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pitfall

[pit-fawl]

Origin

noun

a lightly covered and unnoticeable pit prepared as a trap for people or animals.

any trap or danger for the unwary: the pitfall of excessive pride.

Origin:
1275–1325; Middle English pittefalle, equivalent to pitte pit¹ + falle (Old English fealle) trap

Synonyms
1, 2. See trap¹.

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Pitfall is always a great word to know.

So is callithumpian. Does it mean:

a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

pitfall (ˈpɪtˌfɔːl)

—n
1.	an unsuspected difficulty or danger
2.	a trap in the form of a concealed pit, designed to catch men or wild animals

[Old English pyttpit¹ + fealle trap]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

pitfall

c.1300, a type of animal trap, from pit (1) + fall (v.). Extended sense of "any hidden danger" is first recorded 1580s.

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Related Words

trap

Matching Quote

"If, for some reason, you want to feel completely out of step with the rest of the world, the only thing to do is sit around a cocktail lounge in the afternoon.... You sit around the gloom and have a few quiet, meditative drinks, get everything figured out. Then you go out and the sun hits you. And you feel like something that's been drinking in a gopher hole."

-Karl Kamb

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pitfall

pit·fall