mixed bag

noun

Informal.

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

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

mixed bag

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of mixed bag¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Example Sentences

The tax increases in the U.K. budget are a mixed bag for the gambling industry, analysts at Berenberg wrote in a note to clients.

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The results of the September retail sales report and producer price index were a mixed bag and won’t provide much clarity.

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The results themselves were a mixed bag, with some topping analysts’ earnings expectations and others falling short.

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The third channel promises to be a mixed bag of the freshened and familiar, today’s icons and tomorrow’s sentimental favorites, with the mix heavily tilted toward combustion.

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Bullish analysts on the stock say Elastic’s ‘beat-and-raise’ quarter was a mixed bag.

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