General EnglishBiblical allusionliteraryformalreligious
A metaphorical or literal place of extreme danger, mortal peril, or imminent death.
An ordeal or situation in which survival is doubtful.
2.
General Englishliterarycolloquialidiomatic
A dramatic expression for a critical, precarious, or crisis-filled phase, often used figuratively to describe military, personal, or organizational hardship.