Plural of bogeyman; imaginary frightening figures used to scare children; any person or thing that is feared or blamed for problems.
From 'bogey' (a demon or frightening creature in folklore) + 'man.' The term has been used since at least the 18th century in English to refer to a threatening figure, real or imaginary.
Every culture has its version of the bogeyman—English has 'bogeymen,' Germans have 'der Butzemann,' and Scandinavians have 'bussemanden'—showing how universal the need to scare children into good behavior is across human cultures.
The term 'bogeyman' is gender-specific, though 'bogey' originated as a genderless entity. English convention defaults to masculine '-men' even when referring to a supernatural threat affecting all genders equally. This reflects historical male default bias in language.
Use 'bogeyman/bogeywoman' when gender is relevant, or simply 'bogey' or 'scary figure' for neutral reference.
["bogey","scary figure","threat","bogeyman or bogeywoman"]
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