"honey trap" meaning in English

See honey trap in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Audio: en-au-honey trap.ogg [Australia] Forms: honey traps [plural]
Etymology: Popularised by John le Carré in the novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1974). Head templates: {{en-noun}} honey trap (plural honey traps)
  1. (idiomatic) The use of a romantic or a sexual relationship to entice a person into revealing secret information. Tags: idiomatic Translations (use of a romantic or a sexual relationship): فَخّ الْعَسَل (faḵḵ al-ʕasal) [masculine] (Arabic), 美人計 (Chinese Mandarin), 美人计 (měirénjì) (Chinese Mandarin), piège de miel [feminine] (French), Honigfalle [feminine] (German), ハニートラップ (hanī torappu) (Japanese), 미인계 (miin'gye) (alt: 美人計) (Korean), miodowa pułapka [feminine] (Polish), медо́вая лову́шка (medóvaja lovúška) [feminine] (Russian), ме̏дена за̑мка [Cyrillic, feminine] (Serbo-Croatian), mȅdena zȃmka [Latin, feminine] (Serbo-Croatian)
    Sense id: en-honey_trap-en-noun-X7XnRYzy
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: honeytrap, honey-trap

Verb

Audio: en-au-honey trap.ogg [Australia] Forms: honey traps [present, singular, third-person], honey trapping [participle, present], honey trapped [participle, past], honey trapped [past]
Etymology: Popularised by John le Carré in the novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1974). Head templates: {{en-verb|honey trap<,,,>}} honey trap (third-person singular simple present honey traps, present participle honey trapping, simple past and past participle honey trapped)
  1. (transitive) To entice a person into a compromising situation (such as revealing secret information) by means of a romantic or sexual relationship. Tags: transitive Categories (topical): Espionage, Sex Related terms: honeyfuggle, honeypot, thirst trap, you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar
    Sense id: en-honey_trap-en-verb-YksZgc0C Disambiguation of Espionage: 28 72 Disambiguation of Sex: 17 83 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 30 70
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: honeytrap, honey-trap

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for honey trap meaning in English (5.6kB)

{
  "etymology_text": "Popularised by John le Carré in the novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1974).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "honey traps",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "honey trap (plural honey traps)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1974, John le Carré, chapter 12, in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy",
          "text": "“Some girl had made a fool of him,” said Connie with great contempt. “The Dutch set him a honey trap, my dear, and he barged in with his eyes wide shut.”",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The use of a romantic or a sexual relationship to entice a person into revealing secret information."
      ],
      "id": "en-honey_trap-en-noun-X7XnRYzy",
      "links": [
        [
          "romantic",
          "romantic"
        ],
        [
          "sexual",
          "sexual"
        ],
        [
          "relationship",
          "relationship"
        ],
        [
          "entice",
          "entice"
        ],
        [
          "secret",
          "secret"
        ],
        [
          "information",
          "information"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) The use of a romantic or a sexual relationship to entice a person into revealing secret information."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "ar",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "roman": "faḵḵ al-ʕasal",
          "sense": "use of a romantic or a sexual relationship",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "فَخّ الْعَسَل"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "use of a romantic or a sexual relationship",
          "word": "美人計"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "měirénjì",
          "sense": "use of a romantic or a sexual relationship",
          "word": "美人计"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "use of a romantic or a sexual relationship",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "piège de miel"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "use of a romantic or a sexual relationship",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Honigfalle"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "hanī torappu",
          "sense": "use of a romantic or a sexual relationship",
          "word": "ハニートラップ"
        },
        {
          "alt": "美人計",
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "roman": "miin'gye",
          "sense": "use of a romantic or a sexual relationship",
          "word": "미인계"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "use of a romantic or a sexual relationship",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "miodowa pułapka"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "medóvaja lovúška",
          "sense": "use of a romantic or a sexual relationship",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "медо́вая лову́шка"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "use of a romantic or a sexual relationship",
          "tags": [
            "Cyrillic",
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "ме̏дена за̑мка"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "use of a romantic or a sexual relationship",
          "tags": [
            "Latin",
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "mȅdena zȃmka"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-honey trap.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0f/En-au-honey_trap.ogg/En-au-honey_trap.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/En-au-honey_trap.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "honeytrap"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "honey-trap"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "John le Carré",
    "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
  ],
  "word": "honey trap"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "Popularised by John le Carré in the novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1974).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "honey traps",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "honey trapping",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "honey trapped",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "honey trapped",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "honey trap<,,,>"
      },
      "expansion": "honey trap (third-person singular simple present honey traps, present participle honey trapping, simple past and past participle honey trapped)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "30 70",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "28 72",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Espionage",
          "orig": "en:Espionage",
          "parents": [
            "Deception",
            "Secrecy",
            "Security",
            "Ethics",
            "Human behaviour",
            "Society",
            "Philosophy",
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "17 83",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Sex",
          "orig": "en:Sex",
          "parents": [
            "All topics",
            "Reproduction",
            "Fundamental",
            "Life",
            "Nature"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To entice a person into a compromising situation (such as revealing secret information) by means of a romantic or sexual relationship."
      ],
      "id": "en-honey_trap-en-verb-YksZgc0C",
      "links": [
        [
          "entice",
          "entice"
        ],
        [
          "secret",
          "secret"
        ],
        [
          "information",
          "information"
        ],
        [
          "romantic",
          "romantic"
        ],
        [
          "sexual",
          "sexual"
        ],
        [
          "relationship",
          "relationship"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To entice a person into a compromising situation (such as revealing secret information) by means of a romantic or sexual relationship."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "honeyfuggle"
        },
        {
          "word": "honeypot"
        },
        {
          "word": "thirst trap"
        },
        {
          "word": "you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-honey trap.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0f/En-au-honey_trap.ogg/En-au-honey_trap.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/En-au-honey_trap.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "honeytrap"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "honey-trap"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "John le Carré",
    "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
  ],
  "word": "honey trap"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "English verbs",
    "en:Espionage",
    "en:Sex"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Popularised by John le Carré in the novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1974).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "honey traps",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "honey trap (plural honey traps)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1974, John le Carré, chapter 12, in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy",
          "text": "“Some girl had made a fool of him,” said Connie with great contempt. “The Dutch set him a honey trap, my dear, and he barged in with his eyes wide shut.”",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The use of a romantic or a sexual relationship to entice a person into revealing secret information."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "romantic",
          "romantic"
        ],
        [
          "sexual",
          "sexual"
        ],
        [
          "relationship",
          "relationship"
        ],
        [
          "entice",
          "entice"
        ],
        [
          "secret",
          "secret"
        ],
        [
          "information",
          "information"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) The use of a romantic or a sexual relationship to entice a person into revealing secret information."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-honey trap.ogg",
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      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/En-au-honey_trap.ogg",
      "tags": [
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      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "honeytrap"
    },
    {
      "word": "honey-trap"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ar",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "roman": "faḵḵ al-ʕasal",
      "sense": "use of a romantic or a sexual relationship",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "فَخّ الْعَسَل"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "use of a romantic or a sexual relationship",
      "word": "美人計"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "měirénjì",
      "sense": "use of a romantic or a sexual relationship",
      "word": "美人计"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "use of a romantic or a sexual relationship",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "piège de miel"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "use of a romantic or a sexual relationship",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Honigfalle"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "hanī torappu",
      "sense": "use of a romantic or a sexual relationship",
      "word": "ハニートラップ"
    },
    {
      "alt": "美人計",
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "roman": "miin'gye",
      "sense": "use of a romantic or a sexual relationship",
      "word": "미인계"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "use of a romantic or a sexual relationship",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "miodowa pułapka"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "medóvaja lovúška",
      "sense": "use of a romantic or a sexual relationship",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "медо́вая лову́шка"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "use of a romantic or a sexual relationship",
      "tags": [
        "Cyrillic",
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "ме̏дена за̑мка"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "use of a romantic or a sexual relationship",
      "tags": [
        "Latin",
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "mȅdena zȃmka"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "John le Carré",
    "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
  ],
  "word": "honey trap"
}

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    "English nouns",
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    "en:Espionage",
    "en:Sex"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Popularised by John le Carré in the novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1974).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "honey traps",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "honey trapping",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "honey trapped",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "honey trapped",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
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      "args": {
        "1": "honey trap<,,,>"
      },
      "expansion": "honey trap (third-person singular simple present honey traps, present participle honey trapping, simple past and past participle honey trapped)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "honeyfuggle"
    },
    {
      "word": "honeypot"
    },
    {
      "word": "thirst trap"
    },
    {
      "word": "you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English transitive verbs"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To entice a person into a compromising situation (such as revealing secret information) by means of a romantic or sexual relationship."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "entice",
          "entice"
        ],
        [
          "secret",
          "secret"
        ],
        [
          "information",
          "information"
        ],
        [
          "romantic",
          "romantic"
        ],
        [
          "sexual",
          "sexual"
        ],
        [
          "relationship",
          "relationship"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To entice a person into a compromising situation (such as revealing secret information) by means of a romantic or sexual relationship."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
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      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0f/En-au-honey_trap.ogg/En-au-honey_trap.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/En-au-honey_trap.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "honeytrap"
    },
    {
      "word": "honey-trap"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "John le Carré",
    "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
  ],
  "word": "honey trap"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-30 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (210104c and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.