land mine

Noun

land mine (plural land mines)

1. A mine that is placed on land and designed to explode when stepped upon or touched.
   • With the cessation of hostilities, the military traffic declined considerably, although at least two years will be required to remove the many thousands of tons of explosives still stored at the depot. The supplies of mustard gas have already been despatched to Stranraer to be dumped in the sea...1947 January and February, “Wartime Traffic at Tanfield, L.N.E.R.”, in Railway Magazine, page 47

   Synonyms:

   land torpedo, torpedo

2. (figuratively) A critical subject or situation with concealed or unpredictable implications.
   • Johnson is expected to make a decision within weeks on the future of the 250mph Y-shaped rail network, which would link Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds but has grown into a vexed political issue since it was floated in 2009. He postponed a decision in November, a move widely viewed as a means of...2020 January 24, Rajeev Syal, Gwyn Topham, “HS2 late and billions over budget due to Tory failures, report finds”, in The Guardian
   • He said conversations are dressed up in language about the educational value or inherent beauty of the remains — what he called a clear ploy to divert attention from the ethical land mine that is owning a piece of a deceased person.2021 October 10, Caroline Anders, “A TikTok bone salesman’s wall of spines reignites ethical debate over selling human remains”, in The Washington Post
3. (always written together) A piece of exercise device consisting of a pivoting tube attached to the ground to which a barbell can be fitted to lift it off the ground.
4. (figuratively, slang) A pile of uncollected dog feces that has been left on a public area (such as a sidewalk, park, or common lawn) and on which someone might accidentally step.
   • Our streets and sidewalks have been overrun with trash, and the dog feces landmines that pedestrians have to navigate are an added element having deleterious effects on our health and well-being ...2022 March 3, Beling, Sarah, “t’s Time to Cut the Crap — CB4 Goes into Battle Against Dog Poop “Landmines” on Sidewalks”, in W42st.NYC
   • The trail is easily accessible and has some beautiful views, but it’s currently almost unusable due to the “landmines” left on the trail. ... I do suspect some of the blame lies with professional dog walkers, who never seem to be carrying filled doggie bags.2024 February 11, “Please keep your dog’s ‘landmines’ off our favourite trail”, in North Shore News (Vancouver)