hobgoblin

- 5 dictionary results

hob⋅gob⋅lin

[hob-gob-lin]

–noun

1.	something causing superstitious fear; a bogy.

2.	a mischievous goblin.

3.	(initial capital letter) Puck (def. 1).

Origin:
1520–30; hob ² + goblin

Puck

[puhk]

–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
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To hobgoblin

hob·gob·lin (hŏb'gŏb'lĭn)

An ugly, mischievous elf or goblin.
An object or a source of fear, dread, or harassment; a bugbear: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds" (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Hobgoblin

Hob"gob`lin\, n. [See 2d Hob, and Goblin.] A frightful goblin; an imp; a bugaboo; also, a name formerly given to the household spirit, Robin Goodfellow. --Macaulay.

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.

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