den of iniquity en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Unclear, but probably inspired by the “den of thieves” in the KJV Bible, which is a calque of Latin spēlunca latrōnum.
Meanings
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A place of immoral behavior, often of a sexual type.
Ms. Saint Phalle bought the converted inn with her husband, the Swiss sculptor Jean Tinguely, in 1963; he died in 1991. Called Auberge au Cheval Blanc, it was once a brothel. "The villagers wanted an end to the den of iniquity, but then they did not like our sculptures, and for a while they would throw things at them," she says with a distinctive laugh, as wide open and explosive as her eyes.
1993 October 7, Roger Cohen, quoting Niki de Saint Phalle, “At Home With: Niki de Saint Phalle; An Artist, Her Monsters, Her Two Worlds”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:"Shet up!" I snarled. "I'm jest payin' yuh back for all the pain and humiliation I suffered in this den of iniquity—"
1944, Robert Howard, Texas John Alden:The young men made their preparations with alacrity, and, headed by this western patriarch, we proceeded at a rapid gait to surprize the tenants of this den of iniquity.
1840, George Dabney, The History of an Adventurer:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| dens of iniquity | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Translations (9)
ru злачное место (Translations) · pl siedlisko rozpusty (Translations) · nl poel des verderfs (Translations) · nl poel van verderf (Translations) · pl gniazdo rozpusty (Translations) · fr lieu de débauche (Translations) · fi paheiden pesä (Translations) · ru вертеп разбойников (Translations) · fr lieu de perdition (Translations)