Venice Glass
Preserved but no longer current.
The drinking-glasses of the Middle Ages, made at Venice, were said to break into shivers if poison were put into them. Doge: Tis said that our Venetian crystal has Such pure antipathy to poison, as To burst, if aught of venom touches it.
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 “Venice Glass” mean?
The drinking-glasses of the Middle Ages, made at Venice, were said to break into shivers if poison were put into them. Doge: Tis said that our Venetian crystal has Such pure antipathy to poison, as To burst, if aught of venom touches it.
Is “Venice Glass” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.