| 释义 |
mousetrap
I. \ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷\ noun
Etymology: Middle English mowse trape, from mowse, mous mouse + trape, trappe trap — more at trap
1.
a. : a trap for mice
b. : a sharp cheese of the type used for baiting a mousetrap
< that wonderful uniform cheddar we call … mousetrap — R.W.Howard >
2. : something that resembles a mousetrap: as
a. : a stratagem that lures one to defeat or destruction; specifically : a football play in which a defensive player is allowed to cross the line of scrimmage and is unexpectedly blocked from the side while the ball carrier advances through the spot he has vacated — called also trap, trap play
b. : a small place : hole-in-the-wall
< this pitiable young man shutting himself up in a mousetrap — Rebecca West >
c. : a fishing tool for removing small objects from a drilled well
d. : a new or improved product that attracts attention in a highly competitive market
< current experiments amount to attempts at building a better mousetrap — Paul Haney >
II. transitive verb
: to snare in or as if in a mousetrap
< two prize motorized armor divisions … had been mousetrapped, and subsequently destroyed — P.W.Thompson >
< mousetrap a politician into a damaging statement >
specifically : to block out (a defensive lineman) in a football game by means of the mousetrap play |