things that go bump in the night

English

Pronunciation

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Noun

things that go bump in the night pl (plural only)

1. (informal, humorous) Frightening imagined creatures; ghosts or other supernatural beings.
   • 1911, Harriott Ely Fansler, Types of prose narratives: A text-book for the story writer, page 43:

     "From Ghaisties, Ghoulies, and Long-Leggity Beasties, and Things That Go Bump in the Night - Good Lord Deliver us."

   • 1940, "Life on the Newsfronts of the World," Life Magazine, 7 Oct., p. 32:

     Hellish new noises from new and secret British anti-aircraft devices vibrated last week through the din of London bombings. . . . [T]hey must have reminded Londoners of the old litany:

     From ghoulies and ghosties,

     Long leggety beasties

     And things that go bump in the night

     Good Lord, deliver us.

   • 1961 October 27, May Mackintosh, “If I Were a Witch”, in The Glasgow Herald, page 7:

     But most of all I recall the haunting magic of the lanterns and the whispered tales of ghosties, goblins, and things that go bump in the night with which we tried to frighten each other.

Further reading

• “things that go bump in the night”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “things that go bump in the night”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.