Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

snake in the grass

/ˈsneɪk ɪn ðə ˈɡɹæs/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.00 in modern English

Syllables: snake in the -grass
IPA: /ˈsneɪk ɪn ðə ˈɡɹæs/

23

Scrabble Score

15

Letters

2

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A hidden enemy.

Derogatory; Informal

Example Sentences

"The trouble is, I trusted him too much from the start. He has proved to be a snake in the grass."
"Is he not here to throw us out—a thief, a spy, a snake in the grass?"
"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."
"We were playing in Dallas, when that snake in the grass—Eight Ball, everyone called him—came up on my blind side …"
"Following her presidential defeat, [Ségolène] 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."

Etymology

Calque of Latin latet anguis in herbā (literally “a snake hides in the grass”), from Eclogue III by the Roman poet Virgil (traditionally 70 – 19 B.C.E.). Compare Dutch addertje onder het gras.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈsneɪk ɪn ðə ˈɡɹæs/
British English: /ˈsneɪk ɪn ðə ˈɡɹɑːs/

Usage

Inflected Forms

snakes in the grass (plural)

Phrases

fifth column grass snake

Frequently Paired Words

fifth column grass snake

Synonyms

backstabber wolf in sheep's clothing betrayer cockatrice double-crosser quisling rat ratter recreant renegade serpent snake

Rhymes With

class world-class pass ass mass glass grass brass hamas abbas madras surpass

Questions

How do you pronounce snake in the grass?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsneɪk ɪn ðə ˈɡɹæs/.
What does snake in the grass mean?: A hidden enemy.
Where does snake in the grass come from?: Calque of Latin latet anguis in herbā (literally “a snake hides in the grass”), from Eclogue III by the Roman poet Virgil (traditionally 70 – 19 B.C.E.). Compare Dutch addertje onder het gras.

How to pronounce snake in the grass

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