hobby horse
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.88 in modern English
23
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The Irish Hobby, an extinct breed of horse.
noun
A child's toy consisting of a (usually wooden or cloth) horse's head mounted on a stick.
noun
A topic that elicits a prolonged and enthusiastic discussion from an individual.
noun
A puppetlike costume used in some traditional dances and festivals that gives its wearer the appearance of a man on horseback.
Example Sentences
- "Don't ask him about global warming: it's his favourite hobby horse, you'll never get away."
- "The squire was now on his hobby-horse, as we say; he had placed the old worn fur cap by his side on the sofa, leaving his bald head and grey hairs exposed."
- "British users rechristened the baron's invention the hobby horse then the dandy horse, because draisines became very fashionable with Regency gentlemen."
Etymology
From Middle English hobye hors (“a stock figure in Morris dances, created by means of an exaggeratedly equine costume”), equivalent to hobby (“small horse or pony”) + horse.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: hobye hors