snare
n. countablen. a trap for catching small animals, usually made of a loop of wire or rope. It can also mean a type of drum that makes a sharp, clicking sound when you hit it.
n. a trap consisting of a noose of wire or cord designed to catch small animals; also refers to a drum equipped with stiff wires across the bottom head to produce a rattling sound.
The hunter set a snare in the woods.
The drummer tightened the wires on his snare to get a crisper sound for the jazz performance.
While the literal snare was designed for survival in the wild, the term is frequently used as a metaphor for any deceptive situation that catches a person off guard.
From Middle English snare, from Old English sneare (“snare, noose”), from Proto-West Germanic snarhā, from Proto-Germanic snarhǭ (“a sling; loop; noose”). Cognate with Old Norse snara. Also related to German Schnur and Dutch snaar, snoer.
In a musical context, it often refers specifically to the snare drum.