Definition

1. Noun:
   • Bogeyman: A mythical creature or frightening figure, often used by adults to scare children into good behavior. It represents a generic source of fear.
   • Scarecrow (figurative): An imaginary threat or a person used to inspire fear.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Mẹ dọa sẽ gọi ông kẹ đến nếu tôi không ngủ. (Mom threatened to call the bogeyman if I didn't sleep.)
  • Đừng ra ngoài khi trời tối, ông kẹ sẽ bắt con đấy. (Don't go out when it's dark, the bogeyman will get you.)
  • Nó chỉ là ông kẹ, không có thật đâu. (He's just a bogeyman, he isn't real.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in the common threat: "Ông kẹ sẽ bắt" (The bogeyman will get/catch you).
• It can be used metaphorically to dismiss an unreal or exaggerated threat.
  • Đừng sợ, lời đe dọa đó chỉ là ông kẹ thôi. (Don't be afraid, that threat is just a bogeyman.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ông ba bị (n): Another name for a bogeyman or monster in Vietnamese folklore, used similarly to scare children.

Synonyms

• Bogeyman
• Boogeyman
• Bugbear
• Specter (a frightening phantom)

Related Idioms

• Dọa ông kẹ: To use the threat of the bogeyman.
  • Bố mẹ thường dọa ông kẹ để trẻ con nghe lời. (Parents often use the bogeyman threat to make children obey.)