mare's-nest

[ mairz-nest ]

noun

1. something imagined to be an extraordinary discovery but proving to be a delusion or a hoax:

   The announced cure for the disease was merely another mare's-nest.

2. an extremely confused, entangled, or disordered place, situation, etc.:

   We just moved in, and the place is a mare's-nest.

mare's-nest

noun

1. a discovery imagined to be important but proving worthless
2. a disordered situation

Word History and Origins

Origin of mare's-nest¹

First recorded in 1610–20