cucuy

4 9.9

A scary monster in Latin American stories that parents say to frighten children

noun
/kuˈkuːi/

Literature

: cucuy

The legend of the cucuy is a frightening tale used to keep children from wandering off at night.

Examples

This is some scary Cucuy shit right here, man.

A Haunted House 2 (2014)
Is el cucuy there?

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014)
A Cucuy is a ghetto Mexican bogeyman.

A Haunted House 2 (2014)
Freakin' La Llorona, EI Cucuy, Chupacabra, Bigfoot, Obamacare.

A Haunted House 2 (2014)
Parents often warn their children that if they misbehave, the cucuy will come to get them.
In many Latin American families, tales of the cucuy serve as a bedtime story to encourage good behavior.

Synonyms

boogeyman

vscucuy

Baby Talk

34 8.1

An imaginary monster adults mention to scare children into behaving

is used the same way but found in Latin American folklore

bogeyman

vscucuy

Baby Talk

25 7.4

A made-up creature adults tell children about to scare them when they misbehave

is similar but tied to Latin American folklore rather than general use

booger

vscucuy

Archaic

15 9.9

An imaginary creature parents mention to frighten children

is the culturally specific version in Latin American folklore

mythical monster

vscucuy

1 8.1

A frightening creature from stories or legends that is not real

is specifically used to scare children into behaving in Latin American tradition

Surface Forms

cucuy singular

cucuyes plural

Etymology

Cucuy comes from Spanish and Latin American stories about a scary night creature and is related to coco, another name for a scary monster. So, the cucuy is used like the English 'bogeyman' to frighten children into behaving.