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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
hob·gob·lin    Audio Help   [hob-gob-lin] Pronunciation Key
–noun
1.something causing superstitious fear; a bogy.
2.a mischievous goblin.
3.(initial capital letter) Puck (def. 1).

[Origin: 1520–30; hob2 + goblin]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
hobgoblin

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
Puck    Audio Help   [puhk] Pronunciation Key
–noun
1.Also called Hobgoblin, Robin Goodfellow. a particularly mischievous sprite in English folklore who appears as a character in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
2.(lowercase) a malicious or mischievous demon or spirit; a goblin.

[Origin: bef. 1000; ME pouke, OE pūca; c. ON pūki a mischievous demon]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
hob·gob·lin    Audio Help   (hŏb'gŏb'lĭn)  Pronunciation Key 
n.  
  1. An ugly, mischievous elf or goblin.
  2. An object or a source of fear, dread, or harassment; a bugbear: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds" (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
hobgoblin 
1530, from hob "elf," from Hobbe, a variant of Rob (cf. Hick for Richard, Hodge for Rodger, etc.), short for Robin Goodfellow, elf character in Ger. folklore, + goblin. The original hobbyhorse was a "Tourney Horse," a wooden or basketwork frame worn around the waist and held on with shoulder straps, with a fake tail and horse head attached, so the wearer appears to be riding a horse. These were part of church and civic celebrations at Midsummer and New Year's throughout England.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
hobgoblin

noun
1. (folklore) a small grotesque supernatural creature that makes trouble for human beings [syn: goblin
2. an object of dread or apprehension; "Germany was always a bugbear for France"; "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds"--Ralph Waldo Emerson [syn: bugbear

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Hobgoblin

Hob\, n. [Orig. an abbrev. of Robin, Robert; Robin Goodfellow a celebrated fairy, or domestic spirit. Cf. Hobgoblin, and see Robin. ]

1. A fairy; a sprite; an elf. [Obs.]

From elves, hobs, and fairies, . . . Defend us, good Heaven ! --Beau. & FL.

2. A countryman; a rustic; a clown. [Obs.] --Nares.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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