man-trap
Americannoun
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an outdoor trap set for humans, as to snare poachers or trespassers.
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Slang. a woman who is purported to be dangerously seductive or who schemes in her amours; femme fatale.
Etymology
Origin of man-trap
First recorded in 1765–75
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A man-trap involves bulletproof glass doors that control the entrance to the bank.
From Washington Times • Jun. 11, 2016
But he travelled here, and I was nearly caught in a man-trap, and that's how it is I am here.
From The Woodlanders by Hardy, Thomas
They explored the precincts of the village, and in a short time lighted upon the man-trap.
From The Woodlanders by Hardy, Thomas
Only the week before had the Hun attempted a raid and actually entered the trench close to the spot in question, and here was apparently a ready-made man-trap should he do so again.
From No Man's Land by McNeile, H. C. (Herman Cyril)
The particular keeper in whose shed the man-trap still lies among the lumber thinks that the class of poachers who come in gangs are as desperate now as ever, and as ready with their weapons.
From The Gamekeeper At Home Sketches of Natural History and Rural Life by Jefferies, Richard
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.