hornet's nest

American  

noun

1. a large amount of activity, trouble, hostility, or animosity.

   His investigation stirred up a hornet's nest, resulting in major shifts in personnel.

---

Etymology

Origin of hornet's nest

First recorded in 1730–40

Example Sentences

But it seemed we were going undercover right into the hornet’s nest itself.

From Literature

We were risking our skins in this hornet’s nest for some nuts?

From Literature

She was returning to the hornet’s nest?

From Literature

The judges said when they directed the temple officials to produce complete files and records relating to the repair of the idols, "little did we realise, that we were in fact opening a hornet's nest".

From BBC

He penned a memoir on growing up in the rural South as well as a book of poems, and he was the first president to write a novel — “The Hornet’s Nest,” about the South during the Revolutionary War.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• commotion
• difficulty
• hazard
• trouble