mess of pottage
1
9.9
- idiom
- Archaic
:
plato de lentejas
- Also, we must analyze the authoritarian concepts and permit our pupils to see that these concepts are instrumentalities for the enslavement of mankind, that the peoples of totalitarian states have in effect sold their birthright of freedom for a mess of pottage called economic security.
Examples
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Choosing to pursue fame and fortune, she felt she had accepted a mess of pottage in exchange for her true passions.
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If they survive and come to claim the right of the firstborn, there's always a mess of pottage handy.
Fiction book (1994) -
Swaps can sell birthrights for a mess of pottage.
Academic text (1991) -
Birthright of free citizens sold for a pittance/mess of pottage.
Blog text (2) -
Let us take heed that we do not basely sell it for a mess of pottage, under the specious names of unity and peace.
Blog text (16) -
Not so much for the fools who choose to trade their birthright for a mess of pottage, but more because my niece and nephews will be punished because of those fools.
Blog text (11) -
You are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau to sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas to betray your God for a few pieces of money.
Blog text (8) -
He regretted trading his principles for a mess of pottage when he saw the consequences of his decision.
-
Many people sell their integrity for a mess of pottage, gaining little in return for their valuable beliefs.
Synonyms
A deal that seems good at first but is bad later
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
mess + of + pottage
Although the words 'mess' and 'pottage' literally denote a cheap semiliquid dish, the idiomatic sense ('accepting something of little value in exchange for something much more valuable') is a culturally/biblically grounded metaphor not predictable from the food-related constituents. The expression is archaic and idiomatic, so a B1 learner who only knows the literal meanings would not reliably infer the intended figurative meaning.
Etymology
The phrase mess of pottage comes from a Bible story where Esau sold his birthright, his important family right, for a bowl of stew called pottage because he was hungry. That clear image of trading something very valuable for a small, cheap thing is why the phrase means 'giving up something important for something of little worth'.