From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbugbearbug‧bear /ˈbʌɡbeə $ -ber/ noun [countable] WORRIEDsomething that makes people feel annoyed or worried Paperwork is our worst bugbear.
Examples from the Corpus
bugbear• One of his main bugbears is the foreign ownership of technology.• This seems to be a major bugbear of some guns, making them harder work than applying the adhesive from a tube.• He also mentioned an old bugbear - he thought Vincent should dress better.• Nor was it his other bugbear, the wicked arms manufacturers.• Johnson held a not dissimilar reciprocal opinion, comparing Monboddo to another of his own bugbears, Rousseau.• Finally, we come to the bugbear of the 1980s - rubbish collection.Origin bugbear (1500-1600) Probably from bug “evil spirit” ( → BUG1) + → BEAR21 