bugaboo
noun/ˈbʌɡəbuː/
/ˈbʌɡəbuː/
(North American English, informal)- a thing that people are afraid of
- Government regulation is a real bugaboo for the right.
Word Originmid 18th cent.: probably of Celtic origin and related to Welsh bwci bo ‘bogey, the Devil’, bwci ‘hobgoblin, a mischievous imp or sprite’ and Cornish bucca.Definitions on the go
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bugaboo