No-man's-land Annotated

No man's land is land that is unoccupied or is under dispute between parties who leave it unoccupied out of fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dumping ground for refuse between fiefdoms. In modern times it is commonly associated with World War I to describe the area of land between two enemy trench systems, which neither side wished to cross or seize for fear of being attacked by the enemy in the process. The term is also used to refer to ambiguity, an anomalous, or indefinite area, in regards to an application, situation, or jurisdiction