bear pit
Gladiatorial trading floor
A bear pit is literally an enclosure where bears are kept, historically for public viewing or the blood sport of bear-baiting.
The figurative sense dominates modern usage: any hostile environment where someone faces aggressive questioning or attack from multiple directions.
Politicians dread bear pit interviews; parliamentary question time is a weekly bear pit.
She walked into a bear pit of angry shareholders.
Direct hostile encounter
- aggressionHostile or attacking behavior
- animosityActive, bitter hostility
- antagonismActive opposition or hostility
- contentionAssertion or rivalry
intimidation · tension · strife · discord · bullying · harassment · acrimony · enmity
confrontation
Direct hostile encounter
- aggressionHostile or attacking behavior
- animosityActive, bitter hostility
- antagonismActive opposition or hostility
contention · intimidation · tension · strife · discord · bullying · harassment · acrimony · enmity · belligerence
amphitheater
Open-air tiered venue
menagerie · spectacle · baiting · den · pen · moat · zoo · attraction · exhibit
- zooelephant, giraffe, lion, tiger, monkey
- enclosurescage, pen, box, enclosure, case
- pits
- venuesarena, auditorium, stadium, performing arts center, theater
- fighting arenasboxing ring, wrestling ring, cockpit, bullring, prize ring
- zoo exhibitslion exhibit, penguin exhibit, tiger habitat, reptile house, aviary
bear pitwilderness
Uncultivated, uninhabited natural region
open range · nature reserve · wildlife sanctuary · natural habitat · freedom
bear pitsafe haven
Protected place of shelter
sanctuary · safe space · supportive environment · puff piece · comfort zone
bear, pit, bears, bearing, bearer, bearable, unbearable, pits, pitted