IdiomFood & Drink
English
Englisha poisoned chalice
Meaning: Something that seems attractive but brings trouble to whoever accepts it.
Example: “Taking over the failing club is a poisoned chalice.”
Origin: From Shakespeare's Macbeth (around 1606): "this even-handed justice / Commends the ingredients of our poison'd chalice / To our own lips." The modern sense became common in British English in the late 20th century.
Equivalents in other languages
French: Une tunique de Nessus Literally: A tunic of Nessus
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