land mine

plural land mines · alternative landmine

1. governmentA mine that is placed on land and designed to explode when stepped upon or touched.

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   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, and the disposal of ¾-million land mines has called for the provision of 17 special trains.

   1947 January and February, “Wartime Traffic at Tanfield, L.N.E.R.”, in Railway Magazine, page 47

   Synonyms: land torpedo, torpedo

2. figurativelyA critical subject or situation with concealed or unpredictable implications.

   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

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   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 avoiding a political landmine in the run-up to the election.

   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 togetherA 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. figurativelyslangA 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.

   ... if ten dogs a day visit a park, and their owners don't pick up their poop, each week that's 70 landmines ...

   2024 May 23, McKay, John, “W Richland Officials - How Many Dog Landmines Are Found In Parks?”, in Newstalk 870 KFLD-AM Radio

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   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)