Crossword Genius

Crook as one perished quantity (1,3,3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

a bad lot

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'perished quantity' is the definition.
I know nothing about this answer so I can't tell whether this works.

'crook as one' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'crook' could be 'badlot' (I've seen this in another clue) and 'badlot' is found within the answer.
'one' could be 'a' (a thing is one thing) and 'a' is found within the answer.
No letters remain.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for a bad lot that I've seen before include "An unscrupulous person" , "Not one to trust" , "Unscrupulous type" , "one with an even worse wife?" , "Wicked person" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.