bearpit
n.— «He will take his seat opposite Miss Clark in Parliament’s chamber, or the bearpit as it is sometimes known, but he says he is not overly nervous at the prospect.» —“Key to square off against Clark for first time” Radio New Zealand Dec. 5, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Ron in Gloverville, South Carolina, wonders about the phrase since hatchet was hammer, which some use to mean “for a long period of time,” as in My family has lived here since hatchet was hammer. Another phrase he’s heard indicating the same thing...
Many of us struggled with the Old English poem “Beowulf” in high school. But what if you could actually hear “Beowulf” in the English of today? There’s a new translation by Maria Dahvana Headley that uses contemporary...