no man's land
4
7.4
- noun
- /noʊ mænz lænd/
- Informal
:
zona gris
- The negotiations occurred in a no man's land where both sides were hesitant to make concessions.
Examples
-
Since these forces existed in a legal no man's land, they eventually became unmanageable.
Academic text (2000) -
Just don't get stuck in no man's land.
-
It's the no man's land in the battle between mind and body.
Fiction book (1997) -
Report anything they spot, and keep circling the no-man's-land day and night.
-
I joined Jane in our no-man's land, midway toward either group.
Fiction book (1990) -
Most stay in a no-man's land, being neither European/American nor completely African.
Academic text (1996) -
So Devor and his family are in a bureaucratic no-man's land.
Blog text (17) -
The modern Turkish state emerged, therefore, in a kind of no man's land of state-society interaction.
Academic text (2000) -
Between her and her minders stretched the no man's land of official insecurity.
Fiction book (2002) -
Hong Kong was, in that sense, a neutral ground, a no-man's-land where ostensible enemies could meet, trade, and deal while maintaining official belligerence toward one another.
Academic text (1990)
Synonyms
35
5.3
A situation that is not clearly in one category
1
9.9
A time when someone or something is between two stages and not sure what comes next
1
8.9
A mysterious state between reality and imagination
An unclear or strange situation between two states
A situation where meaning is not clear or exact
How Ambiguous
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally combines 'no' + the possessive 'man's' + 'land' to mean land that belongs to no one; a B1 learner who knows these constituents can infer this literal meaning and thus understand its metaphorical extension to an ambiguous or unclaimed situation. The metaphorical sense (an area between defined positions) is a predictable figurative use found cross-linguistically (e.g., 'terra nullius', 'tierra de nadie'), so the expression is readily comprehensible from its parts.
Etymology
No man's land is also used for an unclear situation between two clear positions. Imagine being stuck in the empty space with no safe side to join—this picture explains why the phrase means 'an unclear or undefined area or state between two things'.