a sword of Damocles hangs over (one's) head



a sword of Damocles hangs over (one's) head

One is faced with imminent danger or trouble. In Greek mythology, the courtier Damocles was forced to sit beneath a sword suspended by a single hair to emphasize the instability of a king's fortunes. I know his history of violent behavior, so I feel like a sword of Damocles hangs over my head whenever I'm alone with him. With the threat of nuclear war, many feel that a sword of Damocles hangs over the world's head.
See also: Damocles, hang, head, of, sword

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Tendaji-Eastern African, Swahili
Sandip-Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil
Bahiga-Arabic
Marlis-German
Rudd[rʌd]
Taffy-Welsh