OK, this is so "Home Alone" that it cracked us up: One in 20 in the U.K. admit they set traps in their homes in order to ensnare crooks.

Popular techniques include "holes in floorboards, loose stairs, hidden trip wires, garden pits, and even plant pots or ornaments attached to hidden strings." And yes, the iconic baseball bat endures as the potential intruder-ass-kicking weapon of choice. (Surprise surprise, men are way more likely to engage a burglar than women are, just FYI.)

Even though most of these precautions seem slightly laughable, here in the States, as more and more folks are out of work and crime rates steadily rise, we had to wonder: Have you ever jerry-rigged some homespun concoction (soup cans in the window?) to protect your worldly goods?