Trap - Encyclopedia

A trap is a device or tactic intended to harm, capture, detect, or inconvenience an intruder. Traps may be physical objects, such as cages or snares, or metaphorical concepts. Trap - Physical traps. Examples of physical, usually mechanical, traps include: Animal trap, often used to obtain the fur or meat of wild animals. Booby trap, a mechanism designed to capture or harm unsuspecting humans. Heligoland trap, a large funnel-shaped structure used to trap bi ...

Trap, Trap - Metaphorical traps, Trap - Other meanings, Trap - Physical traps, Trap - Place names, Trap - Related terms, Ambush (often called a trap, as in the exclamation, "It's a trap!"), Trapping

A trap is a device or tactic intended to harm, capture, detect, or inconvenience an intruder. Traps may be physical objects, such as cages or snares, or metaphorical concepts.

Examples of physical, usually mechanical, traps include:

Animal trap, often used to obtain the fur or meat of wild animals.
Booby trap, a mechanism designed to capture or harm unsuspecting humans.
Heligoland trap, a large funnel-shaped structure used to trap birds.
Insect trap, used to capture insects.
Trapdoor, a recessed (often hidden) door in a floor or ceiling.

Ambush (often called a trap, as in the exclamation, "It's a trap!"), Trapping

Trap - Metaphorical traps

Examples of metaphorical or conceptual traps include:

Canary trap, a method for exposing an information leak.
High level equilibrium trap, a concept used to explain why China never underwent an indigenous Industrial Revolution.
Honey trap, a form of sting operation in law enforcement.
Liquidity trap, a concept in economics involving a stagnant economy and low interest rates.
Speed trap, a tactic designed to catch speed limit violators; it may also refer to a place where such a tactic is commonly used.
Verbal trap, a statement or question phrased in such a way that any valid response would imply something the responder does not intend. See also Trick question.
Welfare trap, a phenomenon by which social policies interact to keep people dependent on welfare; related concepts include the unemployment trap and poverty trap.

Trap - Other meanings

Other meanings of the word trap include:

In bodybuilding, a nickname for the trapezius muscle.
In computing, programming code designed to capture errors and reveal where they are. More specifically, a processor-generated exception, usually resulting in a switch into kernel mode.
In electronics, a filter used to block a range of frequencies.
In geology, a rock formation in which water, salt or hydrocarbons may collect.
In horseriding, a device which attaches a carriage to a pony.
In role-playing games, a type of obstacle often used in dungeons.
In the narcotics industry, an area where drugs are bought and sold in an open-air street market. People who are big time drug dealers in a trap are known as "Trap Stars".
In plumbing, a U-shaped pipe located below a drain; also called a water seal.
In shooting sports, an activity similar to skeet shooting which involves shooting clay pigeons; also, the device which launches the clays.

Trap - Related terms

Bot trap, a method of handling misbehaving network bots.
Fur trapper, one who traps animals for a living.
Neutral zone trap, a defensive strategy in ice hockey.
Night Trap, a 1992 video game.
The Parent Trap, the title of two Disney movies.
Penning trap, used to store charged particles.
Polar Trappers, 1938 Disney cartoon.
Trapball, an old game played with a trap.
TRAP law, a type of legislation used to restrict abortion providers.
Trap-Neuter-Return, a method of animal control.
Trap street, a fictitious or incorrectly rendered street on a map.
Treasure Trap, a live action role-playing game.
Trivia Trap, a short-lived TV game show.
Venus Flytrap, a carnivorous plant.

Trap - Place names

Deccan Traps, in west-central India
Wolf Trap, Virginia
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, also in Virginia