| 单词 | hobgoblin |
| 释义 | hobgoblin (once / 10864 pages) n A hobgoblin is something you fear or dread. Public speaking is a hobgoblin for many people. So are spiders, the dark, and monsters that lurk under the bed. A hobgoblin is so scary it’s the name of a Spider-Man villain. The word has been around since the 1500s, though, and can refer to all kinds of things that scare you. It’s in this quote by the philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.” Anything that worries or disturbs you is a hobgoblin, which can also be called a bugbear. WORD FAMILYhobgoblin: hobgoblins USAGE EXAMPLESWould I prefer that the Republican nominee were not a nightmare hobgoblin who came to prominence at the head of a creepy racist movement? Washington Post(Oct 25, 2016) ‘A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” Wall Street Journal(Oct 02, 2016) Hobgoblins appear in the German artist’s exhibition, titled, only somewhat tongue-in-cheekly, “New Strength from an Old Root.” Los Angeles Times(Sep 01, 2016) 1n (folklore) a small grotesque supernatural creature that makes trouble for human beings Syn|Hyper goblin, hob evil spirit a spirit tending to cause harm 2n an object of dread or apprehension "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds"--Ralph Waldo Emerson Syn|Hyper bugbear object the focus of cognitions or feelings |
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