den of iniquity

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English

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Etymology

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Unclear, but probably inspired by the "den of thieves" in the KJV Bible (Matthew 21:13: My house shall be called the house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves), which is a calque of Latin spēlunca latrōnum.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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den of iniquity (plural dens of iniquity)

  1. (idiomatic) A place of immoral behavior, often of a sexual type.
    • 1840, George Dabney, The History of an Adventurer:
      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.
    • 1944, Robert Howard, Texas John Alden:
      "Shet up!" I snarled. "I'm jest payin' yuh back for all the pain and humiliation I suffered in this den of iniquity--"