Literal translation
To mark well, to mark badly
Meaning
to look good or bad, cut a fine or poor figure
Explanation
Marquer here takes the sense of the Provençal marca : to reveal, to indicate. Being polite at your girlfriend's parents' house marks well, showing up dressed as a skinhead among hippies marks badly. A tall tower planted on the little harbor of Carry-le-Rouet marks badly, the Provençal flag on a highway rest stop marks well. The expression gave rise to the noun marque-mal, a man who is badly dressed, unkempt, unpleasant.