1869. Greenwood, Seven Curses of London. They can discover the detective . . . by his step, or by his clumsy affectation of unofficial loutishness. They recognise the stiff-neck in the loose neckerchief. They smell trap and are superior to it.
1881. Robson, Bards of the Tyne, 27S' Says, aw, 'Smash! thou is up to trap!' For he lets the folks byeth in and out.
2. (old).—A sheriffs officer, thief - taker, policeman, or detective (Grose).
1705. Ward, Hud. Rediv., 1. iv. 8. Traps Divers, Punks, and Yeomen.
1800. Parker, Life's Painter, 116. There's no hornies, traps, scouts, nor beak-runners amongst them.
1819. Vaux, Glossary, s.v. Traps, police officers, or runners, are properly so called; but it is common to include constables of any description under this title.
1823. Bee, Dict. Turf s.v. Item . . . I gave the item that the traps were a coming.
1830. Lytton, Paul Clifford (1854), 80. Where a ruffler might lie, without fear that the traps should distress him.
1838. Dickens, Oliver Twist, xiii. The traps have got him, and that's all about it.
1839. Ainsworth, Jack Sheppard (1889), 12. 'Where are the lurchers?' 'Who?' asked Wood. 'The traps!' responded a bystander.
1841. Reynolds, Pickwick Abroad, xxvi. But should the traps be on the sly, For a change we'll have a crack.
1859. Kingsley, Geof. Hamlyn, vi. Dick's always in trouble;. . . there's a couple of TRAPS in Belston after him now.
1867. Victorian Song Book, 'Where's your License?' 6. The little word Joe! which all of you know, Is the signal the traps are quite near.
1885. Leisure Hour, Mar. 192. Meantime the Kellys had got to hear that the traps were in search of them.
1890. Boldrewood, Squatter's Dream, 157. We'll be a match for all the blessed traps between here and Sydney with these here tools.
1895. Marriott-Watson [New Review, July, 2]. He . . . was very useful . . . both to us on the lay, and to the TRAPS.
3. (common).—A carriage; 'a fast name for a conveyance of any kind' (Hotten). [Sala: 'The old-fashioned gig had, under the seat, a sort of boot extending a few inches beyond the back of the seat. At the beginning of the century gigs were raised upon higher wheels than at present. On this raised vehicle the boot was lengthened behind, holding a brace of dogs for sporting purposes. In these "dog-carts" (thus named afterwards) the dogs were at first placed in the boot at the front, and I dare say that the "noble sportsmen" may occasionally have had their heels or their calves bitten by dogs with short tempers, and with scant liking for the confinement of the boot. This led to a great improvement, in the shape of an open latticed box, which was attached to the back of the body of the conveyance, and provided with a trap-door behind for the admission of the dogs. In process of time the latticed box was found very convenient for the carriage of other things besides dogs, and as everything conveyed in the cart (chattels, not people) had to be put in through the trap-door (soon curtailed into trap: compare "bus" for omnibus, "cab" for cabriolet), the conveyance itself was eventually termed trap.'] Hence trapper = a horse used in a trap: cf. VANNER, BUSSER, CABBER, etc., on the model of 'hunter.'
1854~5. Thackeray, Newcomes, lvii. Florac's pleasure was to drive his Princess with four horses into Newcome. He called his carriage his trappe, his 'drague.'
1872. Ingelow, Off the Skelligs, xx. I think you must make room for me inside the trap. It is remarkable how much men despise close carriages, and what disrespectful epithets they invent for them.
