What is "hornets' nest"

n. (context figurative English) An unpleasant or controversial situation likely to be exacerbated by outside involvement.

1. n. a highly contentious or hazardous situation; "talk of invading Iraq stirred up a political hornets' nest" [syn: hornet's nest]

2. habitation for wasps or hornets [syn: wasp's nest, wasps' nest, hornet's nest]

Hornets’ Nest is a 1970 Italian-American war film directed by Phil Karlson and starring Rock Hudson, Sylva Koscina, and Sergio Fantoni.

Hornets' Nest is an audio play in five episodes based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is written by Paul Magrs, and stars Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor and Richard Franklin as Captain Mike Yates. It was released on five CDs by BBC Audiobooks between September and December 2009. They feature multiple actors, but all five episodes contain some degree of narration by different characters.