hobble
[hob-uhl]
- to walk lamely; limp.
- to proceed irregularly and haltingly: His verses hobble with their faulty meters.
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- to cause to limp: His tight shoes hobbled him.
- to fasten together the legs of (a horse, mule, etc.) by short lengths of rope to prevent free motion.
- to impede; hamper the progress of.
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- an act of hobbling; an uneven, halting gait; a limp.
- a rope, strap, etc., used to hobble an animal.
- hobbles, a leg harness for controlling the gait of a pacer.
- Archaic. an awkward or difficult situation.
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Origin of hobble
1300–50; Middle English hobelen, apparently akin to hob protuberance, uneven ground, and to Dutch hobbelen, German hoppeln to jolt
Synonyms
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
falterstaggershufflestumblehalthinderhamstringhamperdoddertotterclumpscuffhitchhog-tiecrampclogfetterleashtrammelshackleExamples from the Web for hobbled
Contemporary Examples
And it was the most that could squeak through a filibuster- hobbled Senate.
The best laid plans: Instead it was Mitt himself who came up lame, hobbled and lacerated by his own tripping tongue.
Mitt Romney is a two-time loser this week, hobbled by Democratic attacks and friendly fire from his own side.
Netanyahu can no longer claim to be hobbled on the peace front by coalition politics and resistance from his minority parties.
Lawmakers “are leaving town just as one of the most important agencies in Washington is hobbled,” Goldfarb says.
Historical Examples
Away he hobbled, and arrived at the house of the head-master.
The ChanningsMrs. Henry Wood
With which laconic remark Newman turned round and hobbled away.
The Life And Adventures Of Nicholas NicklebyCharles Dickens
Her fatigue became so great that she staggered and hobbled about on her numbed legs.
His MasterpieceEmile Zola
At last they had got to the end, and they hobbled away, saved—free!
His MasterpieceEmile Zola
He leaned heavily upon his cane as he hobbled back to the kitchen.
Fair HarborJoseph Crosby Lincoln
hobble
- (intr) to walk with a lame awkward movement
- (tr) to fetter the legs of (a horse) in order to restrict movement
- to progress unevenly or with difficulty
- (tr) to hamper or restrict (the actions or scope of a person, organization, etc)
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- a strap, rope, etc, used to hobble a horse
- a limping gait
- British dialect a difficult or embarrassing situation
- a castrated ferret
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Also (for senses 2, 5): hopple
Word Origin
C14: probably from Low German; compare Flemish hoppelen, Middle Dutch hobbelen to stammer
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for hobbled
hobble
v.
c.1300, hoblen "to rock back and forth, toss up and down," probably related to its Dutch cognate hobbelen (which, however, is not recorded before late 15c.).
Meaning "to walk lamely" is from c.1400. Transitive sense of "tie the legs (of an animal)" first recorded 1831, probably an alteration of 16c. hopple, cognate with Flemish hoppelen "to rock, jump," which also is related to Dutch hobbelen. Sense of "hamper, hinder" is c.1870. Related: Hobbled; hobbling. The noun is 1727, from the verb.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper