Boobies

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. (Zo["o]l.) (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]