English Explanatory Dictionary

sow dragon's teeth

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To perform an action that inadvertently leads to trouble.
  2. To perform an action that is intended to prevent trouble, but which may actually bring it about.

Word forms

sow dragon's teeth sows dragon's teeth sowing dragon's teeth sowed dragon's teeth sown dragon's teeth

Etymology

Derives from the ancient Greek myth where Jason sowed the teeth of a dragon into a field, from which they sprouted into an army of warriors. See also Ancient Greek ὀδόντες (του) δρᾰ́κοντος (odóntes (tou) drắkontos, “dragon's teeth”) and Σπαρτοί (Spartoí, “sown [men]”) from σπείρω (speírō, “to sow”).⁽ʷᵖ⁾

Related words

open Pandora's box reap what one sows sow the wind, reap the whirlwind
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