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nobble

[ nob-uhl ]
/ ˈnɒb əl /

verb (used with object), nob·bled, nob·bling.British Slang.

to drug or disable (a race horse) to prevent its winning a race.
to convince (a person) by fraudulent methods; misrepresent or lie to.
to swindle; defraud.
to seize (a person); hold for arrest.

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Origin of nobble

First recorded in 1840–50; back formation from nobbler, variant of hobbler (dialectal phrase an 'obbler being taken as a nobbler)

OTHER WORDS FROM nobble

nobbler, noun

Words nearby nobble

Noahide Laws, Noah's Ark, Noah's Dove, nob, no ball, nobble, nobbut, nobby, Nobel, Nobelist, nobelium
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for nobble

British Dictionary definitions for nobble

nobble
/ (ˈnɒbəl) /

verb (tr) British slang

to disable (a racehorse), esp with drugs
to win over or outwit (a person) by underhand means
to suborn (a person, esp a juror) by threats, bribery, etc
to steal; filch
to get hold of; grab
to kidnap

Derived forms of nobble

nobbler, noun

Word Origin for nobble

C19: back formation from nobbler, from false division of an hobbler (one who hobbles horses) as a nobbler
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