The venom is in the tail The real difficulty is the conclusion The allusion is to the scorpion, which has a sting in its tail The French say, It is always most difficult to flay the tail (C'est lc plus difficile que d'écorcher la queue)
The venom of a creature such as a snake or spider is the poison that it puts into your body when it bites or stings you. snake handlers who grow immune to snake venom. = poison. Poison secreted by an animal, produced by specialized glands often associated with spines, teeth, or stings. It may be primarily for paralyzing or killing prey or may be purely defensive. Some venoms also function as digestive fluids. Their effects can range from localized skin inflammation to almost immediate death; they include nervous-system excitation (cramps, vomiting, convulsions) or depression (paralysis, respiratory or cardiac depression or arrest), hemorrhage, red-blood-cell breakdown, circulatory collapse, and allergic reactions (including hives and inflammation). Many major groups of animals contain venomous species: snakes (cobras, mambas, vipers, pit vipers); fish (stingrays, spiny sharks, certain catfish, puffers); lizards (Gila monsters, beaded lizards); scorpions; spiders (black widow spiders, brown recluse spiders); social insects (bees, wasps, some ants); and marine invertebrates (sea anemones, fire corals, jellyfish, sea urchins). See also antidote
is a poisonous substance produced by some animals and maybe included in their sting (bees, wasps or scorpions) or in their fangs (snakes) The adder is the only poisonous reptile in the UK, but although their bite hurts, it is likely to make an adult feel very ill Remember a snake is probably more scared of people, so please leave them alone For further information about the adder find Animal Fact Sheet Number 2
From a variety of animals, and introduced to a victim by a variety of methods Toxin types include, anticoagulant, haemolytic, haemorrhagic, myotoxin, neurotoxin, procoagulant Bite sites may be infected by agents such as bacteria, carried by the animal Miscellaneous terms Ref MM
Matter fatal or injurious to life; poison; particularly, the poisonous, the poisonous matter which certain animals, such as serpents, scorpions, bees, etc
You can use venom to refer to someone's feelings of great bitterness and anger towards someone. He reserved particular venom for critics of his foreign policy