Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun One of the principal performers in a morris-dance, having a figure of a horse made of wickerwork supported about his waist, and his feet concealed by a housing. He performed antics imitating the motions of a horse, and various juggling tricks.
  • noun A person who acts in a foolish, subservient manner.
  • noun A wooden figure of a horse, usually provided with rockers, for children to ride on.
  • noun A favorite pursuit or topic: now commonly hobby. See hobby, n., 3.
  • noun A kind of velocipede; the draisine.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Alternative spelling of hobby horse.

Etymologies

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Examples

  • However, staying off my hobby-horse (check my blog, I dare ya), none of these resources addresses the issue of disrupted control systems or damaged equipment on the grid.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » If you like the BP spill, you’ll love cyberwar 2010

  • However, staying off my hobby-horse (check my blog, I dare ya), none of these resources addresses the issue of disrupted control systems or damaged equipment on thegrid.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » If you like the BP spill, you’ll love cyberwar 2010

  • Tatton ParkThe Hunting Of The Earl Of Rone, Ilfracombe, Fri to 30 MayJoin the fool, grenadiers, drummers, hobby-horse and, maybe, donkey, for raffle, cake and costumed processions in a bizarre local folklore custom.

    This week's new events 2011

  • In fact, I'll go further: in the European context, there have been a number of open linkages between neo-Nazi parties like Vlaams Belang and conservatives whose main hobby-horse is Islamism.

    Archive 2009-10-01 2009

  • I was hoping Matt would post about her instead of his hobby-horse.

    Matthew Yglesias » Against Appointed Senators 2009

  • While Cowen's agenda reflects some broad libertarian-leaning economist ideas, Hacker's is more specific to his personal hobby-horse, which is that trends are piling Big Risk onto The Little Guy, and We need to Do Something.

    Fantasy Agendas, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009

  • And what if, beyond all these big principles the French love to ride as their hobby-horse, they drew inspiration, as suggested by MRT, from their Belgian neighbors 'pragmatism, addressing the burqa issue with a mere law on security:

    Global Voices in English » France: Secularity, Required for Democracy and Human Rights 2009

  • Harman repeats her initial argument about the tax and benefits system contributing to this imagined stemming, ignoring conveniently that both penalise work and contribute to inequality - considering it's her hobby-horse she's spectacularly ill-informed.

    PMQs Live Blog 2010

  • Harman repeats her initial argument about the tax and benefits system contributing to this imagined stemming, ignoring conveniently that both penalise work and contribute to inequality - considering it's her hobby-horse she's spectacularly ill-informed.

    Gordon Brown, Charlie Whelan and Me 2010

  • Harman repeats her initial argument about the tax and benefits system contributing to this imagined stemming, ignoring conveniently that both penalise work and contribute to inequality - considering it's her hobby-horse she's spectacularly ill-informed.

    PMQs Live Blog 2010

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  • Then there's hope a great man's memory may outlive his life half a year: but, by'r lady, he must build churches, then; or else shall he suffer not thinking on, with the hobby-horse, whose epitaph is 'For, O, for, O,the hobby-horse is forgot.' -Hamlet: III, ii

    'For, O, for, O, the hobby-horse is forgot' is a composition by Harrison Birtwistle for a Chamber Ensemble sans voices.

    A similar quote appears in Love's Labor's Lost. I do not know the significance of the quote.

    December 10, 2006