A
trapdoor is a door set into a floor or ceiling (depending on what side of the door one is on).
Originally, trapdoors were sack traps in mills, and allowed the sacks to pass up through the mill while naturally falling back to a closed position.
An exposed trapdoor could also be called a
hatchHatch may refer to:* Hatching, also called "cross-hatching", an artistic technique used to create tonal or shading effects using closely spaced parallel lines* Hatching, the emergence of a young animal from an egg...
, although hatches may not be necessarily horizontal. Many buildings with flat
roofA roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. A roof protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. Structures that require roofs range from a letter box to a cathedral or stadium, dwellings being the most numerous....
s have hatches that provide access to the roof; on
shipA ship is a large vessel that floats on water. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and passenger capacity. Ships may be found on lakes, seas, and rivers and they allow for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing, entertainment, public...
s, hatches provide access to the
deckA deck is a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull of a ship. On a boat or ship, the primary deck is the horizontal structure which forms the 'roof' for the hull, which both strengthens the hull and serves as the primary working surface...
.
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A
trapdoor is a door set into a floor or ceiling (depending on what side of the door one is on).
Originally, trapdoors were sack traps in mills, and allowed the sacks to pass up through the mill while naturally falling back to a closed position.
An exposed trapdoor could also be called a
hatchHatch may refer to:* Hatching, also called "cross-hatching", an artistic technique used to create tonal or shading effects using closely spaced parallel lines* Hatching, the emergence of a young animal from an egg...
, although hatches may not be necessarily horizontal. Many buildings with flat
roofA roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. A roof protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. Structures that require roofs range from a letter box to a cathedral or stadium, dwellings being the most numerous....
s have hatches that provide access to the roof; on
shipA ship is a large vessel that floats on water. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and passenger capacity. Ships may be found on lakes, seas, and rivers and they allow for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing, entertainment, public...
s, hatches provide access to the
deckA deck is a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull of a ship. On a boat or ship, the primary deck is the horizontal structure which forms the 'roof' for the hull, which both strengthens the hull and serves as the primary working surface...
. A small door in a wall, floor or ceiling used to gain access to equipment is called an
access hatch. Hidden trapdoors occasionally appear in fiction, either as entrances to
secret passageA secret passage is a hidden route that is used to travel stealthily. Such passageways may be inside a building leading to a secret room, or be a way of entering somewhere without being seen. Hidden passages are a common feature of fiction, but have also served a variety of purposes throughout...
ways, or as literal traps into which a helpless pedestrian may fall if he or she happens to stand on one.
Most 19th- and 20th Century
gallowsA gallows is a frame, typically wooden, used for execution by hanging.A gallows can take several forms.*the simplest form resembles an inverted "L", with a single upright and a horizontal beam to which the rope noose would be attached.*the horizontal crossbeam is supported at both ends.*temporary...
featured a trapdoor, usually with two flaps. The victim was placed at the join. The edge of a trapdoor farthest from the hinge accelerates faster than gravity, so that the victim does not hit the flaps but falls freely.
Trapdoors are commonly featured in cartoons as a
slapstickSlapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated physical violence or activities which exceed the boundaries of common sense and sometimes includes ironic situations, such as a character being hit in the face with a heavy frying pan or running into a brick wall, or going mad while searching for...
comic effect.