TRAP noun. \’trap\
1. a device or enclosure designed to catch and retain or to kill animals, typically by allowing entry but not exit or by catching hold of a part of the body; see also “CAGE”; see also “SHACKLE”
As in: If an animal is caught in a trap, it will probably die there.
2. an unpleasant situation from which it is hard to escape; a trick by which someone is misled into acting contrary to their interests or intentions; see also “RESPECTABILITY”; see also “MASCULINITY”; see also “SCARCITY”; see also “WHITE SUPREMACY”
As in: Even an exceptionally smart or strong animal can fall into a trap.
As in: Genius is a trap.
3. residential areas with predominantly Black populations that have been historically impoverished and blocked from access to fair housing, educational resources, and jobs, and disproportionately patrolled by law enforcement; see also “GHETTO”; see also “PROJECTS”; see also “HOOD”
As in: The trap is home to too much genius that will probably die there.
verb.
1. catch (an animal) in a trap; see also “AMBUSH”; see also “ARREST”
As in: To trap, one must necessarily have a victim.
2. prevent (someone) from escaping from a place; have (something, typically a part of the body) held tightly by something so that it cannot move or be freed; see also “REDLINE”; see also “JAIL”
As in: When you trap something, you are the God of its movements.
As in: A good trapper knows they only need a single limb — the foot, the arm, the mind — anything will suffice.
3. perform extralegal activities necessitated by lack of access to sustainable wages, fair housing, affordable education, and health care; see also “SLANG”; see also “HUSTLE”; see also “ADAPT”
As in: We trap in the trap ’cause we trapped.
