In an age where AI and Donald Trump have left many doubting the truth, US dictionary Merriam-Webster has revealed 2023’s most looked-up word. Photo: Pexels
Word of the day: Hobbyhorse
Expand your vocabulary with The South African’s word of the day. Each day The South African offers you an opportunity to learn new words.
In an age where AI and Donald Trump have left many doubting the truth, US dictionary Merriam-Webster has revealed 2023’s most looked-up word. Photo: Pexels
Learn some of the most interesting English words from The South African’s WORD OF THE DAY!
If you are a wordsmith or want to learn a new word to impress that special someone, this content is for you!
Today’s word of the day is: Hobbyhorse meaning
Hobbyhorse
Hobbyhorse means: Hobbyhorse usually refers to a topic that someone dwells on, returning to again and again, especially in conversation.
Pronunciation: [HAH-bee-horss]
Does your favorite hobby involve a horse? Whether it does or not, the word hobby is undeniably equine: it’s a shortening of the older term hobbyhorse. And in a strange etymological twist, the word hobbyhorse is itself a product of an older word hobby that in the 1400s referred to a small or medium-sized horse, especially one that moved at a gentle pace. By the mid-1500s, hobby horse was being used to refer to a horse costume worn by a person participating in a Morris dance or other performance, and then to a toy consisting of a stick with a toy horse’s head at one end that a child pretends to ride.
Example: The so-called “Curse of the Bambino” was a favorite hobbyhorse of my Red Sox-loving grandfather until the team finally won the World Series in 2004.
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