hobgoblin

noun

hob·gob·lin ˈhäb-ˌgäb-lən How to pronounce hobgoblin (audio)

: a mischievous goblin

: bogey sense 2, bugaboo

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What's the difference between a goblin and a hobgoblin?

While a goblin is often portrayed in folklore as a grotesque, evil, and malicious creature, a hobgoblin tends to traffic more in mischief than malice. (The character Puck in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream might be regarded as a hobgoblin.) First appearing in English in the early 16th century, hobgoblin combined hob, a word meaning "sprite" or "elf" that derived from Hobbe, a nickname for Robert, with goblin a word ultimately from the Greek word kobalos, meaning "rogue." American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson famously applied the word's extended sense in his essay Self-Reliance: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines."

Example Sentences

intimidated by the hobgoblins of etiquette in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, Puck is a hobgoblin who plays pranks such as spoiling milk and tripping old ladies

Recent Examples on the Web Evidently, consistency really is the hobgoblin of small minds—the heirs to Scalia and Robert Bork don’t bother themselves with it.

John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 26 June 2022 Resistance is the hobgoblin of antiviral medicine, even with antivirals as effective as Paxlovid.

Jason Mast, STAT, 29 May 2022 Such hobgoblins of Hamilton’s imagination bear an eerie resemblance to the current occupant of the White House, with his tweets, double talk and inflammatory rhetoric at rallies.

Ron Chernow, Twin Cities, 21 Oct. 2019 Nothing says Happy Halloween like a scary hobgoblin, all scowls and just looking for trouble.

Woman's Day Staff, Woman's Day, 9 Sep. 2019 This fascination tells us more about ourselves than Sosa, who is demonstrating that foolish consistency said to be the hobgoblin of little minds.

Phil Rosenthal, chicagotribune.com, 29 June 2018 Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote.

Robert Krier, sandiegouniontribune.com, 7 June 2018 The witches used some as nests, too, leaving them for hobgoblins to sleep in.

New York Times, 21 May 2018 God has His own Treblinka, with devils, hobgoblins, demons, angels of death.

Ben Taub, The New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2018 See More

单词	hobgoblins
释义	hobgoblin noun hob·gob·lin ˈhäb-ˌgäb-lən 1 : a mischievous goblin 2 : bogey sense 2, bugaboo Did you know? What's the difference between a goblin and a hobgoblin? While a goblin is often portrayed in folklore as a grotesque, evil, and malicious creature, a hobgoblin tends to traffic more in mischief than malice. (The character Puck in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream might be regarded as a hobgoblin.) First appearing in English in the early 16th century, hobgoblin combined hob, a word meaning "sprite" or "elf" that derived from Hobbe, a nickname for Robert, with goblin a word ultimately from the Greek word kobalos, meaning "rogue." American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson famously applied the word's extended sense in his essay Self-Reliance: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines." Synonyms brownie dwarf elf faerie faery fairy fay gnome goblin gremlin kobold leprechaun pixie pixy puck sprite troll See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences intimidated by the hobgoblins of etiquette in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, Puck is a hobgoblin who plays pranks such as spoiling milk and tripping old ladies Recent Examples on the Web Evidently, consistency really is the hobgoblin of small minds—the heirs to Scalia and Robert Bork don’t bother themselves with it. John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 26 June 2022 Resistance is the hobgoblin of antiviral medicine, even with antivirals as effective as Paxlovid. Jason Mast, STAT, 29 May 2022 Such hobgoblins of Hamilton’s imagination bear an eerie resemblance to the current occupant of the White House, with his tweets, double talk and inflammatory rhetoric at rallies. Ron Chernow, Twin Cities, 21 Oct. 2019 Nothing says Happy Halloween like a scary hobgoblin, all scowls and just looking for trouble. Woman's Day Staff, Woman's Day, 9 Sep. 2019 This fascination tells us more about ourselves than Sosa, who is demonstrating that foolish consistency said to be the hobgoblin of little minds. Phil Rosenthal, chicagotribune.com, 29 June 2018 Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote. Robert Krier, sandiegouniontribune.com, 7 June 2018 The witches used some as nests, too, leaving them for hobgoblins to sleep in. New York Times, 21 May 2018 God has His own Treblinka, with devils, hobgoblins, demons, angels of death. Ben Taub, The New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2018 See More Word History Etymology hob entry 1 First Known Use 1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Kids Definition hobgoblin noun hob·gob·lin ˈhäb-ˌgä-blən 1 : a mischievous elf 2 : bogey sense 2 hobgoblins noun plural of hobgoblin 1 as in elves an imaginary being usually having a small human form and magical powers in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, Puck is a hobgoblin who plays pranks such as spoiling milk and tripping old ladies Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance elves fairies goblins dwarves dwarfs faeries kobolds trolls gnomes pixies gremlins leprechauns sprites brownies fays pucks ghouls nixies changelings imps kelpies little people ogres banshees hags 2 as in dreads something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason the fear of success and the pressures that come with it can be more of a hobgoblin than the possibility of failure Synonyms & Similar Words dreads ogres terrors bugbears spirits bugaboos enemies demons monsters wraiths bogeys phantoms plagues ghosts ghouls specters bogies curses imps bogeymen black beasts torments poltergeists spooks phantasms horrors spectres apparitions bêtes noires incubi banshees devils frights daemons fiends bogymen shades banes fantasms horribles abominations monstrosities incubuses scourges anathemas
随便看	syphilo- syphilographer syphilography syphilologists syphilomas syphilophobe syphilopsychosis syphon syphoned syphoning syphonophore syphonostele syphons syphs syping syr Syr Dar'ya syracusae syracusan syracusans Syracuse syracuses Syrah syrahs syren

hobgoblin

noun

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

noun

noun