Matterhorn

Proper noun

Matterhorn

1. An iconic pyramidal mountain on the border of Switzerland and Italy.
2. (broadly) Something difficult to achieve or to surmount.
   • A second feature is the Matterhorn of inflation that dominates the scene. The average postwar recession showed a 1.4 per cent decline in industrial wholesale prices.1970 August 14, Henry J. Taylor, “Where Do We Stand Now?”, in Prescott Evening Courier
   • Meanwhile, soaring oil prices and plummeting real energy yields from liquid fuels have already left economic carnage in their wake, as a fragile global financial system perched on a Matterhorn of debt has been dealt blow after blow by the failure of the real economy to expand as expected.2012, Richard Heinberg, Hedge your Bets in the Peak Oil Debate