trap line
Noun: A trap line is a series of animal traps set in a line, typically along a trail or waterway, used for catching fur-bearing animals over an extended area. It refers to the specific route or the set of traps themselves.
A "trap line" is a specific term used in hunting and trapping contexts. It describes the physical arrangement of traps and the route a trapper checks regularly. * Trappers run their trap lines daily to check for catches. * He inherited a long trap line in the northern woods from his grandfather.
- To run a trap line: This is the standard verb phrase for the activity of checking the traps along the route.
- She runs a fifty-mile trap line every winter to supplement her income.
- The concept can be used metaphorically to describe a series of connected points or a routine patrol route, though this is less common.
- The security guard's nightly rounds were like running a long trap line through the empty factory.
- Trap (noun/verb): The individual device or the act of catching.
- Trapper (noun): A person who traps animals, especially for their fur.
- Trapline (noun): A common alternative spelling written as one word.
- Trapping route
- Fur line (context-specific)
The term is highly specific to the activity of trapping. It does not refer to a literal "line" like a rope or string, but to a linear sequence or route. The focus is on the systematic, geographical arrangement for the purpose of harvesting furs.
- a line or series of traps
