steel trap
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of steel trap
First recorded in 1725–35
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.
Where Maggie is candid, at least to a point, Alma is a steel trap.
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2025
So Mr. Holden jury-rigged a food-laden steel trap with a trip wire dangling from his second-story apartment.
From New York Times ● Jun. 8, 2023
This brought me up short, but I thought: Perhaps he will be able to retain everything that happens in his sharp, steel trap of a mind.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 8, 2019
Warren has — twice — and she has a mind like a steel trap.
From The Guardian ● May 18, 2019
Gertrustein had said that Sam had a mind like a steel trap.
From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry
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.
