Fig: a threat that causes anxiety

The home team won the game, but the referee's report on the incident that occurred to the goal-keeper, who was hit on the head by a can of beer, hangs like a sword of Damocles on the final result

La squadra di casa ha vinto sul campo, ma sul risultato finale pende la spada di Damocle del referto arbitrale per l'incidente occorso al portiere colpito alla testa da una lattina di birra

I'd rather do without the new car than have those monthly payments hanging over my head like a sword of Damocles

Preferisco fare a meno della nuova auto piuttosto che vivere sotto la spada di Damocle delle rate mensili

The doctors assure him that his disease can be lived with, but for him it's like living constantly under the sword of Damocles, because the slightest issue could lead to serious consequences

I medici gli assicurano che con la sua malattia si può convivere, ma per lui è come vivere perennemente sotto la spada di Damocle, perché il minimo problema potrebbe portare a gravi conseguenze

According to the story, Damocles frequently expressed his awe at the power and apparent happiness of Dionysus II, tyrant of Syracuse. Tired of such flattery, Dionysus held a banquet and seated Damocles under a sword that was suspended from the ceiling by a single horsehair, thus demonstrating that kingship brought with it fears and worries as well as pleasures