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Definition of hobbyhorse
1a : a figure of a horse fastened about the waist in the morris danceb : a dancer wearing this figure
2 obsolete : buffoon
3a : a stick having an imitation horse's head at one end that a child pretends to rideb : rocking horsec : a toy horse suspended by springs from a frame
4a : a topic to which one constantly revertsb : 2hobby
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Examples of hobbyhorse in a Sentence
Once he gets on his hobbyhorse and starts talking about taxes, you can't get him to discuss anything else.
She's been riding that hobbyhorse for months.
Recent Examples of hobbyhorse from the Web
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Like a real horse and its rider, the hobbyhorse and its master form a team and become attached to each other.
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The vast majority of the hobbyhorses are homemade —splendid, colorful creatures complete with names like Chattanooga Choo Choo and Panda — exchanged and sold by owners at events and through social media.
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Splayed across the center of the park is a 40-foot-long hobbyhorse with a colossal faux-stone goat’s head.
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That’s a familiar hobbyhorse among design advocates who want the profession’s importance to be recognized.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hobbyhorse'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
The hobbyhorse is a toy of yesteryear, dating back to a homespun era predating automobiles. In the 1400s, the word hobby could refer to a real-life horse of small or average size. It soon came to refer to the horse costume worn by one participating in a morris dance or burlesque performance, and then, later, to the child's toy. Another meaning of hobbyhorse was "a favorite pursuit or pastime"; our modern noun hobby ("an activity that one does for pleasure when not working") was formed by shortening this word. From "pastime," the meaning of hobbyhorse was extended to "a subject to which one repeatedly returns." The sense is typically encountered as part of such metaphorical phrases as "get on one's hobbyhorse" or "ride one's hobbyhorse."
Origin and Etymology of hobbyhorse
hobby small light horse, from Middle English hoby, hobyn, perhaps from Hobbin, nickname for Robert or Robin
HOBBYHORSE Defined for English Language Learners
hobbyhorse
playDefinition of hobbyhorse for English Language Learners
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: a subject that someone speaks about or complains about often
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: a stick with a horse's head at one end that a child pretends to ride
HOBBYHORSE Defined for Kids
hobbyhorse
playDefinition of hobbyhorse for Students
: a stick that has an imitation horse's head and that a child pretends to ride
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