lion's den

plural lions' dens · alternative lions' den · alternative lion's-den · alternative lions'-den

1. idiomaticAny dangerous or frightening place.

   Yeah, I am born again / Out of the lion's den / I don't have to pretend / (And it's too late) / The story's over now, the end

   2012, Katy Perry, Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, Dr. Luke, Cirkut, “Wide Awake”, in Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection, performed by Katy Perry

   2 more examples

   Mrs. Bowls cautioned her lodger against venturing into the lion's den, "wherein you will rue it, Miss B., mark my words, and as sure as my name is Bowls."

   1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter XL, in Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC

   Despite the girl's assurance, we knew that proximity to the sinister Chinaman must be fraught with danger. We stood, not in the lion's den, but in the serpent's lair.

   1913, Sax Rohmer, chapter 24, in The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu

   Synonyms: dragon's den

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see lion, den.