A highly contentious or hazardous situation.
synonym: hornets' nest.
Roget 667:
rocks,
reefs,
coral reef,
sunken rocks,
snags;
sands,
quicksands;
syrt†,
syrtis†;
Goodwin sands,
sandy foundation;
slippery ground;
breakers,
shoals,
shallows,
bank,
shelf,
flat,
lee shore,
ironbound coast;
rock ahead,
breakers ahead.
precipice;
maelstrom,
volcano;
ambush
etc.
530;
pitfall,
trapdoor;
trap
etc.
(snare)
545.
sword of Damocles;
wolf at the door,
snake in the grass,
death in the pot;
latency
etc.
526.
ugly customer,
dangerous person,
le chat qui dort [Fr.];
firebrand,
hornet's nest.
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Roget 704:
difficulty;
hardness
etc.
adj.;
impracticability
etc.
(impossibility)
471;
tough work,
hard work,
uphill work;
hard task,
Herculean task,
Augean task†;
task of Sisyphus,
Sisyphean labor,
tough job,
teaser,
rasper†,
dead lift.
dilemma,
embarrassment;
deadlock;
perplexity
etc.
(uncertainty)
475;
intricacy;
entanglement,
complexity
etc.
59;
cross fire;
awkwardness,
delicacy,
ticklish card to play,
knot,
Gordian knot,
dignus vindice nodus [Lat.],
net,
meshes,
maze;
coil
etc.
(convolution)
248;
crooked path;
involvement.
nice point,
delicate point,
subtle point,
knotty point;
vexed question,
vexata quaestio [Lat.],
poser;
puzzle
etc.
(riddle)
533;
paradox;
hard nut to crack,
nut to crack;
bone to pick,
crux,
pons asinorum [Lat.],
where the shoe pinches.
nonplus,
quandary,
strait,
pass,
pinch,
pretty pass,
stress,
brunt;
critical situation,
crisis;
trial,
rub,
emergency,
exigency,
scramble.
scrape,
hobble,
slough,
quagmire,
hot water,
hornet's nest;
sea of troubles,
peck of troubles;
pretty kettle of fish;
pickle,
stew,
imbroglio,
mess,
ado;
false position.
set fast,
stand,
standstill;
deadlock,
dead set.
fix,
horns of a dilemma,
cul de sac [Fr.];
hitch;
stumbling block
etc.
(hindrance)
706.
[difficult person]
crab;
curmudgeon.
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Roget 830:
painfulness
etc.
adj.;
trouble,
care
etc.
(pain)
828;
trial;
affliction,
infliction;
blow,
stroke,
burden,
load,
curse;
bitter pill,
bitter draught;
waters of bitterness.
annoyance,
grievance,
nuisance,
vexation,
mortification,
sickener†;
bore,
bother,
pother,
hot water,
sea of troubles"
[Hamlet],
hornet's nest,
plague,
pest.
cancer,
ulcer,
sting,
thorn;
canker
etc.
(bane)
663;
scorpion
etc.
(evil doer)
913;
dagger
etc.
(arms)
727;
scourge
etc.
(instrument of punishment)
975;
carking care,
canker worm of care.
mishap,
misfortune
etc.
(adversity)
735;
desagrement [Fr.],
esclandre [Fr.],
rub.
source of irritation,
source of annoyance;
wound,
open sore;
sore subject,
skeleton in the closet;
thorn in the flesh,
thorn in one's side;
where the shoe pinches,
gall and wormwood.
sorry sight,
heavy news,
provocation;
affront
etc.
929;
head and front of one's offending"
[Othello].
infestation,
molestation;
malignity
etc.
(malevolence)
907.
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