Also: Have a mind as sharp as a steel trap
Meaning of Idiom ‘Have a Mind Like a Steel Trap’
To have a mind like a steel trap is to be able to understand things very quickly; to be able to think very quickly; to be very clearminded and intelligent. 1Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.,2Heacock, Paul. Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms]. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010.,3Spears, Richard A. McGraw-Hill’s American Idioms Dictionary. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2008.
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Examples Of Use
“Sure, Arthur is old but he has a mind like a steel trap.”
“I can’t believe you remember that,” said Ted’s mother. “You were only four years old.” “A mind like a steel trap!” replied Ted.
“To do this job require constant thought and the ability to juggle several tasks at once. You need a mind like a steel trap.”
Origin
Used since at least the early 1900s.
This idiom relates the sharp jaws of an animal trap snapping shut to a quick and agile mind. 4Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
More Idioms Starting with H
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- Heavy Heart
- Have an Axe to Grind
- Loudmouth, be a
- Big Mouth, have a
- Have Someone in the Palm of One’s Hand
More Mind Idioms
More Steel Idioms
More Thought/Thinking Related Idioms
- Miles Away, to be
- Why Do We Say By Heart Instead of By Brain to Mean Mermorize?
- Under the Impression
- Penny for Your Thoughts, a
- Off the Top Of My Head
More Trap Idioms
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Sources
| 1, 4. | ↲ | Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013. |
| 2. | ↲ | Heacock, Paul. Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms]. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010. |
| 3. | ↲ | Spears, Richard A. McGraw-Hill’s American Idioms Dictionary. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2008. |