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bugbear

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.06 sec.
bug·bear  (bgbâr)
n.
1. A bugaboo.
2. A fearsome imaginary creature, especially one evoked to frighten children.
[Obsolete bug, hobgoblin (from Middle English bugge, perhaps from Welsh bwg) + bear.]
bugbear
Noun
a thing that causes obsessive anxiety [obsolete bug an evil spirit + bear2]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.bugbearbugbear - an imaginary monster used to frighten children
bogeyman, booger, boogeyman, bugaboo
monster - an imaginary creature usually having various human and animal parts
2.bugbear - an object of dread or apprehension; "Germany was always a bugbear for France"; "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds"--Ralph Waldo Emerson
hobgoblin
object - the focus of cognitions or feelings; "objects of thought"; "the object of my affection"
Translations
bugbear [ˈbʌgbɛəʳ] n → pesadilla
bugbear [ˈbʌgbɛəʳ] n → cauchemar m, bête noire
bugbear [ˈbʌgbɛəʳ] n → Schreckgespenst nt
bugbear [ˈbʌgbɛəʳ] n → spauracchio


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
thought I, and we walked away, both commenting, after each other's fashion, upon this ragged old sailor; and agreed that he was nothing but a humbug, trying to be a bugbear.
Moby Dick I-LXVII by Melville, Herman View in context
On the last occasion when the great Russian bugbear provoked a division, he voted submissively with his Conservative allies.
I Say No by Collins, Wilkie View in context
He was expecting to be a sort of hero--the creator of a wild panic--and here everybody sat and smiled a mocking smile, and an old woman made fun of his bugbear.
A Tramp Abroad by Twain, Mark View in context
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