troubled waters

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noun (used with a plural verb)

a confused or chaotic state of affairs: The situation was terrible, but like many politicians he was attracted by troubled waters.

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Origin of troubled waters

First recorded in 1575–85

Instead, spa hotels filled up with over 30,000 refugees from the war-troubled Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
Is Putin Turning to Terrorism in Ukraine?|Anna Nemtsova|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The “waters of Lake Minnetonka” may have been purifying, but they were also freezing.
Speed Read: The Juiciest Bits From the History of ‘Purple Rain’|Jennie Yabroff|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But South Koreans have a troubled history with American intervention in Korean markets.
Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea|Rich Goldstein|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They wrote about subjects that they knew intimately, or that troubled or fascinated them, which is what all novelists do.
The 2014 Novel of the Year|Nathaniel Rich|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But after a troubled history with alcohol, some tribes are wary.
Tribes to U.S. Government: Take Your Weed and Shove It|Abby Haglage|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This, however, did not apply to the waters lying directly around the Poloe and Flatland groups.
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
The volcanic eruptions of the mountains on the west broke down its barriers, and let its waters flow.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
The countries about the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea and its adjoining waters.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
All things that are of the earth, shall return to the earth again, and all waters shall return to the sea.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
By a voice he saith: Hear me, ye divine offspring, and bud forth as the rose planted by the brooks of waters.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various