boogerman

[boo g-er-man, boo-ger-]

noun, plural boog·er·men.

South Midland and Southern U.S. bogeyman.

Origin of boogerman

blend of booger and bogeyman

bogeyman

or bo·gy·man, boog·er·man, boog·ey·man, boog·ie·man

[boo g-ee-man, boh-gee-, boo-]

noun, plural bo·gey·men.

an imaginary evil character of supernatural powers, especially a mythical hobgoblin supposed to carry off naughty children.

Origin of bogeyman

1885–90; bogey¹ (variant of bogy¹, in the sense “a hobgoblin, evil spirit”) + man¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for boogerman

Historical Examples of boogerman

She grabbed the Boogerman an' give him the Putmon county witch-hug.
The Bishop and the Boogerman
Joel Chandler Harris
I'm reely sorry she didn't see you shoot the Boogerman, be jigger'd ef I ain't.
The Bishop and the Boogerman
Joel Chandler Harris
"Make her git outdoors, an' take the fresh air," suggested the Boogerman.
The Bishop and the Boogerman
Joel Chandler Harris
He had begun to occupy the niche vacated by the Boogerman her Dah had threatened her with in her nursery.
Slippy McGee, Sometimes Known as the Butterfly Man
Marie Conway Oemler
When she was a child she remembered white children and colored playing “No Boogerman Tonight.”
Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves
Work Projects Administration

British Dictionary definitions for boogerman

bogeyman

noun plural -men

a person, real or imaginary, used as a threat, esp to children

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for boogerman

bogeyman

16c.; see bogey (n.1) + man (n.).