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deadfall

American  
[ded-fawl] / ˈdɛdˌfɔl /

noun

  1. a trap, especially for large game, in which a weight falls on and crushes the prey.

  2. a mass of brush and fallen trees.

deadfall British  
/ ˈdɛdˌfɔːl /

noun

  1. Also called: downfall.  a type of trap, used esp for catching large animals, in which a heavy weight falls to crush the prey

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of deadfall

First recorded in 1605–15; dead + fall

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.

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