steel trap

noun

a trap for catching animals, consisting of spring-operated steel jaws with sharp projections that clamp shut.

Origin of steel trap

First recorded in 1725–35

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

To this day, within military aviation, he is famous for his "steel trap" mind and his unflappable demeanor.
Buzz Aldrin: Neil Armstrong Was ‘The Best Pilot I Ever Knew’ | Taylor Dinerman | August 27, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
He is as smart as a steel trap, too, is Burton, and has done me good service twice before.
The Rival Campers | Ruel Perley Smith
Then the great yellow tusks would clash together with a sharp, ringing sound horribly suggestive of a steel trap closing.
Motor Matt's Daring, or, True to His Friends | Stanley R. Matthews
Laying on the ground, his foot caught in a wicked looking steel trap, was an elderly man.
The Ranger Boys and the Border Smugglers | Claude A. Labelle
He rolled back a small rug in the middle of the floor to expose a massive steel trap door.
Tom Swift and His Giant Telescope | Victor Appleton

Mother aint much for book learnin', and Jen's as smart as a steel trap, if she is ours.
Helen Grant's Schooldays | Amanda M. Douglas

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