monkey trap
1
9.1
- noun
- /ˈmʌŋki træp/
:
trampa para monos
- Using a monkey trap, they were able to capture the curious monkey without harming it.
Examples
-
And you're building monkey traps.
-
The wildlife expert set up a monkey trap in the trees to study their behavior.
-
He carefully constructed a monkey trap with fruits as bait to catch the animals for research.
Synonyms
752
2.0
A thing that catches and holds animals or tricks people
8
5.2
A trap with a noose used to catch small animals or birds
1
7.5
A metal device with strong springs and sharp jaws that catches animals
1
8.5
A trap with a heavy rock that falls to catch or kill an animal
1
5.2
A hidden hole in the ground that traps animals or people
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound meaning 'a device to catch monkeys' is directly and compositionally derived from 'monkey' (the animal) + 'trap' (a device for catching), so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the intended sense. This straightforward noun+noun construction is cross-linguistically common and follows regular English compounding patterns, making it transparent.
Etymology
Monkey trap is a simple trap that uses bait: a monkey puts its hand into a hole to grab the food and then will not let go. Because the hand cannot come back through the opening, the animal becomes 'caught' when it refuses to 'let go'. That's why people also use monkey trap to mean a situation where someone is 'trapped' because they will not give up something small.