briar patch
noun
plural briar patches
1
: an area in which briars (see briar entry 1 sense 1) are growing
… the cottontail was sitting comfortably on a stump right in the middle of a briar patch …—Cook's Illustrated
2
: a troublesome or difficult situation or experience
The culling of bison at Yellowstone, while legal, has been a briar patch of controversy for more than two decades.—Jim Robbins
… he shows how Elvis made his way through this cultural briar patch …—Margo Jefferson
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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