snake pit
3
7.3
- noun
- /sneɪk pɪt/
- Informal
:
foso de serpientes
- Working in that office feels like being thrown into a snake pit with all the chaos and backstabbing.
Examples
-
The place is as dangerous as a snake pit.
Fiction book (2002) -
A pair of orderlies gently take Julia's arm and lead her out of the snake pit.
Fiction book (2002) -
And I kind of felt there might be a snake pit there.
Fiction book (1996) -
Plus, we have to be realistic: the WT is a political snake pit and needs a hard character to take it on.
Blog text (9) -
Julia stumbles through the snake pit.
Fiction book (2002) -
The New Deal's stifling regulations did, however, entrench the power of big corporations, the only businesses that could afford the crushing expense of operating in Roosevelt's regulatory snake pit.
Blog text (23) -
She described the negotiations as a snake pit, where trust was hard to find and tensions ran high.
-
Joining that team was like stepping into a snake pit; everyone was competing and there was no room for mistakes.
Synonyms
∞
3.7
A very painful or difficult experience
51
7.9
A very dirty, unpleasant, and dangerous place
26
8.0
A very noisy, chaotic place often used to describe a mental hospital or busy shop
9
6.8
A place or situation that causes great suffering and pain
8
6.8
A situation where you face strong anger or danger from others
7
8.9
The most dangerous part at the center of a situation
7
8.2
A situation of great danger and destruction, like war or a big fire
5
8.8
A very bad situation that makes you feel unhappy
4
9.2
A noisy place where many people shout and act in a confused way
2
6.8
A very messy place with many things mixed together
A very messy place or situation
A situation full of hidden dangers that can cause trouble
Antonyms
How Unpleasant
- Informal
- Informal
51
7.9
- Informal
3
7.3
438
3.1
69
5.2
215
1.0
4
3.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound evokes a clear image—'snake' (dangerous/treacherous animal) plus 'pit' (a confined place)—so learners who know both words can usually infer a hazardous or hostile location. However, applying it metaphorically to social settings (e.g., an office of backstabbing) is a figurative extension and somewhat idiomatic, so the exact pragmatic use and register may not be fully predictable to a B1 learner without exposure.
Etymology
Snake pit may come from the image of a deep hole, a pit, full of snakes that bite and move around, a place people would want to avoid. That's why today snake pit is used to mean a place of 'danger', 'chaos', or 'hostility'.