booby trap
Preserved but no longer current.
A trap set to discomfit an unsuspecting victim. — e.g. among children, placing a book on top of a door to fall on whoever opens the door; in war, attaching an explosive charge to the door so that whoever opens it will be killed.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “booby trap” mean?
A trap set to discomfit an unsuspecting victim. — e.g. among children, placing a book on top of a door to fall on whoever opens the door; in war, attaching an explosive charge to the door so that whoever opens it will be killed.
Is “booby trap” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.