booby trap

¹ American  

noun

1. a hidden bomb or mine so placed that it will be set off by an unsuspecting person through such means as moving an apparently harmless object.

2. any hidden trap set for an unsuspecting person.

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booby-trap ² American  

[boo-bee-trap] / ˈbu biˌtræp /

verb (used with object)

booby-trapped, booby-trapping

1. to set with or as if with a booby trap; attach a booby trap to or in.

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booby trap British  

noun

1. a hidden explosive device primed in such a way as to be set off by an unsuspecting victim

2. a trap for an unsuspecting person, esp one intended as a practical joke, such as an object balanced above a door to fall on the person who opens it

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verb

1. (tr) to set a booby trap in or on (a building or object) or for (a person)

Etymology

Origin of booby trap¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Origin of booby-trap²

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

With a chilly austerity worthy of Stanley Kubrick or Michael Haneke, Glazer turns a static shot into a booby trap and a daily activity into an indictment.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 14, 2023

The soldiers passed a Russian military identification document, fluttering in the wind on the lawn of a house, but did not touch it to check the name, fearing a booby trap.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 29, 2022

And he must navigate a legislative jungle that his opponents are trying to booby trap with amendments that could wreck his path to Brexit.

From Reuters • Oct. 18, 2019

Sweep her car for booby trap and swaddle her in bubble wrap, She's staying alive, stayin' alive.

From Washington Post • Jan. 10, 2019

“Good afternoon,” he says, glancing around with intense brown eyes, as though he’s surveying the room in case he needs materials to build a last-minute booby trap.

From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau

Related Words

• land mine