poisoned chalice

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English

Etymology

From poisoned + chalice (large drinking cup), referring to a chalice containing a poisoned drink which is offered to someone. The earliest use of the term cited in the Oxford English Dictionary is in Shakespeare’s Macbeth (c. 1606), in a speech in which Macbeth flinches from the prospective murder of King Duncan: see the quotation.

Pronunciation

Noun

poisoned chalice (plural poisoned chalices)

  1. (idiomatic) Something which is initially regarded as advantageous but which is later recognized to be disadvantageous or harmful; an apparently beneficial or benign instrument or scheme for causing death or harm.
    Antonym: blessing in disguise
    Hyponym: hospital pass

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