hobbledehoy

American

[hob-uhl-dee-hoi] / ˈhɒb əl diˌhɔɪ /

noun

an awkward, ungainly youth.

hobbledehoy British

/ ˌhɒbəldɪˈhɔɪ /

noun

archaic a clumsy or bad-mannered youth

"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

Etymology

Origin of hobbledehoy

1530–40; variant of hoberdyhoy, alliterative compound, equivalent to hoberd (variant of Roberd Robert) + -y ² + -hoy for boy ( b > h for alliteration; see hob ²)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023