bogeyman
[
b
oo
g
-ee-man,
boh
-gee-,
boo
-]
/ˈbʊg iˌmæn, ˈboʊ gi-, ˈbu-/
noun
,
plural
bogeymen.
1.
an imaginary evil character of supernatural powers, especially a mythical hobgoblin supposed to carry off naughty children.
Also,
bogyman
,
boogerman
,
boogeyman
,
boogieman
.
Origin
1885-90;
bogey
(variant of
bogy
1
) +
man
1
Examples from the web for
bogeyman
And leave your politics under your bed with the
bogeyman
, thanks.
But when you look at all these videos, the
bogeyman
isn't there.
Having said that, it is not the
bogeyman
that it is so often made out to be.
British Dictionary definitions for
bogeyman
bogeyman
/
ˈbəʊɡɪˌmæn
/
noun
(
pl
)
-men
1.
a person, real or imaginary, used as a threat, esp to children
Word Origin and History for
bogeyman
n.
16c.; see
bogey
(n.1) +
man
(n.).