Boogers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The phrase alludes to dried mucus found within the nostrils, which can accumulate as small, sticky remnants
2. Small pieces of hardened mucus that form inside the nose and can be flaky or sticky
3. The crusty or gummy matter found inside nostrils resulting from dried secretions

Etymology: Before it named nasal mucus, the root of this word belonged to a frightening spirit. English dialect had words such as "buggard", "boggart" and "boggard" for a goblin or hobgoblin, and "booger" is an alteration of these, built from "bug" with the suffix "-ard". As the forms shifted, the bogeyman lost its menace and became a much less welcome thing to find on a tissue. The same link appears elsewhere. British English "bogey" also means dried nasal mucus, and Alemannic German has "Naaseböög", literally "nose" (Naase) joined to "bogeyman" (Böög). In both languages, a word for a spooky creature was attached to something in the nose, which suggests the association was widespread rather than a quirk of one dialect.

Synonyms: mucus, snot, phlegm, nasal discharge, booger