Pièges

Pièges are devices or strategies designed to capture, restrain, or mislead a target by exploiting behavior or vulnerabilities. The term covers a broad range of situations, from physical contraptions used in hunting and fishing to deliberate setups in security or warfare, as well as metaphorical traps encountered in daily life.

Physical traps include animal traps such as snares, cages, and pitfall mechanisms; fishing traps like pots and weirs; and concealed devices known as booby traps that are intended to injure or kill an intruder. The use of booby traps is heavily regulated or prohibited in many jurisdictions, especially for civilian or non-conflict contexts, due to safety and humanitarian concerns.

In wildlife management and research, non-lethal live traps and humane deterrents are employed to capture or relocate animals with minimal suffering. Ethical considerations, safety for non-target species, and legal requirements (permits, inspections, and trap design standards) shape how traps are used.

The word piège also appears in figurative language to describe deceptive schemes, cognitive traps, or situations designed to constrain choices, such as baited agreements, social engineering, or logical fallacies.