Talk:poisoned chalice

This description for "Poisoned chalice" is odd, if not incorrect, describing it as a thing, an object almost, when both my understanding and all the other definitions I could find describe it as a situation.

What are the other definitions you found? I'd say our def is spot on. A situation might involve a poisoned chalice but the chalice isn't the entire situation. Equinox ◑ 06:39, 28 November 2018 (UTC)

Translations

@sarri.greek I'm looking for a Greek translation of this idiom, and I've found δηλητηριασμένο δισκοπότηρο (dilitiriasméno diskopótiro). Is it genuine? Chignon – Пучок 18:38, 23 April 2019 (UTC)

I don't know, @Chignon -religion is not my strong point- Never heard of such an expression. But I will keep it in mind and ask here and there-. By the way: I was just doing el:ανθός (ανθός), and thought of you: is it a 'doublet' of άνθος (anc. ἄνθος). Always your student, sarri.greek (talk) 18:43, 23 April 2019 (UTC)

A! we say πικρό ποτήρι (bitter πικρός glass ποτήρι) for experiencing something tragic in our lives: I drank this πικρό ποτήρι. @Chignon --sarri.greek (talk) 18:46, 23 April 2019 (UTC)

The δηλητηριασμένο δισκοπότηρο is a literal auto-translation, it does not occur in greek as an expression. For this expression which means a boomerang: something you expect to be good, but turns out bad... we would use μπούμερανγκ:boomerang. For medicine, there is an hippocratic expression θανάσιμον φάρμακον (lethal medicine) which sometimes is used figuratively also in mod.gre. but is means something you do on purpose. --sarri.greek (talk) 19:02, 23 April 2019 (UTC)

Matthew, 26, 39. (Jesus in Gesthemane, praying) Πάτερ μου, εἰ δυνατόν ἐστιν, παρελθάτω^{=παρελθέτω imptv. of παρέρχομαι} ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο (My father, if possible, take away from me this cup). --sarri.greek (talk) 19:13, 23 April 2019 (UTC)

Thank you, lots of ideas! All right, δηλητηριασμένο δισκοπότηρο is not an option. I think πικρό ποτήρι has equivalents both in English ("drink [from] the bitter cup"?) and French (boire le calice jusqu’à la lie), but it doesn't seem to be quite the same idea as that of a "poisoned chalice". Yes, maybe μπούμερανγκ (boúmerangk) fits the bill? Chignon – Пучок 19:28, 23 April 2019 (UTC)

yes, boomerang, but then, it is a VERY free translation, i think it can be used by many languages as alternative. it is translingual. sarri.greek (talk) 19:59, 23 April 2019 (UTC).