# poisoned chalice

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/poisoned-chalice
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

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.

## Examples

- The new job offer is a poisoned chalice.
- This inheritance is a poisoned chalice because of the massive debt attached to it.
- The promotion seemed like a great opportunity, but it turned out to be a poisoned chalice because of the impossible workload.
- Winning the lottery became a poisoned chalice for the family after distant relatives and strangers began constantly hounding them for money.
- Accepting the leadership role during such a financial crisis proved to be a poisoned chalice that ultimately destroyed his professional reputation.

## Origin

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.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.