Entry Word: hobgoblin

Function: noun

Meaning: 1 an imaginary being usually having a small human form and magical powers <in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, Puck is a hobgoblin who plays pranks such as spoiling milk and tripping old ladies> — see fairy
2 something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason <the fear of success and the pressures that come with it can be more of a hobgoblin than the possibility of failure> — see bogey 1