From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishminefieldmine‧field /ˈmaɪnfiːld/ noun 1 [countable]SCBWAR an area where a lot of bombs have been hidden just below the ground or under water They realized they had wandered into a minefield.2 [singular]PROBLEM a situation in which there are a lot of dangers and difficulties, and it is difficult to make the right decision Choosing the right school can be a bit of a minefield.minefield of The new Administration has to pick its way through the minefield of legislation.legal/financial/political etc minefield The legalisation of cannabis is a political minefield.COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: a situation in which there are a lot of dangers and difficulties, and it is difficult to make the right decisionverbsbe (a bit of a) minefieldDating can be a bit of a minefield.pick your way through a minefield (also navigate/negotiate a minefield) (=behave in a careful way to avoid problems in a difficult situation)The guide helps you pick your way through the minefield of buying a new car.lead/guide somebody through the minefield of something (=help someone avoid problems)Talk to a financial advisor, who can guide you through the minefield of stocks and shares.adjectivesa political minefieldChallenging the system would be to enter a political minefield.a legal minefieldthe legal minefield of buying a house overseasan ethical minefieldThe issue of animal testing is an ethical minefield.
Examples from the Corpus
minefield• Mozart's music seems so danceable, but most choreographers regard it as a minefield.• House-buying can be a minefield -- you need a good lawyer.• Everyone said our show about homosexuality would be a minefield.• This subject is a minefield as dangerous for feminists as for chauvinists.• Mr Kinnock has been led through a minefield of interviews and policy statements without serious damage.• Cheapening the awarding of decorations did not originate in a Bosnia minefield, however.• Traffic began to peter out and they found themselves in the middle of extensive minefields.• The subject of abortion is a political minefield.• About 25 percent of the remaining minefields in Bosnia have been marked, leaving 45 percent still unmarked, Mazzafro said.• McCready saw the rolling waves of razor-wire looming ahead of him, the end of the minefield.• This minefield is compounded by the moral nature of the problem; about what is and is not acceptable behaviour.legal/financial/political etc minefield• Too pricey-and a legal minefield according to our friends in the Police.• There has long been an unspoken consensus across the party spectrum that challenging the system would be to enter a political minefield.• This is a legal minefield, and infringement of the regulations can lead to severe penalties, both civil and criminal.• But the inspection process remains a political minefield. 