Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To disable (a racehorse), especially by drugging.
  • transitive verb To win (a person) over.
  • transitive verb To outdo or get the better of by devious means.
  • transitive verb To filch or steal.
  • transitive verb To kidnap.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To strike; nob.
  • To get hold of dishonestly; nab; filch.
  • To frustrate; circumvent; get the better of; outdo.
  • To injure; destroy the chances of winning, as by maiming or poisoning: said of a horse.
  • 5. To shingle. See shingle and puddle.

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

  • verb UK, Australia, slang To injure or obstruct intently; batter.
  • verb UK, slang To gain influence by corrupt means or intimidation.
  • verb UK, slang To steal.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb disable by drugging
  • verb deprive of by deceit
  • verb make off with belongings of others
  • verb take away to an undisclosed location against their will and usually in order to extract a ransom

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Origin unknown.]

Support

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Examples

  • One of my main correspondents in the nobble is a boy of 11 at the beginning of the book -- by the end he has turned 14.

    SeeLight: 2006

  • One of my main correspondents in the nobble is a boy of 11 at the beginning of the book -- by the end he has turned 14.

    Children's Letters 2006

  • I have 24 days, starting today, and 25 new letters to write (da nobble is epistolary, dig?)

    SeeLight: 2008

  • I have 24 days, starting today, and 25 new letters to write (da nobble is epistolary, dig?)

    Pledge 2008

  • A pretty feeble ruse, perhaps, but it works. which might work except the nobble is pretty damned big ... that's the problems; and then there's writing as avoidance of writing (kinda like this post!):

    Writer's Block 2006

  • A pretty feeble ruse, perhaps, but it works. which might work except the nobble is pretty damned big ... that's the problems; and then there's writing as avoidance of writing (kinda like this post!):

    SeeLight: 2006

  • April 16, 2008 at 05: 23 AM thanks guys! wendy, "da nobble" is my nickname for my baby. just like i call my cat "fatboy" and "head of shit." i think that's acceptable.

    Nothing Doing 2008

  • (BTW, did I never mention that da nobble is called "Chinaman Treetops"?

    Orifice Supplies 2006

  • (BTW, did I never mention that da nobble is called "Chinaman Treetops"?

    SeeLight: 2006

  • Clarke uses a tactic that I'm using in da nobble, which is putting some essential information into the footnotes.

    SeeLight: 2008

Comments

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  • "'Do you suppose they meant to nobble me?'

    'That is an expression I do not know.'

    'Of course not. I beg pardon. It is a cant word ... the riff-raff hanging about racing-stables and Newmarket and so on use it to mean interfering with a horse so he don't run well, and you can safely bet on him losing.'"

    --P. O'Brian, The Yellow Admiral, 70

    March 19, 2008