dig a pit for (someone or something)

dig a pit for (someone or something)

To attempt to ensnare or trap someone or something. The FBI has been digging a pit for that very dangerous criminal.

See also: dig, pit

dig a pit for

try to trap.

This is a common biblical metaphor: for example, in Jeremiah 18:20 we find ‘they have digged a pit for my soul’.

See also: dig, pit