witches' brew
Americannoun
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a potent magical concoction supposedly prepared by witches.
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a harmful or threatening mixture; diabolical concoction.
a witches' brew of innuendo and rumor.
Etymology
Origin of witches' brew
First recorded in 1925–30
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“The question isn’t what this does to Al Qaeda, but what does this do to the witches’ brew of terrorists in Afghanistan?” said Brian Katulis, the vice president for policy at the Middle East Institute.
From New York Times ● Aug. 2, 2022
Male anxiety and overcompensation have further befouled this witches' brew.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2022
It all adds up to a witches’ brew in bilateral relations.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 11, 2022
David Henderson, a representative from Iowa, compared margarine to the witches’ brew in Macbeth.
From Slate ● Jul. 11, 2018
There were no baskets of bones, no cauldrons of bubbling witches’ brew.
From "I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980" by Lauren Tarshis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
