bogey

Meaning

Noun

1. The Devil.
2. A ghost, goblin, or other hostile supernatural creature.
3. A bugbear: any terrifying thing.
4. A standard of performance set up as a mark to be aimed at in competition.
5. An unidentified aircraft, especially as observed as a spot on a radar screen and suspected to be hostile.
6. (slang) Synonym of bandit: an enemy aircraft.
7. A score of one over par on a hole.
8. Alternative form of booger: a piece of mucus in or removed from the nostril.

Verb

To make a bogey on (a particular hole).

Verb

To swim; to bathe.

Synonyms

bogy

bogie

bugbear

ogre

ghost

👻

genie

🧞

hobgoblin

bogeyman

spook

bugaboo

snot

goblin

boogeyman

booger

ogress

sprite

wraith

nasal mucus

booger

apparition

bogy

cell

data

element

gnome

monster

mucus

phantasm

phantom

pixy

principle

rudiment

specter

spectre

spirit

swim

🏊

Hyphenated as

bo‧gey

Pronounced as (IPA)

/bəʊɡi/

Etymology

Cognate with Irish: bagairt

Cognate with Norwegian: bugge

Cognate with Low German: Bögge

Cognate with Swiss German: Böögg

In summary

Probably related to or alteration of bogle, akin to or from a variant of Middle English bugge (“frightening specter, scarecrow”) (whence partly bug), of uncertain origin: perhaps from obsolete Welsh bwg (“ghost, hobgoblin”) (compare Welsh bwgwl (“threat”, older “fear”), Irish bagairt (“threat”)), from Proto-Celtic [Term?], or from Proto-Germanic *bugja- (“swollen up, thick”) (compare Norwegian bugge (“big man”), dialectal Low German Bögge and Alemannic German Böögg (“goblin”, “snot”)); see also Proto-Germanic *pūkô (“a goblin, spook”), whence obsolete English puck. Perhaps the Middle English and Welsh words come from a word related to buck and originally referred to a goat-shaped specter. Compare also booger.
The golf sense is from the devil as an imaginary player.