to sow dragons' teeth
Preserved but no longer current.
To foment conten- tions; to stir up strife or war; especially to do something that is intended to put an end to strife but which brings it about later. The Philistines "sowed dragons* teeth" when they took Samson, bound him, and put out his eyes ; the ancient Britons did the same when they massacred the Danes on St. Bryce's Day, as also did the Germans when they robbed France of Alsace Lorraine.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to sow dragons' teeth” mean?
To foment conten- tions; to stir up strife or war; especially to do something that is intended to put an end to strife but which brings it about later. The Philistines "sowed dragons* teeth" when they took Samson, bound him, and put out his eyes ; the ancient Britons did the same when they massacred the Danes on St. Bryce's Day, as also did the Germans when they robbed France of Alsace Lorraine.
Is “to sow dragons' teeth” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.