Idiom idiom
beard the lion in his den
Meaning
To confront an adversary in his or her own environment.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“I have to beard the lion in his den and ask for a raise.”
“She decided to beard the lion in his den by visiting the manager's office to complain about the new policy.”
“Knowing the director would be furious, the young lawyer steeled himself to beard the lion in his den and challenge the unfair contract terms directly.”
Origin
From the sense of *beard* meaning to confront, specifically by seizing or plucking the beard of an opponent as a gesture of extreme defiance.
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026