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hobbledehoy

[ hob-uhl-dee-hoi ]
/ ˈhɒb əl diˌhɔɪ /
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noun
an awkward, ungainly youth.
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Origin of hobbledehoy

1530–40; variant of hoberdyhoy, alliterative compound, equivalent to hoberd (variant of Roberd Robert) + -y2 + -hoy for boy (b>h for alliteration; see hob2)

Words nearby hobbledehoy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hobbledehoy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hobbledehoy

hobbledehoy
/ (ˌhɒbəldɪˈhɔɪ) /

noun
archaic, or dialect a clumsy or bad-mannered youth

Word Origin for hobbledehoy

C16: from earlier hobbard de hoy, of uncertain origin
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
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