Booby
a stupid person; dunce.
a gannet of the genus Sula, having a bright bill, bright feet, or both: some are endangered.
a female breast.
Historical Examples
Discoveries in Australia, Volume 2 John Lort Stokes
The Laughing Prince Parker Fillmore
Discoveries in Australia, Volume 2 John Lort Stokes
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 103, December 3, 1892 Various
Mrs. Tree Laura E. Richards
Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, Volume 1, No. 3, August, 1850. Various
Frank Merriwell’s Son Burt L. Standish
Deformities of Samuel Johnson, Selected from his Works Anonymous
The Settler and the Savage R.M. Ballantyne
Joseph Andrews, Vol. 2 Henry Fielding
noun (pl) -bies
an ignorant or foolish person
(Brit) the losing player in a game
any of several tropical marine birds of the genus Sula: family Sulidae, order Pelecaniformes (pelicans, cormorants, etc). They have a straight stout bill and the plumage is white with darker markings Compare gannet
n.
At the end of every session the dominie had the satirical custom of presenting his tawse as a “booby-prize” to some idle or stupid lout whom he picked out as meriting this distinction so that next time they met he might start fresh and fair with new pair for a new set of classes. [Ascott R. Hope, “Dumps,” “Young England” magazine, 1883]
Read Also:
- Booboisie
a segment of the general public composed of uneducated, uncultured persons.
- Booboos
a stupid or silly mistake; blunder. a minor injury. noun (pl) -boos (informal) an embarrassing mistake; blunder n.
- Boobs
a stupid person; fool; dunce. British. a blunder; mistake. British. to blunder. a female breast. noun an ignorant or foolish person; booby (Brit) an embarrassing mistake; blunder a female breast verb (intransitive) (Brit) to make a blunder noun (Austral, slang) a prison adjective of poor quality, similar to that provided in prison: boob coffee n. […]
- Booby-hatch
Nautical. a small hatch giving access to a ladder from the weather deck of a vessel to the interior of the hull. a small companion secured over a deck opening. a hoodlike hatch cover having a sliding top. Slang. an insane asylum. jail. noun a hoodlike covering for a hatchway on a ship (US, offensive, […]
- Booby-prize
a prize given in good-natured ridicule to the worst player or team in a game or contest. noun a mock prize given to the person having the lowest score or giving the worst performance in a competition