bugaboo
noun /ˈbʌɡəbuː/
/ˈbʌɡəbuː/
(North American English, informal)- a thing that people are afraid of
- Government regulation is a real bugaboo for the right.
Word Originmid 18th cent.: probably of Celtic origin and related to Welsh bwci bo ‘bogey, the Devil’, bwci ‘hobgoblin, a mischievous imp or sprite’ and Cornish bucca.