hobgoblin

(häbgäb′lin)

noun

  1. an elf; goblin
  2. a frightening apparition; bogy; bugbear
  3. Robin Goodfellow; Puck

Origin: hob, sense + goblin

See hobgoblin in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun
  1. An ugly, mischievous elf or goblin.
  2. An object or a source of fear, dread, or harassment; a bugbear: “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds” (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

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