English

1899 Welsh cartoon using the phrase mare's nest.

Noun

mare's nest ‎(plural mare's nests)

1. A great discovery which turns out to be illusory; a hoax.
   • c. 1620, John Fletcher, Bonduca, V.2:

     Why dost thou laugh? What Mares nest hast thou found?

2. A confused or complicated situation; a muddle.
   • 2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin 2003, p. 277:

     Though Chancellor Maupeou had supported the idea of a trial [...], the legal proceedings developed into a mare's nest of accusations and counter-accusations.

mare's nest on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• steersman