A Word A Day — hobbyhorse

with Anu Garg

hobbyhorse

(HOB-ee-hors))

noun: A favorite pastime, a pet project or topic; an obsession.

The everyday word hobby is a shortening of the term hobbyhorse. A hobbyhorse is a child’s riding toy, consisting of a stick with the shape of a horse’s head on the front. It was called hobbyhorse, probably from the name Robin or Hobin usually given to a small horse. The word is often used in a metaphorical sense as “to ride one’s hobby-horse” meaning to pursue a pet topic.
Also see cheval de bataille.

“Charleston was my father’s ministry, his hobbyhorse, his quiet obsession, and the great love of his life.”
Pat Conroy; South of Broad; Nan A. Talese Books; 2009.

Explore “hobbyhorse” in the Visual Thesaurus.

The test of a democracy is not the magnificence of buildings or the speed of automobiles or the efficiency of air transportation, but rather the care given to the welfare of all the people. -Helen Adams Keller, lecturer and author (1880-1968)