Wikipedia

Chinese finger trap

"Chinese handcuffs" redirects here. For the novel by Chris Crutcher, see Chinese Handcuffs.

A Chinese finger trap (also known as a Chinese finger puzzle, Chinese thumb cuff, Chinese handcuffs, and similar variants) is a gag toy used to play a practical joke on unsuspecting children and adults. The finger trap is a simple puzzle that traps the victim's fingers (often the index fingers) in both ends of a small cylinder woven from bamboo. The initial reaction of the victim is often to pull their fingers outward, but this only tightens the trap. The way to escape the trap is to push the ends toward the middle, which enlarges the openings and frees the fingers.

Chinese finger traps

History

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A single-ended version of the device, sold as a "girlfriend trap", has been available since at least 1870, back when it was recorded as "Mädchenfänger" or "girl catchers".[1] The first recorded use of the term finger trap to characterize the toy was in 1900 in an American newspaper.[2][3] The earliest known use of the term Chinese finger trap was in 1953, in an advertisement for the device in a newspaper in the American state of Ohio.[2]

Design

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The tightening is simply a normal behavior of a cylindrical, helically wound braid, usually the common biaxial braid. Pulling the entire braid lengthens and narrows it. The length is gained by reducing the angle between the warp and weft threads at their crossing points, but this reduces the radial distance between opposing sides and hence the overall circumference. The more one pulls, the more the circumference shrinks and the trap tightens. The same effect is used in specialized textile manufacturing, the Vivien Kellems cable grip, Indonesian woven fruit presses, and by fly-fishers.[4]

Chinese finger traps are not intended for use as restraint devices. Victims of the prank may break the bamboo strips through physical strength when they pull outwards, attempting to free their fingers and stretching the trap beyond its limits.

Variants

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Chinese finger trap used to straighten and fix a Bennett's fracture
 
A towing sock used to pull cable through a tube

One variation on the Chinese finger trap has uses in orthopedic medicine—namely, providing even pressure to the patient's digit(s) and at the same time immobilizing the joints—and serves a similar purpose as a traction device. Its development goes back to Austria in 1870 when Dr. Steinberger, a dentist at the Rudolfsspital in Vienna, reported the discovery of his doctoral student Schmall, who got the idea to use the toy ″Mädchenfänger" (girl catcher) for the extension of fingers and arms.[1] The principle was adapted for the use in surgery,[5] and by 1873 was termed Schmall'sches Extensionsgeflecht ("Schmall's Extension Mesh").[6]

Another variant is the towing sock. It uses the same principle to seize the end of a cable to be pulled through a tube or tunnel.

Parachute lines are often assembled[7] using finger traps where the line is looped back into itself or another line.

Cultural influence

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The Chinese finger trap is a common metaphor for a problem that can be overcome by relaxing, i.e. not trying too hard to solve it; for example, in acceptance and commitment therapy.[8] The gag has been used in a number of films and television productions, such as the Stan Laurel short Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde (1925);[9] the Our Gang short Moan and Groan, Inc., where they are referred to as Japanese handcuffs (1929); "Romance on the Range" (1942); "The Beast with Twenty Fingers" episode of Dobie Gillis (1963); the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Last Outpost" (1987); The Simpsons episode "This Little Wiggy" (1998).[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Wiener medizinische Wochenschrift: WMW : offizielles Organ des Wissenschaftlichen Vereines der Ärzte in Steiermark, der Medizinischen Gesellschaft für Oberösterreich, der Gesellschaft der Gutachter-Ärzte Österreichs [u.a.]. Springer. 1870. p. 303.
  2. ^ a b "finger trap, n., sense 2". Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, July 2023, <https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1046841100>
  3. ^ An earlier use of the term described a device – similar to a mousetrap – designed to injure the fingers of a pickpocket. "finger trap, n., sense 1". Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, July 2023, <https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1014251680>
  4. ^ Blanton, Dan. "Getting Looped | Dan Blanton » Fly Fishing Resources". Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  5. ^ Österreichische Zeitschrift für praktische Heilkunde. Veit. 1870. p. 241.
  6. ^ Jahresbericht über die leistungen und fortschritte in der gesammten medicin ... A. Hirschwald. 1873. p. 347.
  7. ^ "Parachute Rigger Handbook".
  8. ^ Eifert, Georg H. and Forsyth, John P. Acceptance & Commitment Therapy for Anxiety Disorders: A Practitioner's Treatment Guide to Using Mindfulness, Acceptance, And Values-Based Behavior Change Strategies. New Harbinger Publications, 2005, p. 146.
  9. ^ Bellotto, Adam (April 19, 2014). "Dr. Pyckle and Young Frankenstein: A History of Horror Movie Spoofs". Filmschoolrejects.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  10. ^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "This Little Wiggy". BBC. Archived from the original on May 5, 2005. Retrieved October 25, 2007.
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