things that go bump in the night

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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.

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