trap

n 1: a device in which something (usually an animal) can be

caught and penned

2: a U-shaped section of drainpipe that holds liquid and so

prevents a return flow of sewer gas

3: something (often something deceptively attractive) that

catches you unawares; "the exam was full of trap

questions"; "it was all a snare and delusion" [syn: {snare}]

4: a device to hurl clay pigeons into the air for trapshooters

5: the act of concealing yourself and lying in wait to attack

by surprise [syn: {ambush}, {ambuscade}, {lying in wait}]

6: informal terms for the mouth [syn: {hole}, {maw}, {yap}]

7: a light two-wheel carriage

8: a hazard on a golf course [syn: {bunker}, {sand trap}]

v 1: place in a confining or embarrassing position; "He was

trapped in a difficult situation"

2: catch in or as if in a trap; "The men trap foxes" [syn: {entrap},

{snare}, {ensnare}, {trammel}]

3: hold or catch as if in a trap; "The gaps between the teeth

trap food particles"

4: to hold fast or prevent from moving; "The child was pinned

under the fallen tree" [syn: {pin}, {immobilize}]

trap

1. A program interrupt, usually an interrupt caused by some

exceptional situation in the user program. In most cases, the

OS performs some action, then returns control to the program.

2. To cause a trap. "These instructions trap to the monitor."

Also used transitively to indicate the cause of the trap.

"The monitor traps all input/output instructions."

This term is associated with assembler programming

("interrupt" or "exception" is more common among {HLL}

programmers) and appears to be fading into history among

programmers as the role of assembler continues to shrink.

However, it is still important to computer architects and

systems hackers (see {system}, sense 1), who use it to

distinguish {deterministic}ally repeatable exceptions from

timing-dependent ones (such as I/O interrupts).

[{Jargon File}]