Words at Play : Top 10 Phrases from Shakespeare

#10: Strange Bedfellows

What it means:

unlikely alliance

How Shakespeare Used It:

When Trinculo seeks shelter from a storm under the cloak of a creature he's very unsure about – he wonders if it's a man or a fish – he comments "misery acquaints a man with strange bed-fellows." (The Tempest, Act 2, Scene 2)

Modern example:

"But there's another key reason Philip Morris lobbied hard for FDA regulation, aligning itself with strange bedfellows like the Campaign for Smoke-Free Kids [and] the American Lung Association ..." — Kate Pickert, Time, June 12, 2009

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