Literal translation
he is in the snake's nest
Meaning
he's in a dangerous spot
Explanation
This expression means being at bay, in a desperate and dangerous situation, as though standing right beside a snake coiled in its nest, ready to strike at any moment. The three words that make it up, nest, snake, and the linking articles, are all well attested, the term used for snake denoting either the harmless grass snake or the serpent in the broadest sense, which lends the image a deliberately unsettling ambiguity. The nest, a place usually thought peaceful and protective, is here turned into its opposite: the snake's nest is a trap, a place of constant threat. The image conveys a sense of urgency and immediate peril, a situation where danger is close at hand, almost touching, with no obvious way out. It is used to describe a person cornered, financially or otherwise, in a dead end where the slightest move could worsen his condition. The register is grave and vivid.