What is "mantrap"

Mantrap \Man"trap`\, n.

1. A trap for catching trespassers. [Eng.]

2. A dangerous place, as an open hatch, into which one may fall.

alt. 1 A mechanical device for catching trespassers. 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. n. 1 A mechanical device for catching trespassers. 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.

1. n. a very attractive or seductive looking woman [syn: smasher, stunner, knockout, beauty, ravisher, sweetheart, peach, lulu, looker, dish]

2. a trap for catching trespassers

A mantrap is a mechanical physical security devices for catching poachers and trespassers. They have taken many forms, the most usual being like a large foothold trap, the steel springs being armed with teeth which met in the victim's leg. Since 1827, they have been illegal in England, except in houses between sunset and sunrise as a defence against burglars.

Other traps such as special snares, trap netting, trapping pits, fluidizing solid matter traps and cage traps could be used.

Mantraps that use deadly force are illegal in the United States, and in notable tort law cases the trespasser has successfully sued the property owner for damages caused by the mantrap. There is also the possibility that such traps could endanger emergency service personnel such as firefighters who must forcefully enter such buildings during emergencies. As noted in the important US court case of Katko v. Briney, "the law has always placed a higher value upon human safety than upon mere rights of property."

Mantrap (also called ABC Mantrap in the United States) is a 1983 short film featuring songs by the musical group ABC.

The film also features James Villiers as the band's manager.

Mantrap is a 1926 American black-and-white silent film based on the novel of the same name by Sinclair Lewis. Mantrap stars Clara Bow, Percy Marmont, Ernest Torrence, Ford Sterling, and Eugene Pallette, and directed by Victor Fleming.

Mantrap or man trap may refer to:

In devices:

• Mantrap (snare), a mechanical device for catching trespassers
• Mantrap (access control), a double-door single-person access control space

In films:

• Mantrap (1926 film), a silent film based on the Lewis novel
• Mantrap (1953 film), a British film
• Mantrap (1983 film), a short featuring the band ABC
• Mantrap (1943 film), a George Sherman mystery crime thriller

In other media:

• Mantrap (novel), a 1926 novel by Sinclair Lewis
• " The Man Trap", an episode of Star Trek
• "Man Trap", an episode of Hi-de-Hi!

In geography

• Mantrap Township, Hubbard County, Minnesota, a civil township in Minnesota
• Mantrap Lake, a lake in Minnesota

Mantrap, released in the United States as Man in Hiding, is a 1953 whodunit directed by Terence Fisher, starring Paul Henreid.

Mantrap is a 1926 novel by Sinclair Lewis. One of Lewis' two unsuccessful novels of the 1920s, the other being The Man Who Knew Coolidge. Mantrap is the story of New York lawyer Ralph Prescott's journey into the wilds of Saskatchewan, and of his adventures there. The novel spawned two separate film adaptations, Mantrap (1926), and Untamed (1940).

The novel was dedicated to American broadcaster and journalist Frazier Hunt, a friend of Lewis.

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the mantrap is a type of giant plant monster.

A mantrap, air lock, sally port or access control vestibule is a physical security access control system comprising a small space with two sets of interlocking doors, such that the first set of doors must close before the second set opens.

In a manual mantrap, a guard locks and unlocks each door in sequence. An intercom and/or video camera are often used to allow the guard to control the trap from a remote location.

Airlocks have a very similar structure to mantraps but are used for the opposite purpose, allowing free ingress and egress (while also restricting airflow).

In an automatic mantrap, identification may be required for each door, sometimes even possibly different measures for each door. For example, a key may open the first door, but a personal identification number entered on a number pad opens the second. Other methods of opening doors include proximity cards or biometric devices such as fingerprint readers or iris recognition scans.

Metal detectors are often built in, in order to prevent entrance of people carrying weapons. This use is particularly frequent in banks and jewelry shops.

Fire codes require that automatic mantraps allow exit from the intermediate space while denying access to a secure space such as a data center or research lab. A manually operated mantrap may allow a guard to lock both doors, trapping a suspect between the doors for questioning or detainment.

In a lower-security variation of a mantrap, banks often locate automated teller machines within the dead space between the entrance doors and the interior lobby doors to prevent ATM robbery and night walk-up robberies. Entry access by ATM card to the dead space offers additional customer protection.