cobble1
[kob-uh l]
- to mend (shoes, boots, etc.); patch.
- to put together roughly or clumsily.
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Origin of cobble1
First recorded in 1490–1500; apparently back formation from cobbler
cobble2
[kob-uh l]
- a cobblestone.
- cobbles, coal in lumps larger than a pebble and smaller than a boulder.
- Metalworking.
- a defect in a rolled piece resulting from loss of control over its movement.
- Slang.a piece showing bad workmanship.
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- to pave with cobblestones.
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Origin of cobble2
cobble3
[kob-uh l]
- New England, New York State, and New Jersey. (especially in placenames) a rounded hill.
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Origin of cobble3
First recorded in 1885–95; perhaps < cobble2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for cobble
Contemporary Examples
Just cobble it together, plonk it on your head, and smile a lot.
A couple years ago, I was walking one weekday morning down Court Street in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn and came upon Robin Williams.
If only the Dems or the Reps could cobble one or two together out back in the shed.
The Lees were the 1st Black Family to move into the predominantly Italian-American Brooklyn Neighborhood of Cobble Hill.
Spike Lee Blasts The New York Times’ Story on Brooklyn Gentrification in Fiery Op-EdMarlow Stern
March 31, 2014
He could call new elections, but he will more likely call on Renzi to cobble together a government where Letta failed.
Historical Examples
One wheel struck a cobble stone, and the buggy lurched horribly.
Chip, of the Flying UB. M. Bower
The Americans started to cross from Cobble hill, on the ice.
The Military Journals of Two Private Soldiers, 1758-1775Abraham Tomlinson
I'm a bad sewer, but I dare say I'd manage to cobble up something.
The Leader of the Lower SchoolAngela Brazil
In a few days, the whole home-life on top of the Cobble centred around them.
Wild FolkSamuel Scoville
I can perceive all things in about the same way that I can see all cobble stones.
The Positive Outcome of PhilosophyJoseph Dietzgen
cobble1
- short for cobblestone
- geology a rock fragment, often rounded, with a diameter of 64–256 mm and thus smaller than a boulder but larger than a pebble
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- (tr) to pave (a road) with cobblestones
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See also cobbles
Word Origin
C15 (in cobblestone): from cob 1
cobble2
- to make or mend (shoes)
- to put together clumsily
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Word Origin
C15: back formation from cobbler 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for cobble
n.
"paving stone; worn, rounded stone," c.1600, earlier cobblestone, probably a diminutive of cob in some sense. The verb in this sense is from 1690s. Related: Cobbled; cobbling.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
cobble
[kŏb′əl]
- A rock fragment larger than a pebble and smaller than a boulder. Pebbles have a diameter between 64 and 256 mm (2.56 and 10.24 inches) and are often rounded.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.