mare's nest

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mare's nest

/ˈmɛːz nɛst/ UK

Where it comes from

Alteration of earlier horse's nest, from the fanciful and unlikely notion that horses make nests.

noun mare's nests · mares' nests

figuratively A great discovery which turns out to be illusory; especially, a hoax. Near-synonyms: bullshit, horseshit
Similar: bullshit, horseshit
figuratively A confused or complicated situation; a muddle. Though Chancellor Maupeou had supported the idea of a trial [...], the legal proceedings developed into a mare's nest of accusations and counter-accusations.
Similar: rat's nest

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MLA

"mare's nest." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/mare's%20nest. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

mare's nest. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/mare's%20nest

Chicago

"mare's nest." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/mare's%20nest.

BibTeX

@misc{mare_s_nest_2026,
  title = {mare's nest},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/mare's%20nest},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}