lion's den
Any dangerous or frightening place.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Going into that meeting felt like walking into a lion's den.”
“You enter the lion's den when you argue with the angry manager.”
“He feels like he is in a lion's den during the difficult exam.”
“The young lawyer knew that entering the lion's den to face the aggressive judge would be the hardest part of her career.”
“The reporter stepped into the lion's den when he visited the rival team's stadium to interview their most aggressive fans.”
“After the mistake, the chef had to walk into the lion's den and explain the situation to the hungry, impatient customers.”
“Despite his deep anxiety about the hostile board of directors, he steeled himself and stepped into the lion's den to defend his controversial proposal.”
The term originates from the biblical narrative recorded in chapter 6 of the Book of Daniel. The account describes the prophet Daniel being cast into a pit of captive lions as a capital punishment, an arrangement he survived when the animals remained inexplicably disinterested in his presence.
Last updated August 10, 2026