A brier (also spelled briar) is a thorny or prickly plant, especially wild roses or blackberry bushes. If you've ever pushed through overgrown woods and felt sharp thorns snagging your clothes and scratching your skin, you've probably encountered briers. They grow in tangled masses that can seem almost impossible to get through.

Briers protect themselves with their thorns, making them difficult for animals to eat. But those same thorns make life challenging for anyone trying to clear a path or pick blackberries. Gardeners often have to wear thick gloves and long sleeves when cutting back briers that have invaded their yards.

In stories, briers often represent obstacles or challenges. In the fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty,” an enchanted forest of thorny briers grows up around the castle, keeping everyone out until the right prince arrives to break the spell. When someone describes a problem as a briar patch of complications, they mean it's thorny and difficult to work through, just like the real thing.