bogle

See also: Bogle

English

Etymology

Uncertain; possibly cognate with English bug, or derived from Welsh bwgwly (“to terrify”).^[1]

Pronunciation

enPR: bŏg′əl, bō′gəl
(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbɒɡ.əl/, (older) /ˈbɔːɡ.əl/; /ˈbəʊ̯.ɡəl/
(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔɡ.əl/, (cot–caught merger) /ˈbɑɡ.əl/; /ˈboʊ̯.ɡəl/
(Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈbɒɡ.əl/, (cot–caught merger) /ˈbɑɡ.əl/; /ˈboʊ̯.ɡəl/
(Australia) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔɡ.əl/; /ˈbəʉ̯.ɡəl/
(New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈbɒɡ.əl/; /ˈbɐʉ̯.ɡəl/
(Scotland) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔɡ.əl/; /ˈbo.ɡəl/
(India) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔɡ.əl/; /ˈboː.ɡəl/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Rhymes: -ɒɡəl, -əʊɡəl
Hyphenation: bog‧le, bo‧gle

Noun

bogle (plural bogles)

(UK, especially Scotland) A goblin, imp, bogeyman, bugbear or similar a frightful being or phantom.^[2]
- 1820, Gibby and the ghaist:
  For ilka place I ha'e is already fu',
  But ae big room-'deed frien', I needna lie t'yne
  An' that has long been haunted by a bogle
- 1896, H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells, The Island of Doctor Moreau (Heinemann’s Colonial Library of Popular Fiction; 52), London: William Heinemann, →OCLC; republished as The Island of Doctor Moreau: A Possibility, New York, N.Y.: Stone & Kimball, 1896, →OCLC:
  “Montgomery,” said I, “what was that thing that came after me? Was it a beast or was it a man?”
  “If you don’t sleep to-night,” he said, “you’ll be off your head to-morrow.”
  I stood up in front of him. “What was that thing that came after me?” I asked.
  He looked me squarely in the eyes, and twisted his mouth askew. His eyes, which had seemed animated a minute before, went dull. “From your account,” said he, “I’m thinking it was a bogle.”
  I felt a gust of intense irritation, which passed as quickly as it came. I flung myself into the chair again, and pressed my hands on my forehead. The puma began once more.
(dialectal, dated) A scarecrow.
(dance) A Jamaican dance move that involves raising and lowering the arms while moving the body in a waving motion.
- 2001 November 25, Diran Adebayo, “Young, gifted, black…and very confused”, in The Observer‎^[1], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 October 2026:
  At the turn of the Nineties, the footballer Ian Wright would often celebrate his goals by running to the corner flag, and doing a ‘bogling’ move—the ‘bogle’ was a ragamuffin reggae dance then popular in the black community.
- 2013 July 6, Kate Hutchinson, “It's summer, let's dance!”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian‎^[2], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 October 2026:
  In Jamaica, there's a constant stream of new moves, corresponding to big club tunes. Dancers race to put videos online in the hope of starting the next bogle, dutty wine or hot wuk sensation.

Alternative forms

boggle

Derived terms

Verb

bogle (third-person singular simple present bogles, present participle bogling, simple past and past participle bogled)

Obsolete form of boggle.

References

^ Charles P. G. Scott, 'Bogus and His Crew', Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, Vol. 42 (1911), pp. 157-174.
^ “bogle”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

Belgo-, Globe, Gobel, Goble, globe

[1] Charles P. G. Scott, 'Bogus and His Crew', Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, Vol. 42 (1911), pp. 157-174.

[2] “bogle”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

[1]

[2]