pitfall
/ˈpɪtfɔːl
/noun
1A hidden or unsuspected danger or difficulty: the pitfalls of buying goods at public auctions...
- He bought some books on self-publishing and brushed up on the perils and pitfalls involved.
- No matter how often you've done this job before there are still hidden snags and pitfalls along the way.
- How do you deal with difficult grandchildren while avoiding the pitfalls of interfering or being over-critical?
Synonyms
hazard, danger, risk, peril, difficulty, issue, problem, catch, snag, stumbling block, drawback
informal banana skin
2A covered pit for use as a trap.Well anyways, it was caught in a trap, a pitfall....
- If she accidentally stumbled across a trap or a pitfall, she would get out of the mess and warn everyone else of the danger.
- The summed total of three sampling days for each of the 12 pitfall traps (three traps at four tidal heights) was used for each year in subsequent statistical analyses.