No man's land: Difference between revisions

'''No man's land''' is waste or unowned land or an uninhabited or desolate area</ref> that may be [[land claim|under dispute]] between parties who leave it unoccupied out of fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a [[Territorial dispute|contested territory]] or a [[Landfill|dumping ground]] for refuse between [[fief|fiefdoms]].<ref name="Persico 68"/> It is commonly associated with [[World War I]] to describe the area of land between two enemy [[Trench warfare|trench systems]], not controlled by either side.<ref name="Coleman">[[#Reference-Coleman|Coleman]] p. 268</ref><ref name=oed>{{Cite OED|no man's land|ID=256795}}</ref> The term is also used metaphorically, to refer to an ambiguous, anomalous, or indefinite area, in regard to an application, situation,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/no-mans-land|title=No-man's land definition and meaning|website=www.collinsdictionary.com}}</ref> or jurisdiction.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/no-man%27s-land|title=Definition of NO-MAN'S-LAND|website=www.merriam-webster.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://artsandculture.google.com/project/portraits-of-no-man-s-land|title=Portraits of No-Man's-Land|website=artsandculture.google.com}}</ref> It has sometimes been used to name [[No Man's Land (disambiguation)|a specific place]].<ref name=oed/>