bugbear

Dictionary: bug·bear (bŭg'bâr') pronunciation

A bugaboo.
A fearsome imaginary creature, especially one evoked to frighten children.

[Obsolete bug, hobgoblin (from Middle English bugge , perhaps from Welsh bwg) + BEAR².]

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Thesaurus: bugbear

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noun

Informal

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Obscure Words: bugbear

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an object or source of dread

Wikipedia: Bugbear

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For the Finnish video game studio, see Bugbear Entertainment.

For the Dungeons & Dragons creature, see Bugbear (Dungeons & Dragons).

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Bogeyman. (Discuss)

A bugbear is a legendary creature or type of hobgoblin comparable to the bogeyman, bogey, bugaboo, and other creatures of folklore, all of which were historically used in some cultures to frighten disobedient children.^[1] Its name is derived from an old Celtic word bug for evil spirit or goblin.^[2] In medieval England, the Bugbear was depicted as a creepy bear that lurked in the woods to scare children; it was described in this manner in an English translation of a 1565 Italian Play The Buggbear.^[2]

In a modern context, the term bugbear serves as a metaphor for something which is annoying or irritating.^[1] It may also mean "pet peeve".^{[citation needed]} Bugbear is also another term for scarecrow.^{[citation needed]}

References

^ ^a ^b J. Simpson, E. Weiner (eds), ed (1989). "Raven". Oxford English Dictionary (2nd edition ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-861186-2.
^ ^a ^b Briggs, Katherine M. (1976). A Dictionary of Fairies. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin. p. 52. ISBN 0-14-00-4753-0.

Look up bugbear in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

		Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Obscure Words. © 2008 by Michael A. Fischer http://home.comcast.net/~wwftd. Read more
		Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Bugbear". Read more
		Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more

bugbear

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