steel trap
1
7.3
- noun
- Informal
:
mente aguda
- In discussions, he demonstrates a sharp intellect, often referred to as having a mind like a steel trap.
- mind like a steel trap
Examples
-
I want you to know, Doug, I'm a steel trap.
-
McGee, a tall, balding man with a brain like a steel trap, knocked briefly and walked in, closing the door gently behind him.
Fiction book (1991) -
Memory like a steel trap.
-
My mind was a steel trap.
-
Mind like a steel trap.
Fiction book (2002) -
Told you Nangi has a mind like a steel trap.
-
That professor, he's got a mind like a steel trap.
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Classic lit and a steel-trap memory.
-
Oh, maybe she can't get around as easily as she used to, but she still drives, and she's got a mind like a steel trap.
Fiction book (2001) -
Her memory is like a steel trap, allowing her to recall even the tiniest details from years ago.
Synonyms
5
3.8
A quick, clear way of thinking that helps solve problems
2
9.6
The ability to notice and understand things quickly and clearly
1
5.6
A clever person who understands things quickly
1
6.9
Skill in understanding people or situations quickly and using that to your advantage
Antonyms
How Quick
Surface Forms
Morphology
steel + trap
The image combines 'steel' (strength, hardness) and 'trap' (a device that captures), so a learner who knows both words can plausibly infer a metaphorical meaning of a mind that 'captures' or holds things strongly. The connection is metaphorical and involves a transfer of physical properties to mental ability, so the precise nuance (rapid comprehension and retention) is not fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
Steel trap is an expression that compares a very quick, sharp mind to a real steel trap, whose jaws snap shut and hold things tightly. That's why calling someone a steel trap means their memory or thinking is very quick and does not let go, or 'very quick to notice or remember'.