but they never counted on Bubba"Foolproof'' is defined in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition, as "so simple, plain, or reliable as to leave no opportunity for error, misuse, or failure.'' Thus a "foolproof'' recipe is not merely simple to follow; there's usually some "proof'' against one of the pitfalls that can typically cause it to fail. Make "Foolproof Fudge'' and you get the proper fudge-like consistency without a candy thermometer or the ability to otherwise determine when the gooey confection has reached that elusive "soft-ball stage.'' In other words, it's "no-fail fudge.''
The definition says "error, misuse or failure,'' which indicates how "foolproof'' can have different connotations. When it first appeared in the very early 1900s the focus was on "fool.''
mark the-fool-who-proofs-it Bailey