hobbler 
hobbincr (ML. hobellarius, also hoberarius), a 
hobbler, appar. < hobi, hobin, a small liorse : see 
hobby 1 .] If. One who by his tenure was to 
maintain a hobby for military service ; hence, 
a soldier mounted on a hobby; a light-horse- 
man employed in reconnoiteriug, intercepting 
convoys, etc. 
Hauing with them to the number of eight hundred men 
of annes, flue hundred hoblers, and ten thousand men ou 
foot. Holinshed, Edw. II., an. 1321. 
No man shall be constrained to find men-at-arms, hob- 
lers, nor archers, others than those who hold by such ser- 
vice. Quoted by Hallam. 
It was from the younger brothers of the yeoman fami- 
lies that the households of the great lords were recruited : 
they furnished men at arms, archers, and hobelers to the 
royal force at home and abroad. 
Stubbs, Const Hist, of Eng., 480. 
2. A man employed in towing vessels by a 
rope on the land, or in a small boat with oars. 
[Prov. Eiig.] 3. [Partly confused with hob- 
by' 1 , n.] A horse : same as hobby 1 . [An erro- 
neous use.] 
He . . . suffered the dismounted cavalier to rise, while 
he himself remounted his hobbler. 
Scott, Fair Maid of Perth, vii. 
hobbleshow (hob'1-sho), . Same as hubbte- 
show. 
hobblingly (hob'ling-li), adv. In a hobbling 
manner; with a limping, interrupted step. 
Johnson. 
hobbly (hob'li), a. [< hobble 1 + -0 1 .] Full of 
holes ; rough ; uneven, as a road. [Prov. Eng.] 
CO j J. I'Ugll j U.HC V fl-lf CbO Oi VaUl [_-*- *VTl J-Jllt,' 
hobby 1 (hob'i), ..; pi. hobbies (-iz). [< ME 
hoby, < OF. hobi, *haubi, haiibby, var. of hobin 
(> It. ubino), a nag, hobby (the OF. word being 
used chiefly in ref. to Scotland) ; < OF. hober, 
ober, stir, move ; of LG. or Scand. origin, < OD. 
hobben, toss, move up and down, D. hobben, toss, 
a weakened form of hopnen = E. hop 1 , as E. 
liobble for hopple; cf. North Fries, hoppe (a 
childish word), horse, Dan. hoppe, a mare, OSw. 
hoppa, a young mare, G. hopp, a word of en- 
couragement to a horse, etc.: see hopl.~\ If. 
A strong active horse of medium size having 
an ambling gait; a pacing horse; a nag; a 
garran. 
They have likewise excellent good horses (we term 
the[m) hobbies), which have not the same pace that other 
horses [have] in their course, but a soft and round amble. 
Holland, tr. of Camden s Ireland, p. 63. 
Thou never saw'st my gray hobby, yet, didst thou? 
D. Jonson, Every Man out of his Humour, ii. 1. 
2. Same as hobby-horse, 3. 3. Any favorite 
object, pursuit, or topic; that which a person 
persistently pursues or dwells upon with zeal 
or delight, as if riding a horse. 
John was not without his hobby. The fiddle relieved 
his vacant hours. Lamb, South-Sea House. 
Each with unwonted zeal the other scouted, 
Put his spurred hubby through its every pace. 
Lowell, Oriental Apologue. 
"But to do that we must organize!" broke in Foley, 
springing on his favorite hobby at a bound ; "organize an' 
be free! " The Century, XXXVII. 303. 
hobby 2 (hob'i), n. ; pi. hobbies (-iz). [Early mod. 
E. also hoby; < ME. hobie, hoby, also hobe, < OF. 
hobe, also hobier, houbier, aubier, oubier, also in 
dim. forms hobet and hoberet, hobert, and ho- 
bereau, hobreau, obereau, aubreau, appar. < OF. 
hober, stir, move, > also E. hobby 1 , q. v.] A 
small European falcon of the genus Falco and 
subgenus Hypotriorchis, H. subbuteo. It is about 
12 inches long, dark -brown above with the feathers edged 
with rufous, and white below with a rusty tinge and dark 
streaks. It is a true falcon, though undersized, and was 
formerly flown at small game, as larks. It is related to the 
merlin, F. oetsalon, and to the American pigeon-hawk, //. 
columbarius; there are several varieties. 
As the Reverend Dr. Wren, Deane of Windesore, was 
travelling in his coach over Marleborough downes, a lin- 
net or finch was eagerly pursued by a hoby or sparrow- 
hawke, and tooke sanctuary in the coach. 
Aubrey's Wilts, MS. Royal Soc., p. 160. (Halliwell.) 
Neither [can] any Hawke scare so high as the broode of 
the Hobby. Lyly, Euphues, Anat of Wit, p. 87. 
They do insult over and restrain them, never hoby so 
dared a larke. Burton, Anat. of Mel. , p. 609. 
hobby 3 (hob'i), . ; pi. hobbies (-iz). [Appar. 
dim. of hob 2 , or a particular use of hobby 1 or 
7io&6#2(?).] 1. A goose. Halliwell. [Prov. Eng. 
(Durham).] 2. A stupid fellow. [Prov. Eng.] 
hobby-birdt, The wryneck or cuckoo's-mate, 
lynx torquilla. 
hobby-hawkt, [Early mod. E. hobie-hauke ; 
< hobby 2 + hawk 1 .] Same as hobby 2 . Levins. 
hobby-headedt, a- Stupid. 
Oh, you hobby-headed rascal, I'll have you flay'd. 
Beau, and Fl., Coxcomb, ii. 3. 
hobby-horse (hob'i-hors), n. [< hobby 1 + 
horse: cf. equiv. D. hobbelpaard.] If. One of 
2848 
the principal performers in a morris-dance, 
having a figure of a horse made of wickerwork 
supported about his waist, and his feet con- 
cealed by a housing. He performed antics imi- 
tating the motions of a horse, and various jug- 
gling tricks. 
Else shall he suffer not thinking on, with the hobby- 
horse ; whose epitaph is, For, O, for, O, the hobby-horse is 
forgot. Shak., Hamlet, iii. 2. 
The morris rings, while hobby-horse doth foot it fea- 
teously. Beau, and Fl., Knight of Burning Pestle, iv. 5. 
Here one fellow with a horse's head painted before him, 
and a tail behind, and the whole covered with a long foot- 
cloth, which was supposed to hide the body of the animal, 
ambled, caracoled, pranced, and plunged, as he performed 
the celebrated part of the hoblne-horse, so often alluded 
to in our ancient drama. Scott, Abbot, x i v. 
2f. A person who acts in a foolish, subservient 
manner. 
This is a punishment upon our own prides 
Most justly laid ; we'must abuse brave gentlemen, 
Make 'em tame fools and hobby-horses. 
Beau, and Fl., Little French Lawyer, v. 1. 
That light hobby-horse, my sister, whose foul name I will 
rase out with my poniard. 
Middleton, Blurtt Master-Constable, v. 1. 
3. A wooden figure of a horse, usually provided 
with rockers, for children to ride on. 
Maid, see a fine hobby-horse for your young master. 
6. Joiaon, Bartholomew Fair, ii. 1. 
'Till thoughtful Father's pious Care 
Provides his Brood, next Smith field Fair, 
With supplemental Hobby-Horses. Prior, Alma, i. 
4. A favorite pursuit or topic : now commonly 
hobby. See hobby 1 , n., 3. 
The Hobby-Hone which my Uncle Toby always rode 
upon, was, in my opinion, an nobby-Horse well worth giv- 
ing a description of. Sterne, Tristram Shandy, L 24. 
5. A kind of velocipede ; the draisine. 
He [Baron von Drais] at any rate introduced into Eng- 
land from France the hobby horse. This machine con- 
sisted of two stout equal-sized wooden wheels held in iron 
forks, the rear fork being securely bolted to a stout bar of 
wood, "the perch," whilst the front fork passed through 
the perch, and was so arranged that it could be turned by 
a handle, so as to steer the machine after the manner of a 
modern bicycle. Bury and Hillier, Cycling, p. 55. 
Hobby-horse dance. See the quotation. 
Bromley Pagets was remarkable for a very singular sport 
on New Year's Day and Twelfth Day, called the Hobby 
Horse Dance ; a person rode upon the image of a horse, 
with a bow and arrow in his hands, with which he made 
a snapping noise, keeping time with the music, whilst six 
others danced the hay and other country dances, with as 
many rein-deer's heads on their shoulders. To this hob- 
by-horse belonged a pot, which the reeves of the town kept 
and filled with cakes and ale, towards which the spectators 
contributed a penny, and with the remainder maintained 
their poor, and repaired the church. 
Mirror, xix. 228. (Halliwell.) 
hobbyhorsical (hob'i-hor'si-kal), a. [< hobby- 
horse + -ic-al.] Pertaining to or having a 
hobby-horse; eccentric. [Humorous.] 
Dr. Slop, parodying my Uncle Toby's hobby horsical re- 
flection, though full as hobby-horsical himself. 
Sterne, Tristram Shandy, iii. 13. 
He ... marched back to hide himself in the manse with 
his crony, Mr. Cargill, or to engage in some hobbyhorsical 
pursuit connected with his neighbours in the Aiiltmni. 
Scott, St. Ronan's Well, xiviii. 
hobbyhprsically (hob'i-hdr'si-kal-i), adv. Odd- 
ly; whimsically. [Humorous.] 
hobbyist (hob'i-ist),(. [< hobby 1 + -int.'] One 
who rides a hobby ; one who is devoted in an 
enthusiastic and one-sided manner to a partic- 
ular principle, pursuit, method, or "fad." 
Fantastic dreamers, pig-headed hobbyists, erratic cranks 
of every description. The Century, XXXIV. 
Any teacher who conducts two successive recitations 
exclusively by an oral method, by a text-book method, 
... is a hobbyist. N. E. Jour, of Education, XIX. 291. 
hobby-owl (hob'i-oul), n. The white owl or 
barn-owl, Strix flammed or Alucoflammeus. See 
cut under barn-owl. 
hobet, n. A Middle English form of hobby 2 . 
hobgoblin (hob-gob'lin), . [First recorded, 
perhaps, in Shakspere ; < hob 2 , 2, + goblin. Cf . 
E. dial, hobgobbin, an idiot.] A mischievous 
imp or sprite ; an alarming apparition ; hence, 
something that causes fear or disquiet. 
Those that Hobgoblin call you, and sweet Puck, 
You do then- work, and they shall have good luck. 
Shak., M. N. D., ii. 1. 
A doleful night was it to the shipwrecked Pavonians, 
whose ears were incessantly assailed with the raging of 
the elements, and the howling of the hobgoblins that in- 
fested this perfidious strait. 
Irving, Knickerbocker, p. 121. 
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. 
Emerson, Self-Reliance. 
hobilert, See hobbler 2 . 
hobitt (hob'it), n. [< G. haubitze: see hoiritz, 
howitzer.] A small mortar or short gun for 
throwing bombs , a howitzer. [Rare.] 
hock 
hobier, . See hobbler 2 . 
hoblike(hob'lik),. [<7io&2,l, + -KAr.] Clown- 
ish; boorish. 
hoblobt (hob'lob), . [< hob 2 + lob. ] A clown ; 
a lout. Diirif.i. 
Thee rustical hoblobs 
Of Cretes, of Dryopes, and payncted clowns Agathyrsi, 
Dooe fetch theyre gambalds, hopping necre consecrat al- 
tars. Stanihurst, .lEneid, iv. 150. 
hobnail (hob'nal), n. [< hob 1 + nail.] 1. A 
short thick nail with a pointed tang and a large 
head, used for nailing the soles of heavy boots 
and shoes. 
Steel, if thou turn the edge, ... I beseech Jove on my 
knees thou mayest be turned to hotnails. 
Shak., 2 Hen. VI., iv. 10. 
A good commodity for some smith to make hobnails of. 
B. Jonson, Every Man in his Humour, i. 4. 
2f. A clownish person : used in contempt. 
No antick hobnail at a morris but is more handsomely 
facetious. Milton, Colasterion. 
Hobnail-liver. See hobnailed liver, under hobnailed. 
hobnail (hob'nal), i'. t. [< hobnail, n.] 1. To 
furnish or fasten with hobnails. 2. To tread 
hly 
[Bare.] 
Your rights and charters hobnaiVd into slush. 
Tennyson, Queen Mary, it. 2. 
hobnailed (hob'nald), o. [< hobnail + -ed 2 .] 
1. Furnished with hobnails. 2. Wearing hob- 
nailed shoes; hence,clumsy; countrified; rough. 
Come on, clownes, forsake your dumps, 
And bestirre your hob-nail'd stumps. 
B. Jonson, A Particular Entertainment. 
Hobnailed liver, in pathol., a liver with uneven surface 
suggesting hobnails, such as may result from long-con- 
tinued passive hyperemia or cirrhosis. 
hobnob (hob'nob'), adv. [Var. of habnab : see 
habnab, hab-or-nab.] 1. Take or not take: a 
familiar invitation to drinking. 2. At ran- 
dom ; come what will. 
Hob nob, is his word ; give 't, or take 't 
Shak., T. N., ill. 4. 
Also written hob-a-nob, hob-and-nob, hob-or- 
nob. 
hobnob (hob'nob'), v. i. ; pret. and pp. hob- 
nobbed, ppr. hobnobbing. [< hobnob, adv.] To 
drink together; hence, to talk familiarly or so- 
cially. Also hob-a-nob, hob-and-nob, hob-or-nob. 
O'er a jolly full bowl, sitting cheek by Jowl, 
And hob-nobbing away. 
Barham, Ingoldsby Legends, I. 252. 
A tough old bachelor of good estate, who had made him- 
self necessary to the comfort of the master of Overstoke, 
by hunting or fishing with him by day, and hobnobbing 
with him at night. J. W. Palmer, After his Kind, p. M. 
hoboet, hoboyt (ho'boi), . Same as hautboy, 
oboe. 
hob-or-nob (hob'or-nob' ), r. i. Same as hobnob. 
Hobson's choice. See choice. 
hobthrush (hob'thrush), n. [< hob 2 , 2, + thrush^. 
Cf. hobgoblin.] A hobgoblin. [Prov. Eng.] 
If he be no hob-thrush, nor no Eobin Goodfellow, I could 
flnde with all my heart to sip up a sillybub with him. 
Tuv Lancashire Lovers (1640), p. 222. (Hallitixll.) 
hobthrush-louse (hob'thrush-lous), n. A mil- 
leped. [Prov. Eng.] 
hobyt, n. An obsolete form of hoblry 1 , hobby 2 . 
hoccamoret, See hockamore. 
hocco (hok'o), n. [Native name in Guiana.] 
A curacao-bird ; any curassow. The word is trace- 
able in literature to Barrere, 1745, and became with Bris- 
son, 1760, a general name for curassows (Cracido?) and 
some other birds, as the hoactzin, including those called 
mitu, ,/i tn. mituporanga, pauxi, etc. It is now usually 
applied, in distinction from curassow or Crax proper, to 
such Cracince as Pauxi galeata and Mitua mitu. 
hochepott, n. An obsolete form of hotchpot. 
Chaucer. 
Hochheimer (hoch'hl-mer), . [G. : see hocka- 
more, hock.] A Rhine wine produced at Hoch- 
heim, near Mainz, in Germany. One of the finest 
vineyards is the Domdechanei or Cathedral Deanery, which 
gives the name Hochheimer Domdechanei to its pro- 
ducts. 
hock 1 , hough (hok), . [Hoek is a mod. phonetic 
spelling of hough(cf. shock for shougli); in another 
pian.hough is spelled /ioff(dial.)(cf.co^/i 1 ,pron. 
as if spelled *coff) ; < ME. houg, hog, ho, < AS. 
7io/i, ho, heel, in comp. AS. hohfot, heel ('hock- 
foot'), hohseanca, shank ('hock-shank'), and 
hohsino, pi. hohsina ( *hohsene, "hoxene, not found) 
(ME. hougsenues, pi., E. dial, hucksens, huxens, 
huckshins) = OFries. hoxene, hoxne = Icel. hdsin 
= Dan. has, hase (for *hasen) = Sw. has, hock, lit. 
'hock-sinew': cf. MHG. hahse, hehse, G. heehse, 
hachse, ha'ckse, hakse, the chambrel of a horse (> 
OHG. hahsinon, MHG. hehsenen, G. dial, heeh- 
snen, hechsen, hessen, hock, hamstring); per- 
' haps ult. = Skt. kaksha, nook, armpit, = L. coxa, 
