booby-trappedadj.
/ˈbuːbɪtrapt/, U.S. /ˈbubiˌtræpt/ 1. Fitted with or constituting a booby trap (booby trap n. 2); esp. fitted with a concealed mechanism designed to detonate an explosive if disturbed (cf. booby trap n. 2b); (also) sabotaged or modified in such a way as to surprise or harm.
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society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > use of mines and explosives > [adjective] > containing concealed explosive
booby-trapped1943
1943 Nebraska State Jrnl. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 1 Apr. (caption) He had not handled booby-trapped mine correctly.
1957 San Mateo (Calif.) Times 24 June 20/1 A booby-trapped cigar box, which set off a photoflash bulb when the lid was opened.
1985 Gettysburg (Pa.) Times 8 Apr. 3/1 Booby-trapped doughnuts..briefly hospitalized two policemen who sampled the treats and spat out needles and pins.
2008 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 10 Jan. a11/1 But in Diyala, northeast of Baghdad, house bombs have long been a staple weapon for Sunni fighters who try to lure soldiers inside booby-trapped buildings.
2. That has or includes hidden or unexpected difficulties or pitfalls; designed or intended to trick or lure an unwary or foolish person into difficulty or error. Cf. booby trap n. 1.Frequently used or understood as a figurative use of sense 1.
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1954 Prairie Schooner Fall 233 It should signpost the booby-trapped paths of existence.
1959 College Eng. 21 30/2 It forces all students, even the most heedless and incompetent, to read the questions carefully, lest they be booby-trapped.
1967 Economist 11 Nov. 594/1 Mr. Wilson would be foolish to grasp at a vague and possibly booby-trapped offer of a second-best solution.
2004 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 28 Feb. 16 A CIA operation to sabotage Soviet industry by duping Moscow into stealing booby-trapped software.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2018; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adj.1943