snake pit

snake pit
noun
1. pejorative terms for an insane asylum
• Syn:
• Hypernyms:
2. any place of pain and turmoil
-

the hell of battle

-

the inferno of the engine room

-

when you're alone Christmas is the pits

• Syn: ↑hell, ↑hell on earth, ↑hellhole, ↑the pits, ↑inferno
• Derivationally related forms: ↑infernal (for: ↑inferno)
• Hypernyms: ↑region, ↑part

* * *

noun
1. : a hospital for mental diseases
2. : a place of chaotic disorder and distress

the snake pit of her alcoholism — John Barkham

* * *

Informal.
1. a mental hospital marked by squalor and inhumane or indifferent care for the patients.
2. an intensely chaotic or disagreeable place or situation.
Also, snakepit.
[1945-50]

* * *

snake pit,
1. a pit filled with snakes.
2. Informal. a backward or overcrowded mental institution, prison, or other such facility, especially one where outmoded theories and practices are perpetuated.
3. Figurative. any frightening or oppressive place or condition: »

It's difficult to orient one's way in the snake pit we're living in (Arthur Miller).

* * *

n. a pit containing poisonous snakes
■ figurative a scene of vicious behavior or ruthless competition

the literary snake pits of New York

■ figurative a place of overcrowded squalor, esp. a poorly run mental hospital

the clinic opened in 1949, when most drug and alcohol sanitariums were still snake pits

Origin:
1946: from the title of a novel by Mary Jane Ward

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Snake pit — Snake pits were a historical European means of imposing capital punishment. Convicts were cast into a deep pit containing venomous snakes, such as vipers. They died from snake venom poisoning as the irritated snakes attacked them. An example of… …   Wikipedia

  • snake pit — snake′ pit or snake′pit n. 1) a mental hospital marked by squalor and inhumane or indifferent care for the patients 2) an intensely chaotic or disagreeable place or situation • Etymology: after a novel with the same title (1946) by Mary Jane Ward …   From formal English to slang

  • snake-pit — snakeˈ pit noun (figurative) 1. A mental hospital 2. A place, or circumstances, characterized by disordered emotions and relationships • • • Main Entry: ↑snake …   Useful english dictionary

  • snake pit — n. 1. a pit where snakes are kept ☆ 2. Informal a place of horror and confusion, as a crowded mental hospital where patients are improperly cared for …   English World dictionary

  • snake pit —    a mental hospital    Probably from one of the common delusions of the mentally ill, but also a place where the sane hope not to find themselves:     The old man was always threatening to stash her away in a snake pit. (Macdonald, 1971)    The… …   How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms

  • Snake pit (disambiguation) — Snake pits were a historical European means of imposing capital punishment. * The Snake Pit , a 1948 film *Slash s Snakepit, a rock band which was a side project formed by then Guns N Roses lead guitarist Slash in 1994 *Narcisse Snake Pits, a… …   Wikipedia

  • Snake pit (game) — Snake Pit is an outdoor recreational game and an alternative to the popular activity known as horseshoes. The game requires contestants to toss an oversized washer into a square wooden box or the hole inside of it (a pipe coming up from the base… …   Wikipedia

  • SNaKe PiT Music and Motorcycle Connection — The sNaKe PiT Music and Motorcycle Connection is a motorcycle rally and Music Festival held annually each June at the Rock Creek Lodge of Clinton, Montana drawing artists, music enthusiasts, and riders from all over the northwest region of the… …   Wikipedia

  • snake pit — /ˈsneɪk pɪt/ (say snayk pit) noun 1. a pit containing venomous snakes, especially as used as a means of torture or execution. 2. Military Colloquial a sergeant s mess. Also, snake pen …  

  • snake pit — noun Date: 1946 1. a hospital for mental diseases 2. a place or state of chaotic disorder and distress …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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