Contextualizebeta

mare's nest

noun
/ˈmɛːz nɛst/UK

Etymology

Alteration of earlier horse's nest, from the fanciful and unlikely notion that horses make nests.

Definitions

  1. A great discovery which turns out to be illusory

    A great discovery which turns out to be illusory; especially, a hoax.

    • Near-synonyms: bullshit, horseshit
    • Why dost thou laugh? What Mares nest hast thou found?

  2. A confused or complicated situation

    A confused or complicated situation; a muddle.

    • Though Chancellor Maupeou had supported the idea of a trial [...], the legal proceedings developed into a mare's nest of accusations and counter-accusations.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for mare's nest. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA