bugaboo

bug·a·boo

B0534500 (bŭg′ə-bo͞o′)n. pl. bug·a·boos 1. An object of often obsessive fear, anxiety, or irritation: raising the bugaboo of socialism to derail a plan for national health insurance.2. A difficult or persistent problem: "At the bottom of all these deficiencies of planning and execution ... lay that old bugaboo, lack of unity of command" (Philip B. Davidson).

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[Perhaps of Celtic origin and akin to Welsh bwg, ghost.]

bugaboo

(ˈbʌɡəˌbuː) n, pl -boosan imaginary source of fear; bugbear; bogey[C18: probably of Celtic origin; compare Cornish buccaboo the devil]

bug•a•boo

(ˈbʌg əˌbu)

n., pl. -boos. something that causes fear or worry; bugbear; bogy. [1730–40; earlier buggybow. See bogy¹, boo¹]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	bugaboo - an imaginary monster used to frighten childrenbogeyman, booger, boogeyman, bugbearmonster - 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

пугало