bogeyman

South Midland and Southern U.S., boog·ey·man
Or bo·gy·man

[boog-ee-man, boh-gee-, boo-]

noun

plural

bogeymen 

1. an imaginary evil character of supernatural powers, especially a mythical hobgoblin supposed to carry off naughty children.

bogeyman

/ ˈbəʊɡɪˌmæn /

noun

1. a person, real or imaginary, used as a threat, esp to children

Word History and Origins

Origin of bogeyman¹

First recorded in 1885–90; bogey ¹ (variant of bogy ¹, in the sense “a hobgoblin, evil spirit”) + man

Example Sentences

The Dodgers served as a convenient bogeyman for owners of many other major league teams last winter.

From Los Angeles Times

The Tate-La Bianca murders of 1969 struck fear into mainstream America, and this frightening hippie who had supposedly compelled his acolytes to commit murder became the bogeyman of the counterculture era.

From Salon

Once you start to see bogeymen in one place, it's easy to see them everywhere.

From Salon

“Carter never got over the feeling of betrayal and abandonment by the Jewish community” that he felt he had helped with the Camp David accords but for whom he had “become a bogeyman,” Miller said.

From Los Angeles Times

Such simplicity in design, along with a winking sense of artifice, is partly what helped turn Kent’s bogeyman into an unlikely gay icon.

From Los Angeles Times