Make Your Point > Archived Issues > BUGABOO

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connect today's word to others: Your bugaboo is your own personal obsessive fear. Hopefully it doesn't lead you to your waterloo! Can you recall what that means? make your point with... "BUGABOO" A bugaboo is a boogeyman: a made-up monster that people use to scare (and control) children. More generally, a bugaboo is anything that scares and concerns people, sometimes more than it reasonably should. (The word "bugaboo" probably arose as a different form of the word "bugbear," which means exactly the same thing.) Pronunciation: BUG uh boo Part of speech: Noun, the countable kind: "a bugaboo," "this bugaboo," "some bugaboos." Other forms: Just the plural, "bugaboos."  How to use it: Despite being so fun and whimsical, "bugaboo" shows up often in straight-faced discussions of science, tech, sports, politics, finances, religion, etc. Talk about someone's bugaboo, something's bugaboo, or the bugaboo of or for some person or group (or some activity or situation). "That's her bugaboo." "It's an economist's bugaboo." "Scarce and costly labor has been a bugaboo for builders" (the Dallas Morning News). "Blisters are the bugaboos of physical activity" (the New York Times). You can specify what the bugaboo is by calling it "the bugaboo of something:" the bugaboo of socialism, the bugaboo of identity politics, the bugaboo of high-fructose corn syrup. And you can say that people fall prey to a bugaboo, get worked up over some bugaboo, or even use something as a bugaboo to manipulate others. Or say that something serves as a bugaboo for some people, or that some bugaboo is haunting or threatening someone (or something, like an established tradition). examples: In her autobiography, Lauren Graham addresses the sexism in interviewers' questions, that bugaboo for all actresses. "In the 1980s and 1990s, Japan and fellow Asian 'tigers' like Taiwan were the bugaboos threatening U.S. industry."    —Nathaniel Taplin, The Wall Street Journal, 9 March 2018 study it now: Look away from the screen to define "bugaboo" without saying "pet hate" or "hobgoblin." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) uses (someone or something) as a bugaboo, (exaggerating, calling attention to, or playing up) (some scary or threatening aspect)." Example: "One of our high school teachers used detentions as a bugaboo, exaggerating the impact they would have on our permanent records that colleges would view." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Complete the Clichés! In each issue this month, I'll present a general theme and a handful of common expressions that apply to it--but only the first few words of each expression. See if you can complete them!  To keep things interesting, I've picked a mixture of phrases both new and familiar to me. I hope some will pique your curiosity and inspire you to Google them for their meanings and backstories. (Please try that first, and if your search turns up empty, email me for help.) If you're playing this game with the kids in your family or your class, you might enjoy talking together about what the phrases mean. Enjoy! In the previous issue, the theme was "everything is NOT just fine:" A. Abandon hope, all... B. Like a bull in...  C. To have egg... D. The enemy is at... E. Fall on stony... F. Rats abandon... Answers: A. Abandon hope, all ye who enter here B. Like a bull in a china shop C. To have egg on your face D. The enemy is at the gate E. Fall on stony ground F. Rats abandon a sinking ship Try these today. The theme is "I can do this:" A. Bear the burden and... B. Bloody but... C. Cross the... D. Face the... E. Fight tooth... F. Grasp the... review today's word: 1. A near opposite of BUGABOO is A. EMOLLIENT. B. IMPRIMATUR. C. OBLIQUITY. 2. _____ a bugaboo of _____. A. Insect bites remain.. hiking and camping B. Immigration remains .. the difficulties of learning English C. America remains .. widely varying (and often clashing) ideologies Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. A