briar-patch
briar-patch · briar-patches
A dense thicket of thorny plantsA dense thicket of thorny plants; ground made impassable by the impenetrable overgrowth of prickly vegetation.
Meaning
2 senses(literally)A dense thicket of thorny plants; ground made impassable by the impenetrable overgrowth of prickly vegetation.
(figuratively, singular, usually)An intellectual or philosophical issue abounding with seemingly unresolvable problems; a theoretical quandary or impasse.
Dictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.