bugaboo

See also: bug-a-boo

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbʌɡəbuː/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

bugaboo (plural bugaboos)

1. Alternative spelling of bug-a-boo
   • 1902, William James, “Lecture I”, in The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature […] , New York, N.Y.; London: Longmans, Green, and Co. […], →OCLC:

     At any rate you must all be ready now to judge the religious life by its results exclusively, and I shall assume that the bugaboo of morbid origin will scandalize your piety no more.

   • 2009, Joshua D. Angrist, Jörg-Steffen Pischke, Mostly Harmless Econometrics: An Empiricist's Companion, Princeton University Press, page xiii:

     Rather, our discussion of inference is devoted mostly to the finite-sample bugaboos that should bother practitioners.

   • 2020 May 27, Sam Johnson & Chris Marcil, “Collaboration” (17:32 from the start), in What We Do in the Shadows‎^[1], season 2, episode 8, spoken by Guillermo de la Cruz (Harvey Guillén):

     “Uh, Celeste? Sorry to bug. You said you were gonna start making us vampires, quote, "Hopefully within the week." And that was last week.” “Is someone talking to me right now?” “That's actually true. You did say that. And I don't want to be a bugaboo.” “Bugaboo?” “But you know what it's like for us.” “What is this, an ambush?” “Sort of, like, a timeline would mean a l-lot.” “Okay.”