Chinese finger trap

American  

noun

1. a child's toy, consisting of a small cylinder of woven straw or paper into which the forefingers are placed, one in each end: the harder one pulls, the more securely the fingers are held.

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Example Sentences

But although both of these complimentary-but-inverse options fit together beautifully, they’re internally inconsistent, forming a sort of Chinese finger trap of logic, difficult and awkward to extract oneself from without extraordinary mental flexibility.

From Slate • Aug. 7, 2018

But sometimes the U.S.-Iran relationship feels like a Chinese finger trap: The harder either side pulls away, the more fiercely both are joined.

From New York Times • Jul. 10, 2018

Haviland compared the hollow, braided contraption to a Chinese finger trap that would snap when a whale pulled on it.

From Washington Post • Apr. 20, 2018

In the case of the Chinese finger trap, Hayes observes, “doing the presumably sensible thing is counterproductive.”

From Salon • Nov. 25, 2012