Nest of Vipers is taken from the BBC television sitcom Fawlty Towers (1975–1979), which was written by John Cleese and Connie Booth.
In the unlikely event that you are not familier with Fawlty Towers, it revolves around a Torquay hotel run by Basil Fawlty (played by John Cleese) and his wife Sybil (Prunella Scales). Basil and Sybil's marriage is illustrated by the following exchange, which comes from the episode "The Hotel Inspectors":
Basil:
I would find it a bit easier to cope with some of the cretins we get in here, my little Nest of Vipers, if I got just a smidgen of co-operation from you.
Sybil:
Co-operation? That's a laugh. The day you co-operate, you'll be in a wooden box. I've never heard such rudeness.