What does ‘a snake in the grass’ mean?
To “a snake in the grass” means to a hidden, treacherous person or danger. Brewer's traces the phrase to Virgil's Eclogues (III.93): 'latet anguis in herba' — a snake lurks in the grass.
Origin
- Brewer's traces the phrase to Virgil's Eclogues (III.93): 'latet anguis in herba' — a snake lurks in the grass.
How to use it
- Used for two-faced friends and lurking risks.
- Example: Watch out for him — he's a snake in the grass.
Source:
Last verified: 2026-07-18
- Definitions and origins are drawn from public-domain reference works, primarily Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), with modern usage notes clearly marked.