1. A trap made of steel with a strong spring and sharp toothlike projections to hold the prey
   "The hunter set a steel trap to catch the fox"
    
2. An acute intelligence (an analogy based on the well-known sharpness of steel traps)
   "he's as sharp as a steel trap"; "a mind like a steel trap"

Derived forms: steel traps

Type of: acuity, acuteness, keenness, sharpness, trap