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Glite Dictionary
tanglefoot trap

tanglefoot trap

8.2
A sticky surface that catches insects when they land or crawl on it
  • noun
  • /ˈtæŋɡlˌfʊt træp/
  • US
translation icon : trampa adhesiva
  • After installing a tanglefoot trap near the kitchen window, we noticed a significant reduction in flies.

Examples

  • Farmers often hang tanglefoot traps in orchards to monitor and control insect populations.

  • The gardener set up a tanglefoot trap to catch pests.

  • The tanglefoot trap caught more bugs than expected this summer.

  • I bought several tanglefoot traps for my fruit trees.

  • After installing a tanglefoot trap near the kitchen window, we noticed a significant reduction in flies.

  • Farmers often hang tanglefoot traps in orchards to monitor and control insect populations.

  • The tanglefoot trap caught more bugs than expected this summer.

Synonyms

trap
vstanglefoot trap
752 2.0

A thing that catches and holds animals or tricks people

is a specific sticky device that catches insects using an adhesive coating

Surface Forms

tanglefoot trap singular
tanglefoot traps plural

Morphology

tanglefoot + trap

Although 'tanglefoot' is not a common dictionary headword, a learner who knows 'tangle', 'foot' and 'trap' can plausibly infer a 'trap that tangles or catches by the feet' — i.e. a sticky device for catching insects. Because the compound is uncommon and may be a brand name or specialized term whose precise mechanism (an adhesive coating) is not fully predictable from the parts, the expression is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Tanglefoot trap comes from the image of an insect's foot caught in a sticky tangle. So, that clear picture explains why the name means 'a sticky device used to catch insects'.