thorny bushes

Spiny wild hedges

Thorny bushes are shrubs armed with sharp projections—thorns, spines, or prickles—that discourage animals from browsing.

Common examples include roses, hawthorns, and brambles.

The phrase often appears in fairy tales and biblical contexts: The castle was surrounded by thorny bushes.

Figuratively, a thorny problem is difficult to handle without getting hurt.

Related

wild roses · briars · prickly · scratches · tangled · dense · blackberry · hawthorn · barbs · barbed wire · wild · impenetrable · snagging · scrubland · nettles · gorse · overgrown · hedge

Categories
Opposites
surface texture/danger

thorny busheslamb's ear

Soft-leaved ground cover

plant form/habit

thorny busheslawn grass

Cultivated yard vegetation

clover · trailing vines

Family

thorn, thorns, thornier, thorniest, thorniness, bush, bushes, bushy, bushier

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G