bugbear vs wormwood

bugbear

noun
  • A source of dread; resentment; or irritation. 

  • An ongoing problem; a recurring obstacle or adversity. 

verb
  • To alarm with idle phantoms. 

wormwood

noun
  • Something that causes bitterness or affliction; a cause of mortification or vexation. 

  • An intensely bitter herb (Artemisia absinthium and similar plants in genus Artemisia) used in medicine, in the production of absinthe and vermouth, and as a tonic. 

How often have the words bugbear and wormwood occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )