nourish a viper in one's bosom
To do acts of kindness that will be met with ingratitude and will cause one harm in the end.
nourish
/ˈnʌɹ.ɪʃ/
verb 5noun 1
Collocations
1(verb.)
PHRASES
properly/well nourished
Children who are properly nourished do better in school and have more energy to play.
Definitions
noun
1
A nurse.
verb
1
To feed and cause to grow; to supply with food or other matter which increases weight and promotes health.
He planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it.
other carnivorous Animals are difficultly nourished by Plants alone
2
To support; to maintain; to be responsible for.
I in Ireland nourish a mighty band.
3
To encourage; to foster; to stimulate
to nourish civility
to nourish a sense of self-worth
4
To cherish; to comfort.
Ye have nourished your hearts.
5
To educate or bring up; to nurture; to promote emotional, spiritual or other non-physical growth.
Nourished up in the words of faith.
Thesaurus
Idioms & Phrases
Example Bank
601
He planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it.
Wiktionary02
other carnivorous Animals are difficultly nourished by Plants alone
Wiktionary03
Children nourished exclusively upon this simple food will be found to enjoy more perfect health
Wiktionary04
We need to nourish our spirit.
Tatoeba · #2285705
The mother used her own milk to nourish the baby.
Tatoeba · #4405006
It's important to nourish your children with good food.
Tatoeba · #325847Usage Notes
i Register
In some senses, nourish is marked as obsolete. Watch for register when choosing this word.
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