Citations:mare's nest


 * 1687 &mdash; "Why dost thou laugh? What mare's nest hast thou found?" &mdash; Beaumont and Fletcher, Bonduca, Act V. Sc. 2. (In the play, three cockneys out ruralizing had determined to find out something about nests. Accordingly, when they ultimately came upon a dungheap, they judged it must be a "mare's nest" by the surrounding evidence, particularly since they could see the mare/horse close at hand.)