hobbledehoy

[ hob-uhl-dee-hoi ]

/ ˈhɒb əl diˌhɔɪ /

Save This Word!

noun

an awkward, ungainly youth.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

Hobbism, hobbit, hobbits, hobble, hobblebush, hobbledehoy, hobble skirt, Hobbs, hobby, hobby farmer, hobbyhorse

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

How to use hobbledehoy in a sentence

And yet, what a scholars mate, too, to go and be shelved by such a mere hobbledehoy of a fellow as this young man Churchill!'
Babylon, Volume 2 (of 3)|Grant Allen
"Tas the way with them foweners," said the first hobbledehoy sagely.
The Wonderful Visit|Herbert George Wells
A rude hobbledehoy of the St Malo peasant class opened the hut door and stared.
Love's Usuries|Louis Creswicke
A half-wild-looking hobbledehoy boy of fifteen years also joined the group.
A Labrador Doctor|Wilfred Thomason Grenfell

A ragged hobbledehoy stood on the Vanderbilt grounds at Biltmore, mouth open but silent, watching a gardener at work.
Our Southern Highlanders|Horace Kephart

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