hobbyhorse : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: hobbyhorse	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for hobbyhorse
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
hobbyhorse n a topic to which one constantly reverts; "don't get him started on his hobbyhorse" a child's plaything consisting of an imitation horse mounted on rockers; the child straddles it and pretends to ride Synonym(s): hobby, hobbyhorse, rocking horse
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Hobby \Hob"by\, Hobbyhorse \Hob"by*horse`\, n. [OE. hobin a nag, OF. hobin hobby; cf. hober to stir, move; prob. of German or Scand. origin; cf. Dan. hoppe a mare, dial. Sw. hoppa; perh. akin to E. hop to jump.] 1. A strong, active horse, of a middle size, said to have been originally from Ireland; an ambling nag. --Johnson. 2. A stick, often with the head or figure of a horse, on which boys make believe to ride. [ Usually under the form {hobbyhorse}.] 3. A subject or plan upon which one is constantly setting off; a favorite and ever-recurring theme of discourse, thought, or effort; that which occupies one's attention unduly, or to the weariness of others; a ruling passion. [Usually under the form {hobby}.] Not one of them has any hobbyhorse, to use the phrase of Sterne. --Macaulay.