snake in the grass
English
Etymology
Calque of Latin latet anguis in herbā (literally “a snake hides in the grass”), Virgil, Eclogue III, v. 93.
Pronunciation
Audio (AU) (file)
Noun
snake in the grass (plural snakes in the grass)
- (informal) A hidden enemy.
- Synonym: backstabber
- 1906, Horatio Alger, Randy of the River, ch. 6:
- I trusted him too much from the start. He has proved to be a snake in the grass.
- 1914, William MacLeod Raine, A Daughter of the Dons, ch. 5:
- Is he not here to throw us out—a thief, a spy, a snake in the grass?
- 1973, Charlie Daniels, "Uneasy Rider":
- He's a snake in the grass, I tell you guys
- He may look dumb but that's just a disguise
- He's a mastermind in the ways of espionage.
- 2008 Nov. 21, Bruce Crumley, "Which Woman Will Lead France's Socialists?," Time:
- Following her presidential defeat, Royal stunned many observers by publicly dumping Socialist Party leader François Hollande — her companion and the father of her four children — and announcing she'd seek his post during the current election. To some, that made Royal the symbol of the strong, modern woman in politics; to others, it cast her as the classic snake in the grass.
Translations
backstabber — see backstabber
See also
- grass snake
Further reading
- “snake in the grass”, in Collins English Dictionary.
- “snake in the grass”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
- “a snake in the grass” (US) / “a snake in the grass” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.
- “anguis in herba”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary