The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Bete noire \B[^e]te" noire"\ [Fr., lit. black beast.] Something especially hated or dreaded; a bugbear. [1913 Webster]WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
bete noire n 1: a detested person; "he is an anathema to me" [syn: anathema, bete noire]