mantraps

Noun

mantrap (plural mantraps)

1. A mechanical device for catching trespassers.
   • A prevalent custom is the "pomali," exactly equivalent to the "taboo" of the Pacific islanders, and equally respected. It is used on the commonest occasions, and a few palm leaves stuck outside a garden as a sign of the "pomali" will preserve its produce from thieves as effectually as the...1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago, volume I, London: Macmillan and Co., page 306
2. A small space with two sets of interlocking doors, such that the first set of doors must close before the second set opens, used to restrict access.
3. (slang) A woman who is dangerously seductive to men.
   • "Don't know the manners of good society, eh? Wal, I guess I know enough to turn you inside out, old gal — you sockdologizing old man-trap."1858, Tom Taylor, Our American Cousin

   Synonyms:

   vamp