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

Words nearby troubled waters

trotyl, troubadour, troubadours, Troubetzkoy, trouble, troubled waters, troublemaker, trouble man, trouble one's head with, troubleproof, troubleshoot

How to use troubled waters in a sentence

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