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bogeyman

noun
/ˈbəʊ.ɡɪˌmæn/UK/ˈboʊ.ɡiˌmæn/US/ˈbu.ɡiˌmæn/CA

Etymology

From bogey + -man.

  1. derived from *bugja-✻ — “swollen up, thick”
  2. derived from bwg
  3. derived from bugge
  4. formed as bogeyman — “bogey + -man”

Definitions

  1. A menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories.

    • Near-synonyms: bogeyperson, bogeywoman
    • Lay your head down child I won't let the boogeyman come Counting bodies like sheep To the rhythm of the war drums Pay no mind to the rabble Pay no mind to the rabble Head down, go to sleep To the rhythm of the war drums

  2. Any make-believe threat, especially one used to intimidate or distract

    Any make-believe threat, especially one used to intimidate or distract; a real threat greatly exaggerated for those purposes.

    • Near-synonyms: bug-a-boo, bugaboo, chimera
    • The bogeyman of a Halloween-candy poisoner behind every door has animated occasional moral panics against trick-or-treating.
    • With no original ideas or solutions, they've now resorted to bringing out a tried-and-tested bogeymen in a last-ditch attempt to derail much-needed legislation.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for bogeyman. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA