Booby /(bo͡o"by̆)/

Boo·by

Booby

n.

pl. Boobies ((-bĭz))

  1. A dunce; a stupid fellow.
  2. 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. (Zool.)

Phrases & Compounds
Booby hatch
a kind of wooden hood over a hatch, readily removable.
Booby hut
a carriage body put upon sleigh runners.
Booby hutch
a clumsy covered carriage or seat, used in the eastern part of England.
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 schoolboy's practical joke, as a shower bath when a door is opened.

Booby

a.
  1. Having the characteristics of a booby; stupid.