snake pit

noun Informal.

a mental hospital marked by squalor and inhumane or indifferent care for the patients.

an intensely chaotic or disagreeable place or situation.

Also, snake·pit.

Origin:
1945–50

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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WordNet

snake pit
noun
1.	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]
2.	pejorative terms for an insane asylum

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Relevant Questions

00:10

Snake pit is always a great word to know.

So is zedonk. Does it mean:

the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

Example sentences

Or maybe they gave up on the world of chemistry as a snake pit where politics matters more than sound scientific methodology.

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