or herself.

This word is often used in a political context, when you want to say that this person is well-known to police and other security organizations.

Example:

We can not rely on him. He is __________ [like a cow with a white forehead] and
may be arrested.

a cow with white forehead

Best Answer

He may be a marked man:

A man who is singled out as a target for hostility or attack. 'he said what they did was wrong and he may well be a marked man now'

Source: Oxford

Or maybe he just sticks out like a sore thumb:

phrase. If you say that someone or something sticks out like a sore thumb or stands out like a sore thumb, you are emphasizing that they are very noticeable, usually because they are unusual or inappropriate.

Source: Collins

From the above definition, noticeable might work, since it isn't overtly negative:

easily seen or noticed; clear or apparent.

Source: Oxford