Hobgoblin

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Dr. Goodword
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Hobgoblin

Postby Dr. Goodword » Sat Oct 29, 2022 4:50 pm

• hobgoblin •


Pronunciation: hahb-gahb-lin • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: 1. A mischievous sprite or elf, a small grotesque supernatural creature that makes mischief for humans, Robin Goodfellow, Puck. 2. Anything that people foolishly fear.

Notes: This time of the year, children are thinking a lot about this word. It is very nearly a lexical orphan. It has only one relative, an abstract noun referring to the business of hobgoblins, hobgoblinry.

In Play: Today's Good Word basically refers to a spiritual being, perhaps slightly less frightening than a goblin: "Mommy, I want to be a hobgoblin for Halloween!" But it can refer to abstract ideas that scare people: "Every time the pension plan is brought up at an office meeting, the boss drags his favorite hobgoblins out of the closet."

Word History: Believe it or not, the hob in hobgoblin is a nickname for Robin Goodfellow, a mischievous sprite in English folklore. Goblin was borrowed from Old French gobelin. It is possible that this word is derived from Medieval Latin cobalus. This word was borrowed from Greek kovalos "rogue, knave", a word based on kovaloi, a wicked sprite invoked by rogues and knaves. We can only speculate beyond this point. However, it is possible that German Kobold "household goblin", which became cobalt in English, is related. Harz Mountains silver miners used this term for rock laced with arsenic and sulfur which, when degraded, made the miners ill.
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MTC
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Re: Hobgoblin

Postby MTC » Sun Oct 30, 2022 5:35 am

“Rumplestiltskin” of Grimms’ Fairy Tales comes to mind.

bbeeton
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Re: Hobgoblin

Postby bbeeton » Sun Oct 30, 2022 11:55 am

And then there are "Miss Thistlebottom's Hobgoblins", the bane of writers and editors.

David Myer
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Re: Hobgoblin

Postby David Myer » Mon Oct 31, 2022 6:30 am

Miss Thistlebottom's Hobgoblins was a new concept for me so I have looked it up (putting the preposition at the end of the sentence - was it really Winston Churchill who said "This is the kind of English up with which I will no longer put"?) I see it is a book containing advice about writing English. I was sorely tempted to splash out and buy it. But on reflection, I recognise that if I buy it and find I agree with its tempering of many old 'rules', I will have learnt nothing; and if I find it endorses the silly rules, I will discard the book in contempt and still learn nothing. Oh dear, is there no hope for me? The rules are there to be considered and when appropriate, rejected. Split infinitives - on rare occasions can be acceptable. Oxford commas are to be used only when it helps the reader's understanding - usually involving compound nouns. And so on. If it helps the reader understand what you are trying to express, then who cares about the 'rules', do it.


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