bandersnatch

American  

[ban-der-snach] / ˈbæn dərˌsnætʃ /

noun

1. an imaginary wild animal of fierce disposition.

2. a person of uncouth or unconventional habits, attitudes, etc., especially one considered a menace, nuisance, or the like.

---

Etymology

Origin of bandersnatch

Coined by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking Glass (1871)

Explanation

A bandersnatch is an imaginary, strange, and fearsome creature. The noun bandersnatch is also used as a descriptive way to refer to a person who seems wild and threatening. Bandersnatch comes from the poem "Jabberwocky," by Lewis Carroll. The poem is full of words that Carroll invented. The part with bandersnatch reads like this:

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"

Bandersnatch is now sometimes used to refer to any imaginary, fierce creature, or to any person who should be avoided — like the really grouchy neighbor who complains about everything and everyone.

Example Sentences

Although a big Black Mirror fan, Gribben hadn't seen Bandersnatch but says that coming to Plaything fresh actually aided his performance.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2025

But its push into interactive TV for adults began with 2018’s Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.

From Slate • May 28, 2022

Producers may choose to write and film multiple narrative options, like a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book, a format already seen in the "Bandersnatch" episode of "Black Mirror," which garnered critical and popular acclaim.

From Salon • Jan. 15, 2022

She declines to say whether specific non-Epic titles, like Roblox and Netflix’s Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, are games.

From The Verge • Sep. 12, 2021

You might as well try to catch a Bandersnatch!

From Through the Looking-Glass by Carroll, Lewis