Hobson-Jobson

American  

[hob-suhn-job-suhn] / ˈhɒb sənˈdʒɒb sən /

noun

1. the alteration of a word or phrase borrowed from a foreign language to accord more closely with the phonological and lexical patterns of the borrowing language, as in English hoosegow from Spanish juzgado.

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hobson-jobson British  

/ ˌhɒbsənˈdʒɒbsən /

noun

1. another word for folk etymology

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Etymology

Origin of Hobson-Jobson

1625–35; Indian English rendering of Arabic yā Ḥasan, yā Husayn lament uttered during taʿziyah; an example of such an alteration

Example Sentences

In 1886 Henry Yule and Arthur Burnell published Hobson-Jobson, a guide to words from Indian languages that had passed into English.

From BBC • Jun. 30, 2014

For writers such as Mr Nagra, Hobson-Jobson has often been a source of inspiration.

From BBC • Jul. 11, 2012

Hobson-Jobson is the dictionary's short, and mysterious title.

From BBC • Jul. 11, 2012

"I love these rhyming words in Hobson-Jobson," says Mr Nagra.

From BBC • Jul. 11, 2012

Hobson-Jobson quotes a curious Latin writer on the Empire of the Grand Mogul, who uses it with a definition appended, "ut spectet Thamasham, id est pugnas elephantorum, leonum, buffalorum et aliarura ferarum."

From Concerning Animals and Other Matters by Aitken, Edward Hamilton