Meanings
From poisoned + chalice (“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.
How to pronounce "poisoned chalice":
GA
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.
Example Sentences
1
Becoming the CEO of the struggling company was a poisoned chalice.
2
The politician's promise to fix the economy turned out to be a poisoned chalice.
3
Winning the lottery can sometimes be a poisoned chalice due to the sudden attention and new challenges it brings.
4
Taking over as captain of the losing team felt like a poisoned chalice.
5
Being assigned to work on the failing project was seen as a poisoned chalice by the employees.
