poisoned chalice

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poisoned chalice

/ˈpɔɪzn̩d ˈtʃælɪs/ UK
/ˈpɔɪzənd ˈtʃælɪs/ US

Rhymes with -ælɪs

Where it comes from

From poisoned + chalice (“a 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.

noun poisoned chalices

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. [W]e but teach / Bloody Inſtructions, which, being taught, returne / To plague th' Inuentor. This euen-handed Iuſtice / Commends th' Ingredience of our poyſon'd Challice / To our owne lips.
Opposite: blessing in disguise

Translations

Every language

noun something initially regarded as advantageous but which is later recognized to be disadvantageous or harmful

Español	regalo envenenado
中文	毒藥聖杯 /毒药圣杯, 糖衣毒藥 /糖衣毒药 tángyīdúyào
Français	cadeau empoisonné, tunique de Nessus
Deutsch	Bärendienst, Danaergeschenk, vergiftetes Geschenk
Italiano	regalo avvelenato
Русский	медве́жья услу́га medvéžʹja uslúga

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MLA

"poisoned chalice." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/poisoned%20chalice. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

poisoned chalice. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/poisoned%20chalice

Chicago

"poisoned chalice." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/poisoned%20chalice.

BibTeX

@misc{poisoned_chalice_2026,
  title = {poisoned chalice},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/poisoned%20chalice},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}