booby hatch

booby hatch

noun
1.
Nautical.
a.
a small hatch giving access to a ladder from the weather deck of a vessel to the interior of the hull.
b.
a small companion secured over a deck opening.
c.
a hoodlike hatch cover having a sliding top.
2.
Slang.
a.
an insane asylum.
b.

Origin:
1830–40

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
booby hatch
 
n
1.  a hoodlike covering for a hatchway on a ship
2.  offensive, slang (US) a mental hospital

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Booby hatch is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
Slang Dictionary

booby hatch definition

[ˈbubi...]
  1. n.
    a mental hospital. : I was afraid they would send me to the booby hatch.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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