Etymologically
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bogey

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 02:39. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /bəʊɡi/ (UK); /boʊɡi/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is probably an alteration of bogle,[2][3] a Scottish word for a ghost,[4] and so is related to bogy, bogeyman and Middle English bugge “frightening spectre”.[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A spectre or phantom (1826).[2] Bogey as a name for the Devil is recorded in 1836.[5]

Semantic evolution

In golf (by 1892) bogey was a score set as the standard for each hole, imagined as a phantom opponent,[6][4][5] supposedly inspired by the music-hall song “Hush, Hush, Hush, Here Comes the Bogey Man”.[4][5] English golfers spoke of playing against “Colonel Bogey”.[4][5] In American golf the word shifted to mean one stroke over par (1946),[6][5] probably from the idea of losing holes to Bogey.[5] In the Second World War airmen used bogey for an unidentified and presumably hostile aircraft.[4][7] The verb, to play a hole one over par, dates from 1948.[6][2]

Timeline

  • 1826 – a spectre or phantom.[2]
  • 1836 – Bogey, the Devil.[5]
  • 1892 – in golf, the standard score for a hole.[6][4][5]
  • 1946 – one stroke over par (US).[6]
  • 1948 – verb, to play a hole in one over par.[6][2]
  • World War II – an unidentified aircraft.[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. An evil or mischievous spirit; a goblin.
  2. Something that causes fear or annoyance; a bugbear.
  3. (golf) One stroke over par on a hole.
  4. (golf, chiefly British) A standard score for a hole or course.
  5. An unidentified aircraft, especially one assumed to be hostile.
  6. (slang) A police officer or detective.

Verb

  1. (golf) To play a hole in one stroke over par.

Word family

  • bogeyman
  • double bogey
  • triple bogey

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  6. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House