tripwire

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   A cord or wire arranged so that when snagged or pulled by an intruder, it will trigger a…

   A cord or wire arranged so that when snagged or pulled by an intruder, it will trigger a detector or trap or a device, such as a land mine.

   • Seeing the tripwire of a nearby bouncing Betty gave us cold chills, and we moved all the more slowly through the woods.
   • They watched the two ghost-hunters run own the corridor and go crashing over the trip-wire.
2. 2

   Any means of detecting intruders or attackers.

   • The continued presence of U.S. troops as a tripwire force in Macedonia is an increasingly risky venture.
3. 3

   To set a tripwire mechanism in (a location).

The neighborhood

• neighborexplosive
• neighborland mine