from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Booby \Boo"by\ (b[=oo]"b[y^]), n.; pl. {Boobies} (-b[i^]z). [Sp.
bobo dunce, idiot; cf. L. balbus stammering, E. barbarous.]
[1913 Webster]
1. A dunce; a stupid fellow.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Zool.)
(a) A swimming bird ({Sula fiber} or {Sula sula}) related
to the common gannet, and found in the West Indies,
nesting on the bare rocks. It is so called on account
of its apparent stupidity -- unafraid of men, it
allows itself to be caught by a simple and undisguised
approach. The name is also sometimes applied to other
species of gannets; as, {Sula piscator}, the
{red-footed booby}; and {Sula nebouxii}, the
{blue-footed booby}.
(b) A species of penguin of the antarctic seas.
[1913 Webster]
{Booby hatch}
(a) (Naut.), a kind of wooden hood over a hatch, readily
removable.
(b), an insane asylum. [Colloq.]
{Booby hut}, a carriage body put upon sleigh runners. [Local,
U. S.] --Bartlett.
{Booby hutch}, a clumsy covered carriage or seat, used in the
eastern part of England. --Forby.
{Booby prize}, an award for the poorest performance in a
competition; hence, metaphorically, the recognition of a
strikingly inferior or incompetent performance.
{Booby trap}
(a), a schoolboy's practical joke, as a shower bath when a
door is opened.
(b), any concealed device causing surprise or injury when
a usually harmless object is touched; -- in military
operations, typically containing an explosive charge.
[1913 Webster +PJC]