By lying to your friends, you sow dragon's teeth for the future.
sow dragon's teeth
idiomTo perform an action that inadvertently leads to trouble.
Origin
disputed originDerives from the ancient Greek myth where Jason sowed the teeth of a dragon into a field, from which they sprouted into an army of warriors. See also Ancient Greek ὀδόντες (του) δρᾰ́κοντος (odóntes (tou) drắkontos, “dragon's teeth”) and Σπαρτοί (Spartoí, “sown [men]”) from σπείρω (speírō, “to sow”).⁽ʷᵖ⁾
The politician's decision to ignore the protesters only served to sow dragon's teeth, leading to much larger riots later that month.
By dismissing the valid concerns of his employees, the manager sowed dragon's teeth, ensuring that a minor disagreement would eventually escalate into a full-scale strike.
- 01
arm to the teeth
To equip thoroughly with weapons.
- 02
bare one's teeth
To show aggression.
- 03
bone in her teeth
(of a boat or ship) A prominent bow wave (as a result of high speed).
- 04
cast in someone's teeth
To accuse someone of something, or reproach them for it.
- 05
cut one's teeth
To begin; to gain early experience.
- 06
gnash one's teeth
To grind or strike the teeth together in anger, signaling extreme rage, frustration, pain, or ferocity.
- 07
grit one's teeth
To face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation and deal with it.
- 08
Hampsteads
[Cockney slang]teeth