whangdoodles

Noun

whangdoodle (plural whangdoodles)

1. (humorous, often) A whimsical monster in folklore and children's fiction; a bugbear.
   • "I'm n-n-not a tor-tor-tortoise," stuttered the curious creature, "I'm a wha-wha-whang-whang-doodle."
     "A whangdoodle! What's that?"1901, Charles M. Snyder, Runaway Robinson, page 53

   Synonyms:

   bogeyman, bugbear, gremlin

2. (obsolete) A term of disparagement.
   • For a man who can listen for an hour to Mr. White, the whining, nasal, Whangdoodle preacher, and then sit down and write, without shedding melancholy from his pen as water slides from a duck's back, is more than mortal.1862, Mark Twain, Mark Twain's letters: 1853-1866, Volume 1 (published 1987), page 171
3. A ruling in which the opening stake limits are doubled for the next play after the appearance of a very good hand.
   • It is sometimes agreed in advance that after a hand of certain rank, such as Four of a Kind or a Full House, is shown, a Whangdoodle or Jackpot must be played[…]1940, Clement Wood, Gloria Goddard, The Complete Book of Games, page 296