booby trap

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boo·by trap • n. a thing designed to catch the unwary, in particular: ∎  an apparently harmless object containing a concealed explosive device designed to kill or injure anyone who touches it: miles of mines, booby traps, and underground fortifications. ∎  a trap intended as a practical joke, such as an object placed on top of a door ajar ready to fall on the next person to pass through.• v. (boob·y-trap) [tr.] place a booby trap in or on (an object or area).

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