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# booby

«booby» in Mova's school dictionary: **A large tropical seabird with bright blue or red feet…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (a booby, boobies)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A large tropical seabird with bright blue or red feet that dives into the sea to catch fish. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/booby/#m1)

2) (old-fashioned) A silly or stupid person. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/booby/#m2)

3) (rude, slang) a rude word for a part of the body; not for school. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/booby/#m3)

4) A booby trap: a hidden trap, often a hidden bomb, set off when someone touches something harmless-looking. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/booby/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

In science and nature it is a seabird, like the blue-footed booby of the Galapagos. In stories and history "booby trap" means a hidden trap. The slang breast sense is rude and children may hear it as a giggle word. Phrases: "blue-footed booby", "booby trap", "booby prize" (a joke prize for coming last).

### examples

- The blue-footed booby dances to show off its feet. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/booby/#x1)
- Boobies dive from high up to catch fish. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/booby/#x2)
- Don't open the box, it might be a booby trap! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/booby/#x3)
- The soldiers checked the road for booby traps. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/booby/#x4)
- I came last and won the booby prize, a wooden spoon. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/booby/#x5)
- (rude) The older boys giggled and said "boobies". [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/booby/#x6)

### note

Plural: boobies. The breast meaning is rude slang; do not use it at school. "Booby prize" is a joke prize for the worst result. The bird's name may come from a Spanish word for "fool", because it was easy to catch.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «booby» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/booby/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.