1874 Pittsburgh Commerc. 18 July 2/1 If the Democratic party in Indiana manages to survive the idiotic blundering of its leaders..we shall be compelled to acknowledge that it is fool-proof.

1895 Washington Post 22 Nov. 10/5 (advt.) CANNOT Be put on wrong MUST Be right, even with careless handling; and may be termed FOOL PROOF!

1960 Farmer & Stockbreeder 19 Jan. (Suppl.) 37/2 It should be as foolproof and as easy to manage as possible, even to the most amateur poultry keeper.

1968 Times 24 Oct. 7/7 The cost of making nuclear reactors absolutely foolproof would outweigh their economic advantages.

1986 Courier-Mail (Nexis) 11 Nov. ‘Do you know what the Ambassador looks like?’ the man asked nervously. ‘Of course,’ she replied disdainfully. ‘We have been over this a million times. The plan is foolproof.’

2018 Daily Mirror (Ireland ed.) (Nexis) 10 Mar. (Features section) 34 Try this foolproof way of cooking paella in the oven.

1908 Automobile 6 Aug. 194/2 A multiple-disk clutch is used, thoroughly fool-proofed by enclosure in an oil bath protecting it from dirt and mud.

1951 N.Y. Amsterdam News 18 Aug. 23 (headline) Spry kitchen magic recipe foolproofs pastry making.

2014 Times of India (Nexis) 1 Nov. The university has been trying to introduce technology to make the exam process smooth, but more funds are needed to fool-proof the process.