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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

nourish a viper in one's bosom en · VERB

Etymology

From Aesop's fable The Farmer and the Viper.

Meanings

  1. (idiomatic) To do acts of kindness that will be met with ingratitude and will cause one harm in the end.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
nourishing a viper in one's bosom Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
nourishes a viper in one's bosom Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
nourished a viper in one's bosom Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
nourished a viper in one's bosom Tense=Past lexicographic

Synonyms

cherish a snake in one's bosom

Translations (11)

nl een adder aan zijn borst koesteren (to do kind deeds rewarded with harm) · sv nära en orm vid sin barm (to do kind deeds rewarded with harm) · fi elättää käärmettä povellaan (to do kind deeds rewarded with harm) · fr réchauffer un serpent dans son sein (to do kind deeds rewarded with harm) · fi elättää kyytä povellaan (to do kind deeds rewarded with harm) · pl hodować żmiję na własnym łonie (to do kind deeds rewarded with harm) · cs hřát si hada na prsou (to do kind deeds rewarded with harm) · tr koynunda yılan beslemek (to do kind deeds rewarded with harm) · ru пригре́ть змею́ на груди́ (to do kind deeds rewarded with harm) · de eine Schlange am Busen nähren (to do kind deeds rewarded with harm) · hu kígyót melenget a keblén (to do kind deeds rewarded with harm)

wikipedia: The Farmer and the Viper