boo-bagger/boo-beggar

• Format: Manuscript
• Language: English
• Subjects: English language > Dialects > Newfoundland and Labrador; Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/elrcdne/id/8048

boo n was one in every closet, under every bed, and everywhere else my folks did not want me to go) they were not as powerful nor as frightening as the Boogie-man. The Boogie-man could take you away, but Boo-baggers could only scare you off. My impression of a Boo-bagger is that it was about a cubic foot in volume, and was nothing but an irregularly-shaped black mass of "scare". They were supposedly known to hang out in cardboard boxes which could fit anywhere, or in dark corners. (Buchans) Q67-1005. A77.6. To frighten children in the dark a parent might say, "Watch out! The Boo-Baggers are in there." The threats are rarely serious. Children are really frightened when threatened because they believe that everything their parents say or do is right. (Bloomfield) Q67-716. A77.7. "I'm goin' to send for the boo-baggers." (Fortune) Q67-528. A77.8. Instead of frightening, the term Boo-bagger had, for us, pleasant connotations. I still have clear memories of an aunt singing as a lullaby: See cited quotation. (d) DNE-cit (PTO) Used I and Sup Used I and Sup 4 Used I See B_13500 for reverse. This is the fourth in a seven-card series, from cards B_4891 to B_4897. Only the first sentence of A77.6 appear in DNE I.