落し穴

Japanese

For pronunciation and definitions of 落し穴 – see the following entry.

[noun] [from early 1200s] a pit trap or snare

[noun] [from late 1600s] a hole in the top of a box or other container for dropping things in

[noun] [from early 1700s] (figuratively) a deliberate ploy to deceive someone into a bad situation: a deliberate pitfall

[noun] [from early 1900s] (figuratively) an unknown pitfall, a non-deliberate hidden risk

Alternative spellings
落穴, 臽

(This term, 落し穴, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)