bear garden
Americannoun
-
a place for keeping or exhibiting bears, especially (formerly) for bearbaiting.
-
a place or scene of tumult.
noun
-
(formerly) a place where bears were exhibited and where bear-baiting took place
-
a place or scene of tumult and disorder
Etymology
Origin of bear garden
First recorded in 1590–1600
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"It was a real bear garden," Lord Campbell told The Daily Telegraph.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2015
I don't miss the bear garden of Prime Minister's Questions or the endless hours sitting in the Chamber waiting to try to get a few minutes talking to an empty House.
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2011
The first time I took charge of a study hall at Centennial High School, I thought I was in a bear garden.
From Time Magazine Archive
Let us pull out of this bear garden.
From Time Magazine Archive
Is it to turn the Senate into a bear garden, where Senators cannot associate on terms which ought to prevail between gentlemen?
From American Eloquence, Volume 3 Studies In American Political History (1897) by Johnston, Alexander
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.
