lion's den

• lions' den
• lion's-den (archaic)
• lions'-den (archaic)

After the story of Daniel in the lions' den in chapter 6 of the Book of Daniel.

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lion's den (plural lions' dens)

1. (idiomatic) Any dangerous or frightening place.

   Synonym: dragon's den

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

     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."

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

     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.

   • 2012, Katy Perry, Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, Dr. Luke, Cirkut, “Wide Awake”, in Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection‎^[1], performed by Katy Perry:

     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

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

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