bogeyman

See also: bogey man

English

Alternative forms

• bogieman, bogyman, boogieman, boogeyman, boogyman, buggerman

Etymology

From bogey +‎ -man.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈbəʊ.ɡɪˌmæn/, /ˈbəʊ.ɡiˌmæn/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈboʊ.ɡiˌmæn/, /ˈbʊɡ.iˌmæn/, /ˈbu.ɡiˌmæn/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈbu.ɡiˌmæn/

Noun

bogeyman (plural bogeymen)

1. A menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories.
2. (by extension) Any make-believe threat, especially one used to intimidate or distract.
   • 2013, Frances Booth, The Distraction Trap:

     Before the Internet it was television. And, if not that, it was radio, films, or games. All have taken their turn as the popular bogeyman, blighting the minds of the young.

Synonyms

• chimera

Translations

menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories

• Arabic:

  Moroccan Arabic: بوعو m (būʕʕu), بو خنشة m (bū ḵanša)

• Basque: hamalau-zaku
• Catalan: home del sac m, papu (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 怪物 (zh) (guàiwù), 魔鬼 (zh) (móguǐ)

• Czech: bubák (cs) m
• Danish: bussemand (da) c, bøhmand c
• Dutch: boeman (nl) m, bietebauw (nl) m
• Esperanto: infantimigulo
• Estonian: koll
• Finnish: mörkö (fi)
• French: croque-mitaine (fr) m
• Galician: sacaúntos m, coco (gl) m, sacamanteigas m, papón (gl) m
• German: Butzemann (de) m
• Greek: μπαμπούλας (el) m (bampoúlas)

  Ancient: μορμολυκεῖον n (mormolukeîon)

• Hungarian: krampusz (hu), mumus (hu)
• Italian: uomo nero, babau (it)
• Japanese: ブギーマン (bugīman), 小鬼 (ja) (こおに, ko-oni)
• Korean: 꼬마 도깨비 (kkoma dokkaebi), 부기맨 (bugimaen)
• Ladino: bambaruto
• Latgalian: buba
• Latin: larva f
• Latvian: bubulis
• Lithuanian: baubas, bubulis
• Norman: croque-mitaine m, barbou m
• Norwegian: busemann m
• Persian: لولو (fa) sg (lūlū)
• Polish: czarny lud m
• Portuguese: bicho-papão m, homem do saco m, papa-figos (pt) m
• Romanian: baubau (ro) m, omul negru m, gogoriță (ro)
• Russian: бу́ка (ru) f (búka), баба́й (ru) m (babáj), страши́лище (ru) n (strašílišče), домово́й (ru) m (domovój) (in Slavic mythology), бу́гимен m (búgimɛn)
• Serbo-Croatian: babaroga (sh) f, бабарога f
• Spanish: coco (es), cuco (es) m, cucuy m, sacamantecas m, hombre del saco (es) m (Latin America)
• Tagalog: mumò, mumu (childish)
• Tajik: буҷӣ (bujī)
• Turkish: gulyabani (tr), hortlak (tr), öcü (tr), karakoncolos (tr), umacı (tr)
• Vietnamese: ngoáo ộp (vi)

any make-believe threat

• Danish: bussemand (da) c, bøhmand c
• Finnish: mörkö (fi)
• German: Schreckgespenst (de) n
• Italian: spauracchio (it) m
• Polish: czarny lud m, straszydło (pl) n
• Russian: пу́гало (ru) n (púgalo), жу́пел (ru) m (žúpel)
• Turkish: öcü (tr), korkutku, canavar (tr)

See also

• bogeywoman
• bugbear
• bug-a-boo

Anagrams

• money bag, moneybag