STEEL TRAP

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does steel trap mean? 

• STEEL TRAP (noun)
  The noun STEEL TRAP has 2 senses:

1. an acute intelligence (an analogy based on the well-known sharpness of steel traps)

2. a trap made of steel with a strong spring and sharp toothlike projections to hold the prey

  Familiarity information: STEEL TRAP used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• STEEL TRAP (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An acute intelligence (an analogy based on the well-known sharpness of steel traps)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Context example:

a mind like a steel trap

Hypernyms ("steel trap" is a kind of...):

acuity; acuteness; keenness; sharpness (a quick and penetrating intelligence)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A trap made of steel with a strong spring and sharp toothlike projections to hold the prey

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("steel trap" is a kind of...):

trap (a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned)

 Context examples 

A mind like a steel trap.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

But just then the wrist I held leaped from my hand, and the hand clasped like a steel trap about my wrist.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)