poisoned chalice
noun phrase, metaphor

- something that seems very good when it is first received, but in fact does great harm to the person who receives it

Cambridge Dictionary

- an assignment, award, or honour which is likely to prove a disadvantage or source of problems to the recipient

Oxford Reference

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ORIGIN

This phrase is found originally in Shakespeare's Macbeth (1606), in a speech in which Macbeth flinches (to flinch = zurückweichen) from the prospective murder of Duncan.

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Graham Sutherland's Poisoned Chalice

In 1954 the English artist Graham Sutherland was commissioned to paint a full-length portrait of Sir Winston Churchill. The 1,000 guinea fee for the painting was funded by donations from members of the House of Commons and House of Lords. The painting was presented to Churchill by both Houses of Parliament at a public ceremony in Westminster Hall on his 80th birthday, 30 November 1954.

Unfortunately for Sutherland, Churchill hated the portrait. The painting was intended to hang in the Houses of Parliament after Churchill's death, but it had been given to Churchill as a personal gift and he took it away to Chartwell, where it was never displayed. Requests to borrow the painting for exhibitions of Sutherland's work were refused.

In 1978, it was reported that Lady Churchill had destroyed the painting within a year of its arrival at Chartwell, by breaking it into pieces and having them incinerated (verbrannt), to avoid causing further distress to her husband.

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Practice OWAD in a conversation today. Say something like:

Regarding Sutherland's POISONED CHALICE, his controversial portrait of Churchill can be seen here at 1 minute 45 seconds: http://www.historyvshollywood.com/video/winston-churchill-receives-portrait/