run the traps
v. phr.— «A related metaphor is run the traps. A hunter will check his traps in the morning to see what animals were caught; a reporter will “run the traps” of his sources to check out a story.» —by William Safire Safire’s New Political Dictionary , 1993. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Katie in Kalamazoo, Michigan, wonders about the expression throw the book at, meaning to “try every means possible.” Did it originally involve literally throwing books? It’s just a metaphor in which the book refers to “the...
In 1971, when a new public library opened in Troy, Michigan, famous authors and artists were invited to write letters to the city’s youngest readers, extolling the many benefits of libraries. One of the loveliest was from E.B. White, author of...