catch-'em-alive-O
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
A live-trap (trap designed to catch animals without killing them).
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
1855-1857, Charles Dickens, Little Dorrit
There were views, like and unlike, of a multitude of places; and there was one little picture-room devoted to a few of the regular sticky old Saints, with sinews like whipcord, hair like Neptune’s, wrinkles like tattooing, and such coats of varnish that ever
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “catch-'em-alive-O” mean?
A live-trap (trap designed to catch animals without killing them).
Is “catch-'em-alive-O” formal or informal?
catch-'em-alive-O is generally slang.