boogeyman
boogeyman — 名詞
- boogeymansingular
- boogeymansplural
1. a make-believe scary creature that adults say will come and get children who mis
妖怪；惡魔
嚇小孩的虛構怪物，也指令人恐懼的事物
a make-believe scary creature that adults say will come and get children who misbehave; also, any vaguely defined thing that people fear as a serious threat
Emma's grandmother told her that the boogeyman would come if she stayed up past midnight.
Emma 的外婆告訴她，如果熬夜到半夜，妖怪就會來找她。
Parents in many cultures use the boogeyman to make children stay in bed at night.
許多文化的父母會提起妖怪，好讓孩子晚上乖乖待在床上。
typical use: warning children to behave
For some politicians, immigration has become a political boogeyman that they use to win votes.
對某些政治人物來說，移民問題成了他們用來贏得選票的政治上的妖怪。
The children hid under their blankets, afraid that the boogeyman was hiding in the closet.
孩子們躲在毯子裡，害怕衣櫃裡藏著妖怪。
Tomás no longer believes in the boogeyman, but he checks under the bed.
Tomás 雖然不再相信有妖怪，但他還是會檢查床底下。
- monster
broader term — includes dragons, giants, and other mythical creatures, not only the specific child-frightening figure
- bogeyman
alternative spelling of the same word, more common in British English
- threat
figurative — more general term for any danger; lacks the fictional-imaginary connotation
- scapegoat
figurative — refers specifically to someone or something blamed for problems, not just feared
用法筆記
Commonly appears in political and social commentary as a figurative threat or scapegoat, usually modified by an adjective such as 'political' or 'conservative'. The literal children's-monster use typically occurs in warnings, bedtime stories, or casual speech.