(a) poisoned chalice

(a) poisoned chalice
British something that harms the person it is given to although it seemed very good when they first got it.

The leadership of the party turned out to be a poisoned chalice.


New idioms dictionary. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • poisoned chalice — noun An apparent gift or benefit that is likely to cause great trouble to the recipient • • • Main Entry: ↑poison * * * poisoned chalice chiefly Brit : something that seems attractive at first but becomes unpleasant Working as store manager was a …   Useful english dictionary

  • poisoned chalice — UK US noun [S] ► something that seems very good when it is received, but that in fact may be harmful to the person who receives it: »He is stepping into a job that many would regard as a poisoned chalice …   Financial and business terms

  • poisoned chalice — If someone is given a poisoned chalice, they are given a job or task which appears attractive but is actually doomed to failure or beset with problems that will damage their reputation or harm them …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • poisoned chalice — ► NOUN ▪ something offered which is apparently appealing or beneficial but which is likely to prove a source of problems to the recipient …   English terms dictionary

  • poisoned chalice — /pɔɪzənd ˈtʃæləs/ (say poyzuhnd chaluhs) noun a prized position, situation, award, etc., which immediately presents serious difficulties for the person or people who have attained it: the poisoned chalice of a difficult health portfolio …  

  • The Poisoned Chalice — Infobox Television episode Title = The Poisoned Chalice Series = Merlin Caption = Season = 1 Episode = 4 Guests = Michelle Ryan Nimueh Clive Russell Bayard Airdate = 11 October 2008 Runtime = 45 Minutes Production = 1.4 Writer = Ben Vanstone… …   Wikipedia

  • (a) poisoned chalice — a poisoned ˈchalice idiom (especially BrE) a thing that seems attractive when it is given to sb but which soon becomes unpleasant • He inherited a poisoned chalice when he took over the job as union leader. Main entry: ↑poisonidiom …   Useful english dictionary

  • poisoned chalice — poi|soned chal|ice noun singular LITERARY a job or piece of work that will cause many problems for the person who is forced to do it …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • poisoned chalice — noun an assignment or award which is likely to prove a source of problems to the recipient …   English new terms dictionary

  • poisoned chalice — UK [ˌpɔɪz(ə)nd ˈtʃælɪs] / US noun [singular] literary a job or piece of work that will cause many problems for the person who is forced to do it …   English dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”