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.
   • 2003, “Pet”, performed by A Perfect Circle:

     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. (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: بُعْبُع m (buʕbuʕ)

  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, strašák (cs) m, strašidlo (cs) n
• 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 (ja) (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
• Macedonian: Баба Рога f (Baba Roga)
• 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 (buji)
• 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
• Macedonian: Баба Рога f (Baba Roga)
• 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