booby hatch

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noun

Nautical.

a small hatch giving access to a ladder from the weather deck of a vessel to the interior of the hull.
a small companion secured over a deck opening.
a hoodlike hatch cover having a sliding top.

Slang.

an insane asylum.
jail.

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Origin of booby hatch

First recorded in 1830–40

Words nearby booby hatch

booboisie, boo-boo, boobook, boob tube, booby, booby hatch, booby prize, booby trap, boodie, boodle, boofhead

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use booby hatch in a sentence

The worst is probably to avoid paying taxes on the money and go to prison, like Survivor season one winner Richard Hatch.
From Socially Isolated Nerd to Jeopardy! Bad Boy: A Thank You Note|Arthur Chu|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I would be proud, but my late mother said, ‘Don’t count your eggs, son, until they hatch,” he said.
For Next AG, Obama Picks a Quiet Fighter With a Heavy Punch|Michael Daly|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Two of the victims, 15-year-old Andrew Fryberg and 14-year-old Nate Hatch, were cousins of the shooter, according to relatives.
The Homecoming Prince Who Tweeted His Killing Spree|Brandy Zadrozny|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So far, it is a small group, including just McCain, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Orrin Hatch of Utah.
There’s a Senate Civil War Coming, No Matter Who Wins in November|David Freedlander|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The plan unveiled last January by Hatch, Coburn and Burr is a good foundation.
What the GOP Will Do If It Wins Congress|Stuart Stevens|October 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At that moment there came up the fore-hatch a yell, as if from the throat of a North American savage.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands|R.M. Ballantyne
Fortunately, the hatch had been shut, and the deluge of water had not gone into the cabin, or the boat must have foundered.
The Rival Campers|Ruel Perley Smith
The first mate went to look into it and found Liosha standing enraptured at the hatch looking down upon a free fight.
Jaffery|William J. Locke
A very important fitting is a hatch by which the cockpit can be completely covered in in heavy weather.
Yachting Vol. 2|Various.
The sailor sprung down the companion hatch, where he found the hawser coiled against the door, and heard Newton struggling inside.
Newton Forster|Captain Frederick Marryat

British Dictionary definitions for booby hatch

booby hatch

noun

a hoodlike covering for a hatchway on a ship

US offensive, slang a mental hospital

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

booby hatch

Origin of booby hatch

Words nearby booby hatch

Words related to booby hatch

How to use booby hatch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for booby hatch