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booby

Translation
booby
booby1
—boobyish, adj.
/booh"bee/, n., pl. boobies.
1. a stupid person; dunce.
2. a gannet of the genus Sula, having a bright bill, bright feet, or both: some are endangered.
[1590-1600; earlier pooby, appar. b. poop to befool (now obs.) and BABY; (def. 2) perh. by association with Sp bobo < L balbus stuttering]
booby2
/booh"bee/, n., pl. boobies. Slang (sometimes vulgar).
a female breast.
[1930-35, Amer.; prob. var. of earlier BUBBY]

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Any of six or seven species of large tropical seabirds (family Sulidae), named for their presumed lack of intelligence.

Two common species are wide-ranging in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans; another is found in the Pacific from southern California to northern Peru and on the Galápagos Islands. The booby has a long bill, cigar-shaped body, and long, narrow, angular wings. It flies high above the ocean looking for schools of fish and squid, which it snatches in a vertical dive. Boobies vary in length from 25 to 35 in. (65–85 cm). They nest in colonies but are territorial.

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▪ bird
  any of six or seven species of large tropical seabirds constituting the family Sulidae (order Pelecaniformes). They vary in length from about 65 to 85 centimetres (25–35 inches). The red-footed booby (Sula sula) and the masked, or blue-faced, booby (S. dactylatra) are wide-ranging in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. The blue-footed booby (S. nebouxii) occurs in the Pacific from southern California to northern Peru and on the Galápagos Islands. Boobies' bills are long, their bodies cigar-shaped, and their wings long, narrow, and angular. They fly high above the ocean looking for schools of fish and squid. When prey is sighted they plunge headlong into the water in a swift, vertical drop.

      Boobies nest in colonies but have a highly developed territorial sense. Many ritualized displays (e.g., head nodding and jabbing) are used to defend the individual's territory within the large breeding colony. Courtship also involves display—an elaborate dance by the male in which the feet are raised alternately several times, followed by a gesture known to ornithologists as sky-pointing (the birds extend their wings horizontally and toward the tail, raise their heads, and emit a long, continuous whistle). The eggs, usually two in number, are laid on the ground in a rudimentary nest. Boobies get their name from their tameness and lack of fear of humans; they were easily killed by early mariners, who named them boobies to denote their presumed lack of intelligence.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • 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 — Boo by (b[=oo] b[y^]), a. Having the characteristics of a booby; stupid. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • booby — 1> болван, олух, дуралей 2> последний ученик 3> тот, кто пришел последним к финишу, набрал меньше всех очков; первый с конца 4> зоол. олуша (Sula) Id: to beat the booby хлопать руками, чтобы согреться; прийти последним (в состязании) …   Новый большой англо-русский словарь

  • booby — noun 1) болван, дурак 2) отстающий ученик 3) спортсмен (команда),плохо выступивший( ая) в соревновании 4) олуша (морская птица) Syn: seeblockhead …   Англо-русский словарь Мюллера

  • Booby — Booby, Insel, s. Bubi …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Booby — pp semi protected|small=yesTaxobox name = Booby image caption = Blue footed Booby displaying by raising a foot image width = 240px regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Pelecaniformes familia = Sulidae genus = Sula genus… …   Wikipedia

  • booby — ˈbu:bɪ сущ. 1) болван, дурак I was so awkward a booby that I dared scarcely speak to her. ≈ Я чувствовал себя таким болваном, что едва ли мог говорить с …   Большой англо-русский и русско-английский словарь

  • booby — I. noun (plural boobies) Etymology: modification of Spanish bobo, from Latin balbus stammering, probably of imitative origin Date: 1602 1. an awkward foolish person ; dope 2. any of several tropical seabirds (genus Sula) of the gannet family II …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • booby — noun a) A stupid person. At which time, ſome Boobyes, weary of flight, made our Ship their pearch, an animall ſo ſimple as ſuffers any to take her without feare, as if a ſtupid ſenſe made her careleſſe of danger... b) Any of various… …   Wiktionary

  • booby — [ buːbɪ] 1) Общая лексика: первый с конца , балбес, болван, головотяп, дурак, дуралей, женская грудь, команда, плохо выступившая в соревновании, олух, олуша (морская птица), отстающий ученик, плохая команда, плохой спортсмен, последний ученик,… …   Универсальный англо-русский словарь