Etymology
The Spanish word bobo translates to stupid, daft, naive, simple, fool, idiot, clown, funny man, one who is easily cheated and similar pejorative terms. The slang of bobo, bubie, translates to dunce. Variations of this word exist in other languages (such as Czech and Latin), with their meaning being "to stammer". Thus, the term "booby trap" gives rise to the idea that an individual with the misfortune to be caught in the trap does so because the individual is a "booby", or that an individual who is caught in the trap thereby becomes a "booby".
The word has also been applied to the Sula genus of sea birds, with their common name being boobies. These birds, adapted for sea flight and swimming, have large flat feet and wide wingspans, making it difficult for them to run or take flight quickly. As a result, they are considered clumsy and easy to catch when onshore. They are also known for landing aboard seagoing vessels, whereupon they have been eaten by the crew.
In approximately 1590, the word began appearing in the English language as booby, meaning "stupid person, slow bird".
The phrase booby trap originally applied to schoolboy pranks, but took on its more sinister connotation during World War I.
Read more about this topic: Booby Trap
Famous quotes containing the word etymology:
“The universal principle of etymology in all languages: words are carried over from bodies and from the properties of bodies to express the things of the mind and spirit. The order of ideas must follow the order of things.”
—Giambattista Vico (1688–1744)
“Semantically, taste is rich and confusing, its etymology as odd and interesting as that of “style.” But while style—deriving from the stylus or pointed rod which Roman scribes used to make marks on wax tablets—suggests activity, taste is more passive.... Etymologically, the word we use derives from the Old French, meaning touch or feel, a sense that is preserved in the current Italian word for a keyboard, tastiera.”
—Stephen Bayley, British historian, art critic. “Taste: The Story of an Idea,” Taste: The Secret Meaning of Things, Random House (1991)