to make a boob
1
8.2
- idiom
- Archaic
:
cometer un error tonto
- Don't make a boob during your presentation!
Examples
-
You'll be fine as long as you avoid making a boob in front of the boss.
-
I was mortified after making a boob in the meeting yesterday.
-
He admitted to making a boob when he read the wrong figures aloud.
-
He always makes a boob when he's nervous.
-
He really made a boob when he forgot to bring his presentation to the meeting.
-
After sending the email to the wrong person, she realized she had made a boob.
-
If you don't double-check your work, you're likely to make a boob in your calculations.
Synonyms
7
4.4
To make a careless mistake by acting or speaking without thinking
1
4.2
Do something that is a serious and embarrassing mistake
1
8.4
To do something wrong by accident in a small, silly way
To make a silly mistake that makes people laugh at you
To make a small mistake in a playful or informal way
To do something small and silly by accident
How Serious
1
4.2
- Archaic
1
8.2
- Baby Talk
1
8.4
- Informal
27
4.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun 'boob' meaning 'a foolish person' gives a clear clue so a learner who knows the words can infer the phrase involves doing something foolish, but the construction is not strictly compositional (it aligns with idiomatic patterns like 'make a fool (of oneself)') and the exact implicature (making oneself look foolish) is not fully predictable. Because the constituent meanings point toward the MWE's sense but require familiarity with the idiomatic usage, it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Make a boob may come from an old slang word 'boob' meaning 'a foolish person'. If you make a boob, you are making yourself look foolish by a silly action, so it means 'to make a foolish mistake'.