What is "booby trap"

Booby \Boo"by\ (b[=oo]"b[y^]), n.; pl. Boobies (-b[i^]z). [Sp. bobo dunce, idiot; cf. L. balbus stammering, E. barbarous.]

1. A dunce; a stupid fellow.

2. (Zo["o]l.)

   1. 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.

   2. A species of penguin of the antarctic seas. Booby hatch

      1. (Naut.), a kind of wooden hood over a hatch, readily removable.

      2. , 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

         1. , a schoolboy's practical joke, as a shower bath when a door is opened.

         2. , any concealed device causing surprise or injury when a usually harmless object is touched; -- in military operations, typically containing an explosive charge.

n. 1 (context military English) An antipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object 2 (context by extension English) An unforeseen source of danger; a pitfall

1. n. an explosive mine hidden underground; explodes when stepped on or driven over [syn: land mine, ground-emplaced mine]

2. an unforeseen or unexpected or surprising difficulty [syn: pitfall]

A booby trap is a device or setup that is intended to kill, harm or surprise a person, unknowingly triggered by the presence or actions of the victim. As the word trap implies, they sometimes have some form of bait designed to lure the victim towards it. At other times, the trap is set to act upon trespassers that violate personal or restricted areas. The device can be triggered when the victim performs some type of everyday action e.g. opening a door, picking something up or switching something on. They can also be triggered by vehicles driving along a road as in the case of victim-operated improvised explosive devices (IED's).

Booby traps should not be confused with mantraps which are designed to catch a person. Lethal booby traps are often used in warfare, particularly guerrilla warfare, and traps designed to cause injury or pain are also sometimes used by criminals wanting to protect drugs or other illicit property, and by some owners of legal property who wish to protect it from theft. Booby traps which merely cause discomfort or embarrassment are a popular form of practical joke.

"Booby Trap" is the sixth episode of the third season of the syndicated science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, the 54th episode overall, first broadcast on October 30, 1989.

In this episode, the Enterprise discovers a derelict centuries-old alien battlecruiser and becomes trapped along with it.

A booby trap is an antipersonnel device disguised as a harmless object.

Booby Trap may also refer to:

• "Booby Trap" (Star Trek: The Next Generation), an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Boobytrap (comics), a Marvel Comics villain
• Booby Trap (1957 film), a 1957 British crime film featuring Harry Fowler
• Booby Trap (1970 film), a 1970 film produced by Harry Novak
• Booby Trap (novella), a 1944 Nero Wolfe story by Rex Stout
• "Booby Traps", a 1944 Warner Bros. Private Snafu cartoon directed by Bob Clampett
• 10 Seconds to Murder or Booby Trap, a 1973 exploitation movie directed by Carl Monson

"Booby Trap" is a Nero Wolfe mystery novella by Rex Stout, first published in the August 1944 issue of The American Magazine. It first appeared in book form as the second novella in the short-story collection Not Quite Dead Enough, published by Farrar & Rinehart in 1944.