rattraps

Spring-loaded pest catchers

Rattraps are devices for catching rats, typically spring-loaded mechanisms that snap shut when triggered.

The singular rattrap describes something dilapidated or cramped: They lived in a rattrap of an apartment.

A rattrap can also be a hopeless situation that's easy to enter but hard to escape.

devices

mousetrap

Rodent-catching device

springRecoiling metal spiral
triggerWhat initiates action
baitLure for prey

mechanism · contraption · snare · deadfall · catch · release · disposal · reusable · wooden · metal

entrapment

snare

Device for catching prey

lureThing that tempts
decoyFalse target for misdirection
ambushSurprise strike from concealment

confinement · caught · ensnared · scheme · setup · sting · trick · bait · manipulation · deception

pest-control

exterminator

One who eradicates vermin

rodenticideSubstance lethal to rats
infestationPest takeover situation
verminHarmful small animals

poison · fumigation · sanitation · inspection · elimination · prevention · deterrent · trapper · capture · disposal

squalor

slum

Impoverished urban district

tenementMulti-unit urban dwelling
flophouseCheap transient lodging
dilapidationState of ruin

filth · decay · poverty · neglect · condemned · rundown · decrepit · cramped · overcrowding · blight

vehicles

jalopy

Dilapidated old vehicle

clunkerWorn-out old car
beaterTool for mixing
junkerDecrepit, worthless automobile

heap · wreck · banger · hooptie · rust-bucket · breakdown · unreliable · old · beat-up · rundown

Opposites

housing quality

rattrapsluxury apartments

Expensive, well-appointed residences

mansions · palaces · penthouses · safe housing · estates

trap function

rattrapsmousetraps

Devices for catching rodents

bear traps · fish traps · fly traps · lobster pots · lobster traps

Family

Familiarity: Top 200,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G