SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES (PHRASE)

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The phrase "something wicked this way comes" originates in Act IV scene 1 of William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. The speaker is the second witch, whose full line is, "By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes." The wicked thing is Macbeth himself, who by this point in the play is a traitor and murderer. Like many phrases from Shakespeare, it has become a popular choice for titles in pop culture. Its enduring usage may be due in part to Ray Bradbury's novel of the same name. Two different American animated series, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy and Tiny Toon Adventures, contain episodes called "Something Stupid This Way Comes." Both episodes parody the novel by Bradbury.