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Glite Dictionary
out of the traps

out of the traps

9.3
To start an activity very quickly and with a lot of energy
  • idiom
  • UK
translation icon : rápidamente
  • The team was out of the traps and scored an early goal within the first five minutes.

Examples

  • The team came out of the traps quickly, dominating their opponents in the opening minutes of the match.

  • She started out of the traps in her new job, impressing everyone with her enthusiasm.

  • Politicians were quick out of the traps to comment on the breaking news.

  • They were out of the traps quickly at the start of the race!

  • Why did the runners go out of the traps so fast?

  • The runners were out of the traps at the sound of the starting gun, eager to win the race.

  • She was out of the traps from the first day at her new job, showing great initiative and energy.

Synonyms

out of the gate
vsout of the traps
23 5.6

Happens immediately at the start with strong energy or quick success

is focused on quick beginnings in contests and events rather than all starts
to dive in
vsout of the traps
  • Informal
23 3.7

Start doing something quickly and with a lot of energy

matches the energy but lacks the specific competition or race emphasis
to come out swinging
vsout of the traps
  • Informal
13 7.5

To start something immediately with strong, aggressive action

shares energetic start but is more about aggression than neutral quickness
off to the races
vsout of the traps
  • Informal
2 7.0

To start a task quickly with a lot of energy

applies the same energetic start idea mainly to competitions and events
to get stuck in
vsout of the traps
  • UK
2 5.8

To start a task with energy and eagerness

shares eagerness but is more about effortful work than fast competitive starts
out of the blocks
vsout of the traps
1 6.8

To start very quickly and with energy at the beginning of an activity

is the British expression for the same quick energetic start
to storm out of the blocks
vsout of the traps
  • Informal
8.0

To start something very quickly and with a lot of energy

focuses on quick energetic starts especially in competitions rather than only races
to fly out of the blocks
vsout of the traps
6.7

Begin something very quickly and with a lot of energy

highlights quick competitive starts specifically in British usage rather than general starts
to sally into
vsout of the traps
8.4

To make a sudden, energetic start in a new activity

is similar but stresses competitive event starts rather than new experiences

Antonyms

slow
∞ 1.0

Moving or happening at a low speed

postponement
19 3.4

A delay that makes an event or activity happen later than planned

How Fast

full throttle
12 5.8
out of the traps
  • UK
9.3
gradually
273 1.9
slow
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

out of the traps positive

Morphology

out + of + the + traps

This is a sports/racing metaphor (from horses starting out of starter traps) whose meaning 'begin quickly and energetically at the start' is not directly derivable from the literal words 'out', 'of', 'the', 'traps'. A B1 learner who knows the individual words but not the racing image would more likely infer 'escaping traps' or a literal reading, so the idiomatic sense is unpredictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

The idiom out of the traps may come from old horse races, where the race begins when the gates or traps open and the horses rush forward. That's why people use it to mean 'begin quickly' or 'start fast'.