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bugaboo

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.12 sec.
bug·a·boo  (bg-b)
n. pl. bug·a·boos
1. An object of obsessive, usually exaggerated fear or anxiety: "Boredom, laziness and failure . . . These bugaboos, magnified by imagination, keep [the workaholic] running" (Dun's Review).
2. A recurring or persistent problem: "the bugaboos that have plagued vision systems: high price and slow throughput" (Lawrence A. Goshorn).

[Perhaps of Celtic origin.]

bugaboo [ˈbʌgəˌbuː]
n pl -boos
an imaginary source of fear; bugbear; bogey
[probably of Celtic origin; compare Cornish buccaboo the devil]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.bugaboobugaboo - an imaginary monster used to frighten children
monster - an imaginary creature usually having various human and animal parts
2.bugaboo - a source of concern; "the old bugaboo of inflation still bothers them"
headache, worry, vexation, concern - something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness; "New York traffic is a constant concern"; "it's a major worry"
Translations
bugaboo [ˈbʌgəbuː] N (US) → espantajo m, coco m
bugaboo


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
It is some old woman's bugaboo that you are haling out of a dark corner of your imagination to frighten yourself with.
Describe him, in order that, if we meet him by chance, like Bugaboo John or Lara, we may recognize him.
For me no terrors resided in the thought of bugaboos and wicked ogres.
 
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