a mess of pottage
noun phrase
old-fashioned
: something that has little or no value
They sold/traded their birthright for a mess of pottage.
Examples of a mess of pottage in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Do not sell your soul for a mess of pottage like Esau to Jacob.
—
Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 1 Dec. 2024
In effect, for a mess of pottage, a public school sold an inflated but permanent artistic legacy to a private citizen.
—Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2022
That is what caused the Big 4 firms to sell their birthright for a mess of pottage by peddling bogus shelters around the turn of the millennium.
—Peter J Reilly, Forbes, 19 June 2021
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Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 1 Dec. 2024
In effect, for a mess of pottage, a public school sold an inflated but permanent artistic legacy to a private citizen.
—Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2022
That is what caused the Big 4 firms to sell their birthright for a mess of pottage by peddling bogus shelters around the turn of the millennium.
—Peter J Reilly, Forbes, 19 June 2021
Cite this Entry
“A mess of pottage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20mess%20of%20pottage. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
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