English Dictionary

BOOBY TRAP

Pronunciation (US): Play  (GB): Play

IPA (US): 

 Dictionary entry overview: What does booby trap mean? 

BOOBY TRAP (noun)
  The noun BOOBY TRAP has 2 senses:

1. an explosive mine hidden underground; explodes when stepped on or driven overplay

2. an unforeseen or unexpected or surprising difficultyplay

  Familiarity information: BOOBY TRAP used as a noun is rare.


 Dictionary entry details 


BOOBY TRAP (noun)


Sense 1

Meaning:

An explosive mine hidden underground; explodes when stepped on or driven over

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

booby trap; ground-emplaced mine; land mine

Hypernyms ("booby trap" is a kind of...):

mine (explosive device that explodes on contact; designed to destroy vehicles or ships or to kill or maim personnel)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "booby trap"):

bouncing betty (an antipersonnel land mine)

claymore; claymore mine (an antipersonnel land mine whose blast is aimed at the oncoming enemy)


Sense 2

Meaning:

An unforeseen or unexpected or surprising difficulty

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

booby trap; pitfall

Hypernyms ("booby trap" is a kind of...):

difficulty (a factor causing trouble in achieving a positive result or tending to produce a negative result)


 Learn English with... Proverbs 
"It's an ill wind that blows no good." (English proverb)

"Words coming from far away are always half true, half false." (Bhutanese proverb)

"Dwell not upon thy weariness, thy strength shall be according to the measure of thy desire." (Arabic proverb)

"Be patient with a bad neighbor. Maybe he’ll leave or a disaster will take him out." (Egyptian proverb)



ALSO IN ENGLISH DICTIONARY:


© 2000-2023 AudioEnglish.org | AudioEnglish® is a Registered Trademark | Terms of use and privacy policy
Contact