mare's nest
1
9.9
- noun
- /mɛrz nɛst/
- Archaic
:
un lío
- While multiple benefits are accrued to partnerships—shared expertise, expanded resources, exchange of diverse perspectives—for the researcher, partnerships can be a mare's nest.
Examples
-
The new project ended up as a mare's nest of conflicting ideas and poor communication among the team members.
-
I have quite a mare's nest of cables, so changes can
Blog text (8) -
... it is just easy to get them in a mare's nest of threads.
Blog text (8) -
You realize that this so-called assassination is a mare's nest?" p236
Fiction book (1993) -
He dreaded the mare's nest that would no doubt greet him, but hoped the sight of his nightcap on his head and the bedcovers sealed over him at four o'clock in the afternoon would persuade his family to leave him in peace.
Fiction book (1998) -
When I tried to organize my paperwork, I discovered it was a complete mare's nest of old documents and receipts.
-
The negotiations turned into a mare's nest of misunderstandings, leaving everyone confused about the final agreement.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A situation in which things are untidy and confused
438
3.1
A situation with no order where people are confused and cannot act normally
138
4.8
A time of great confusion and disorder
73
4.1
A noisy situation when people are excited or confused
53
3.3
A mistake that happens when someone confuses one thing with another
22
8.0
A loud, wild situation of disorder and confusion
20
4.6
A confused mixture of things or ideas
14
7.3
A messy mixture of different things thrown together
13
5.5
A confused situation that is hard to understand or solve
12
7.7
A noisy, confused situation with a crowd behaving badly
9
5.0
A confused, disorganized situation where things are not in order
8
8.2
A noisy scene where people are confused and out of control
7
6.4
A confused mix of different things
4
9.1
A large confusing mass of things and feelings
3
7.7
A confused, complicated situation that is hard to understand
3
9.8
A very confusing and embarrassing situation involving conflict or misunderstanding
3
9.9
A small problem that causes confusion or delay
2
8.4
A very large, messy situation that is hard to fix
1
9.9
A messy mixture of different things
A state of confusion where things are unclear or messy
A confused mix of different things like old toys and books
A confused mixture of things that makes a mess
A confused, messy situation when plans go wrong
A confused, messy situation where plans go wrong
A situation with things all over and people confused
In a state of complete confusion because of a mistake or bad planning
Antonyms
How Confusing
Surface Forms
Morphology
mare's + nest
The literal parts 'mare' (a female horse) and 'nest' (a small sheltered place) do not combine compositionally to yield 'a confusing or chaotic situation'; the phrase is historical/idiomatic and its sense (an illusory or muddled discovery) is not derivable from the constituents. Because the connection is metaphorical and language-specific rather than transparently compositional, a B1 learner who only knows the words would not predict the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Mare's nest may come from the old idea of a mare as a creature that gave bad dreams and the picture of a strange nest full of tangled things. So, when someone finds something that looks important but is really a confused or false discovery, we call it a 'mare's nest'.