noun
snakes and scorpions
Literal meaning referring to the two creatures. Often used in the idiomatic expression 蛇蝎の如く嫌う (to hate like snakes and scorpions).
彼は蛇蝎の如く彼女を嫌っている。
He hates her like snakes and scorpions.
noun
something detestable; abhorrent thing
Idiomatic use; refers to a person or thing that is intensely hated or loathed, drawing on the image of snakes and scorpions as universally despised creatures.
彼にとって不正は蛇蝎だ。
To him, injustice is something detestable.
Compound of 蛇 (snake) and 蝎 (scorpion). The idiomatic sense derives from the traditional view of these creatures as loathsome.