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bogey man (also bogeyman, boogeyman)
slang

- an imaginary evil person who harms children

(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)

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WORD ORIGIN

Bogey man is spelled any number of ways depending on the country and/or dictionary: boogyman, bogyman, boogieman, boogey monster, boogeyman. They all refer to an imaginary monster that children believe in. The bogey man has no specific appearance. Conceptions of the monster can vary drastically. In many cases he simply has no set appearance in the mind of a child, but is just a being that represents evil.

Bogey man is used metaphorically to describe a person or thing of which someone has an irrational fear. Parents often say that if their child is naughty, the bogey man will get them. The bogey man legend may originate from Scotland, where such creatures are sometimes called bogles, boggarts, or bogies.

Bogey man folktales vary by region. In some places the bogey man is male and in others female or both. In midwestern parts of the United States, the bogeyman scratches at the window. In the Pacific Northwest he may appear as "green fog." In other places he hides under the bed or in the closet and tickles children when they go to sleep at night.

The word bogey most likely derived from the Middle English bogge/bugge (also the origin of the word bug), which refers to something frightening.

(adapted from Wikipedia and the Online Etymology Dictionary)

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SYNONYMS

apparition, bogey, bogle, chimera, hobgoblin, monster, phantasm, phantasma, phantom, spectre, spirit, visitant, wraith

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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:

"When I was a child, I thought the bogey man always hid behind the curtains in my bedroom."