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bed of nails

American  

noun

  1. a situation of extreme hardship or suffering.

    Taking care of her sick brother all these years has been a bed of nails for her.


Etymology

Origin of bed of nails

First recorded in 1965–70

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.

Most intriguing are the lines scored down the length of the strip, possibly by a rake or even a bed of nails.

From BBC

Tuna, the lead singer of SoCal’s Sweat, couldn’t wait to check out John Reis, whose new band Swami and the Bed of Nails, played a club show on Friday, and Rocket from the Crypt, one of his old bands, played the main stage on Sunday night.

From Los Angeles Times

Formed of 20 metal posts wrapped in upholstered foam cylinders, it functions loosely like a soft-touch bed of nails.

From New York Times

It is merely a sleight of hand and a twist of fate, and we're all resting on Bono's bed of nails while we wait for the other shoe to drop.

From Salon

You might be surprised to discover that lying on the bed of nails isn’t painful.

From Washington Post