tripwire means 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. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 88 out of 100.
Etymology
From trip + wire.
noun
- 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.”
- 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.”
verb
- To set a tripwire mechanism in (a location).