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.[1]
Examples
- An award is given annually for Mr. Irrelevant, the American professional 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 or Rowing.
- 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.
