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View synonyms for snake in the grass
snake in the grass
noun
- a treacherous person, especially one who feigns friendship.
- a concealed danger.
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Word History and Origins
Origin of snake in the grass1
First recorded in 1690–1700
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Idioms and Phrases
A treacherous person, as in Ben secretly applied for the same job as his best friend; no one knew he was such a snake in the grass . This metaphor for treachery, alluding to a poisonous snake concealed in tall grass, was used in 37 b.c. by the Roman poet Virgil ( latet anguis in herba ). It was first recorded in English in 1696 as the title of a book by Charles Leslie.Discover More
Example Sentences
She was an old snake-in-the-grass, too,—to use one of Papa's expressions.
From Project Gutenberg
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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