bed of nails
Americannoun
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 • Oct. 23, 2024
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 • Apr. 7, 2022
You might be surprised to discover that lying on the bed of nails isn’t painful.
From Washington Post • Mar. 30, 2022
In the back, one performer, Alaska, rested on a bed of nails.
From New York Times • Mar. 15, 2020
Mrs. Das listened attentively, stroking her hair with a small plastic brush that resembled an oval bed of nails, asking more questions, for yet another example.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
