definitions

hobbyhorse

[ hob-ee-hawrs ]
/ ˈhɒb iˌhɔrs /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hobbyhorse ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a stick with a horse's head, or a rocking horse, ridden by children.
a figure of a horse, attached at the waist of a performer in a morris dance, pantomime, etc.
a pet idea or project.

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RELATED WORDS

hobby, cockhorse

Nearby words

hobbledehoy, hobbs, hobby, hobby farmer, hobby, oveta culp, hobbyhorse, hobbyist, hobday, hobgoblin, hobnail, hobnail cell

Origin of hobbyhorse

First recorded in 1550–60; hobby1 + horse
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hobbyhorse

British Dictionary definitions for hobbyhorse

hobbyhorse

/ (ˈhɒbɪˌhɔːs) /

noun

a toy consisting of a stick with a figure of a horse's head at one end
another word for rocking horse
a figure of a horse attached to a performer's waist in a pantomime, morris dance, etc
a favourite topic or obsessive fixed idea (esp in the phrase on one's hobbyhorse)

verb

(intr) nautical (of a vessel) to pitch violently

Word Origin for hobbyhorse

C16: from hobby 1, originally a small horse, hence sense 3; then generalized to apply to any pastime
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