Marked with a pattern of alternating colored squares; having a history with both good and bad events or periods.
From 'chequer' plus the past participle suffix '-ed'. The figurative sense (varied history) emerged in English to describe lives or records with mixed fortunes.
When someone has a 'chequered past,' we're using a 600-year-old pattern name—the visual metaphor of light and dark squares perfectly captures mixed good and bad moments!
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