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

April is notorious for brining a mixed bag of unpredictable weather and this week has been a real example of that.

From BBC • Apr. 26, 2026

“As expected, today’s refund portal launch is a mixed bag for small businesses,” said Dan Anthony, executive director of the advocacy group We Pay the Tariffs, in a statement.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

As it stands, results over the past 30 to 40 days have been a mixed bag, with cruises to the Caribbean “performing extremely well” and Alaskan cruises benefiting from a shift in demand.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Even the war in Iran, which has shaken European and Asian economies, is something of a mixed bag for Canada.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

A mixed bag included whimbrels, grey plovers, ring-dotterel, curlew-sandpiper, sand-grouse, &c.

From Wild Spain (Espa?a agreste) Records of Sport with Rifle, Rod, and Gun, Natural History Exploration by Buck, Walter J.