ngáo ộp

Mẹ dọa sẽ gọi ngáo ộp đến nếu tôi không ngủ.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Bogeyman; a frightening specter or monster: A mythical creature, often used in folklore and by adults to frighten children into good behavior. It represents a vague, terrifying, and often formless entity.
   • A looming threat or specter: Used metaphorically to describe a pervasive, frightening, and often abstract danger that haunts a situation or society.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Mẹ dọa sẽ gọi ngáo ộp đến nếu tôi không ngủ. (Mom threatened to call the bogeyman if I didn't sleep.)
  • Ngáo ộp chiến tranh đang ám ảnh khu vực đó. (The specter of war is haunting that region.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in the construction "con ngáo ộp" to specify the creature as a monster or entity.
  • Đừng sợ, không có con ngáo ộp nào trong tủ cả. (Don't be afraid, there's no bogeyman in the closet.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ngoáo ộp (n): An alternative, less common spelling with the same meaning.

Synonyms

• Bogeyman: A monstrous imaginary figure used to frighten children.
• Specter: A ghost or a haunting, threatening possibility.
• Bugbear: A source of fear, often an object of exaggerated dread.

Related Idioms

• Dựng lên ngáo ộp: To create a bogeyman; to exaggerate a threat to scare people.
  • Họ đang cố dựng lên ngáo ộp để kiểm soát dư luận. (They are trying to create a bogeyman to control public opinion.)