have a mind like a steel trap
To be able to understand or grasp information quickly. David has a mind like a steel trap, so if you give him the instructions, he'll follow them perfectly. My grandmother became very physically incapacitated as she grew older, but she had a mind like a steel trap until the day she died. Is he really pulling a door that's clearly marked "push"? He doesn't exactly have a mind like a steel trap, does he?
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
mind like a steel trap, have a
Be very quick to understand something, as in Aunt Ida may be old, but she still has a mind like a steel trap. This simile likens the snapping shut of an animal trap to a quick mental grasp.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.