booby trap
20
7.0
- noun
- /ˈbuːbi træp/
- Specialized
:
trampa explosiva
- We see that some sort of improvised booby trap has been set inside the hotel to start a fire.
- booby traps and mines
- set booby traps
- booby traps and bombs
Another one is that it's some kind of booby trap.
- Another one is that it's some kind of booby trap.
- Was it just like guns or dove explosives as well, and grenades and guns, but we didn't know if there's any booby traps in there at all.
Examples
-
The Marstens have lived in the house "like hermits" (38) for eleven years, safeguarding its secrets with rigged booby traps.
Academic text (2016) -
A flash of lightning revealed that the doors and windows have all been rigged with trip wire booby traps.
Fiction book (1995) -
When those men returned, they set the booby trap off, and five of our boys became casualties.
Fiction book (1990) -
I have set explosive booby-traps all over the park, and I personally am everywhere.
-
These soldiers were facing an extraordinary number of bombs and booby traps that are designed to kill the team.
Blog text (26) -
Told by the first sergeant to dig in, they kept an eye out for mines and booby traps.
Fiction book (2000) -
Insurgents believed to number in the thousands have been preparing defenses... attacking U. S. troops, and rigging booby traps.
-
Hamas defenses included improvised explosive devices (IEDs), booby traps, and mines.
Academic text (2015) -
Ensnared by one of his own booby traps, he had been crushed under an avalanche of baled newspapers and bundled detritus.
Academic text (2016) -
The soldiers searched the area carefully to avoid triggering any hidden booby traps left by the enemy.
Synonyms
29
4.1
A bomb buried in the ground that explodes when someone steps on or moves it
1
5.6
A hidden device that explodes when someone opens a box or envelope
A bomb hidden in the ground that explodes when stepped on or driven over
An explosive hidden inside a package or envelope that explodes when opened
Antonyms
- Specialized
402
1.3
A device that stops a machine or tool from working by mistake to prevent injury
How Dangerous
- Offensive
7
5.6
- Specialized
11
3.9
- Specialized
20
7.0
752
2.0
8
5.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components give a useful clue: 'trap' clearly denotes something designed to catch, and 'booby' (a foolish or unwary person) signals the intended victim, so a learner can infer a trap aimed at the unwary. However, the conventionalized nuance that the trap is hidden/unexpected and that the term extends to non-literal pitfalls (e.g., contractual or procedural hazards) is not fully predictable from the parts, making the expression only partially transparent.
Etymology
Booby trap comes from the old word booby meaning 'fool'. Soldiers and hunters used it for a hidden device left to catch a careless person, so today booby trap means a hidden explosive or mine that will go off when touched.