bugbear
1
9.1
- noun
- /ˈbʌɡˌbɛr/
- Informal
:
pesadilla
- I've been thinking about fake geek girls—or, more, the tenacity with which the geek community has latched on to the bugbear of the fake geek girl.
- a great bugbear
I'm, you know, it might probably my number one bugbear is to get people to see the light.
- I'm, you know, it might probably my number one bugbear is to get people to see the light.
Examples
-
And this leads to another bugbear of mine about how "green" issues are framed in public debate.
Blog text (28) -
That was one of my personal bugbears.
Blog text (13) -
This issue is such a bugbear for me.
Blog text (4) -
Religion was a particular bugbear: mostly just an excuse, according to her, for people to hate each other.
Academic text (2009) -
The ego is a current bugbear of mine.
Blog text (27) -
When considering American culture from an international perspective, American Studies scholars and teachers are forced to confront the old bugbear of exceptionalism.
Academic text (2003) -
One of the major bugbears (aside from the nature of the limited pot arrangement, which I think we agree on) is exclusivity.
Blog text (12) -
Moreover, this also offers the benefits of simplicity and transparency, and if followed as a national model, would offer an equitable solution to the recurrent bugbear of unfair variation.
Academic text (2009) -
For many students, the upcoming exams are a major bugbear that causes great anxiety.
-
One of her greatest bugbears is when people interrupt her while she is speaking.
Synonyms
6
9.6
A thing that causes fear or worry, often without real danger
3
9.9
Something people fear or worry about even when it is not real
Antonyms
How Annoying
Surface Forms
Morphology
bugbear = bug + bear (opaque) = bug + bear
Although historically a real compound, the first element uses an obsolete sense of 'bug' meaning 'goblin or terror', and the modern sense 'strongly disliked or dreaded thing' is not directly predictable.
Etymology
Bugbear once named a scary made-up creature because bug meant 'goblin' and bear made the image more frightening. So today bugbear also means something that, like that creature, causes worry or strong dislike.