things that go bump in the night

== English == === Pronunciation === === Noun === things that go bump in the night pl (plural only) (informal, humorous) Frightening imagined creatures; ghosts or other supernatural beings. 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. === 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.