Also 6 buggard, 8 bag-. [A word in popular use in Westmoreland, Lancashire, Cheshire, Yorkshire, and the north midlands, and of occasional appearance in literature since c. 1570. Evidently related to BOGGLE, BOGLE and BOG sb.2: if the status of the last-named were more assured, it would be natural to see in bogg-ard a derivative with the augmentative suffix -ARD; or if the occasional variant buggard could be assumed as the etymological form, it might stand in the same relation to BUG. See BOGLE.]
1. A spectre, goblin or bogy; in dialectal use, esp. a local goblin or sprite supposed to ‘haunt’ a particular gloomy spot, or scene of violence.
1570. Levins, Manip., 30. A Boggarde, spectrum.
a. 1730. Burt, Lett. N. Scotl. (1818), I. 227. All that quarter of England is infested with boggarts of all sorts.
1821. Mrs. Wheeler, Westmorld. Dial., 39. Sic a terrable boggart as I beleev nivver onny yan saa befoar.
1855. Whitby Gloss., Boggle, Boggart, a fearful object, a hobgoblin.
1857. in Bohn’s Handbk. Proverbs, 152. He thinks every bush a boggard.
b. fig. A bugbear, a source of dread.
1575. Brief Disc. Troubl. Franckford (1846), 160. Nor be such buggarddes to the poor, yff they may not beare the bagge alone.
a. 1598. Rollock, Passion, xiv. (1616), 132 (Jam.). Hell is but a boggarde to scarre children onelie.
† 2. An object real or imaginary at which a horse shies or ‘boggles.’ Obs.
1617. Markham, Caval., II. xii. 112. How to correct a horse that is skittish, and fearefull and findeth many boggards.
1639. T. de Grey, Compl. Horsem., 28. The horse will … stare and see boggards in his keepers face.
1725. Bradley, Fam. Dict., II. s.v. Horses, It betrays a weak, slight and unnecessary Starting, or finding of Baggards.
[1863. Standard, 1 Jan., 5/1. When a horse takes fright at some object unobserved by its master the vulgar opinion is that it has seen the boggart.]
