land mines

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
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