Booby prize

Booby prize

A booby prize is a joke prize usually given in recognition of a terrible performance or last-place finish. A person who scores last, for example, may get a booby prize such as a worthless coin. Booby prizes are sometimes humorously and jokingly coveted as an object of pride.

Booby prizes, however, may not be given just to those who just have a terrible performance. At times, booby prizes can be given to all participants of a competition except for the first, or top three placers.

Origin

The word "boob" stems from the Spanish "bobo" meaning stupid, which in turn came from the Latin "balbus" meaning stammering; the word booby to mean dunce appeared in 1599.

Booby-prize literally means "idiot's prize". The OED dates this usage to 1893. Booby trap and booby hatch are related terms. [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mbooby.html]

Examples

* An award is given annually for Mr. Irrelevant, the professional American football player each year who is selected last in the NFL draft.
* A Red Lantern is given to the cyclist who finishes last in the Tour de France.
* A wooden spoon is a common booby prize which is awarded in such sports as Rugby Union, Rowing and in particular to the bottom team on the ladder in AFL (Australian Football League).
* The anthropomorphic Dusty Bin was given as a booby prize in the TV game show "3-2-1".
* Sometimes, if a player does not receive the correct ticket in the "Tombola" game on Neopets, there are "booby prizes" given to the player.
* A number of game shows have used their own terminology to describe booby prizes, won by contestants who had made either a poor decision or an unlucky choice. On "Let's Make a Deal", booby prizes were called "zonks," while the Chuck Barris-produced "The New Treasure Hunt" called these items "klunks.": In addition, at least one game on "The Price Is Right" — Any Number — offers a booby prize-of-sorts for a losing contestant: a cash prize of less than $10 for revealing the three numbers in the piggy bank prize's blanks (before completing the price of either one of the two more desirable prizes).

ee also

*Ig Nobel Prize
*Razzies
*No-Prize
* Bozo bit


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Booby prize — Booby Boo by (b[=oo] b[y^]), n.; pl. {Boobies} ( b[i^]z). [Sp. bobo dunce, idiot; cf. L. balbus stammering, E. barbarous.] [1913 Webster] 1. A dunce; a stupid fellow. [1913 Webster] 2. (Zo[ o]l.) (a) A swimming bird ({Sula fiber} or {Sula sula})… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • booby prize — n informal a prize given as a joke to the person who is last in a competition …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • booby prize — booby ,prize noun count a prize given as a joke to someone who comes last in a competition …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • booby prize — ► NOUN ▪ a prize given to the person who comes last in a contest …   English terms dictionary

  • booby prize — ☆ booby prize n. a prize, usually a ridiculous one, given in fun to whoever has done worst in a game, race, etc …   English World dictionary

  • booby prize — noun a prize given to one who finishes last in a contest • Hypernyms: ↑trophy, ↑prize • Hyponyms: ↑wooden spoon * * * noun, pl ⋯ prizes [count] informal : a prize that is given as a joke to the person who finishes last in a competition usually… …   Useful english dictionary

  • booby prize — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms booby prize : singular booby prize plural booby prizes a prize given as a joke to someone who comes last in a competition …   English dictionary

  • booby prize — [[t]bu͟ːbi praɪz[/t]] booby prizes N COUNT The booby prize is a prize given as a joke to the person who comes last in a competition …   English dictionary

  • booby prize — noun A prize or status, often unwelcome, awarded as a joke or disincentive to the loser of a contest or for poor performance. At the end of the conference, they awarded him with a rubber chicken as a booby prize for complaining the loudest …   Wiktionary

  • booby-prize —  Prize given for player with lowest score …   A concise dictionary of English slang

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