OED Appeals: "rotten apple in every barrel"

[Joel S. Berson]

At 9/15/2008 06:14 PM, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC wrote:
>there is a rotten/bad apple in every barrel:
>antedate 1971
>
>"Report of the Expose and Ethics Committee of the P.C.A.M. -- I.A.M" by
>Hubert Brill
>_The Linking Ring_  v 19 #8 , Oct 1939 p. 606 col 1.
>"Unfortunately there is always one rotten apple in a barrel, which
>brings me to the unpleasant task of describing the Walter Wanger
>situation in regard to the current production "Eternally Yours". "

Must it be one "in every barrel", or will the assertion suffice that
*if* there is one in a barrel it will spoil the rest?  And do we want
figurative, or will literal do?

Joel

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