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poisoned chalices

poisoned chalices is the plural of poisoned chalice.

Meaning of poisoned chalice

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.
    • [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.c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...

Questions about poisoned chalices

What is poisoned chalices the plural of?
Poisoned chalices is the plural of poisoned chalice.

Words near poisoned chalices in the dictionary

  1. poisonable
  2. poisonal
  3. poisonberry
  4. poisoned
  5. poisoned chalice
  6. poisoned chalices
  7. poisoned compliment
  8. poisoned pawn
  9. poisoned pawns
  10. poisoned the well
  11. poisoner

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: poisoned chalices (page history and authors); poisoned chalice (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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