mixed bag

American  

noun

Informal.

1. an often unexpected assortment of various things, people, or ideas.

   The concert was a mixed bag of works from three centuries.

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mixed bag British  

noun

1. informal something composed of diverse elements, characteristics, people, etc

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mixed bag Idioms  

1. A heterogeneous collection of people, items, activities, or the like; an assortment. For example, The school offers a mixed bag of after-school activities—team sports, band practice, a language class. This idiom calls up the image of a sack full of different items. [First half of 1900s]

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Etymology

Origin of mixed bag

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

The economy is a mixed bag, with a weakening job market and an inflation rate that has eased but remains above where the Federal Reserve would like.

From The Wall Street Journal

The slump seemed to hinge on an economic data dump that proved a mixed bag, at best.

From Barron's

In my own running survey of 28 grocery items at my neighborhood Vons, it’s been a bit of a mixed bag on prices.

From Los Angeles Times

From a privacy jurisdiction standpoint, the Netherlands offers a mixed bag.

From Salon

Brazil are closing the new year with a mixed bag of results.

From BBC