hobble

English

Etymology

From Middle English hobblen, hobelen, akin to Middle Dutch hoblen, hobbelen (Modern Dutch hobbelen).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɒbəl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: hob‧ble
• Rhymes: -ɒbəl

Noun

hobble (plural hobbles)

1. (chiefly in the plural) One of the short straps tied between the legs of unfenced horses, allowing them to wander short distances but preventing them from running off.
2. An unsteady, off-balance step.
   • 2017, Sam Shepard, chapter 37, in Spy of the First Person, →ISBN, page 82:

     We made it and we hobbled up the stairs. Or I hobbled. My sons didn't hobble, I hobbled.

3. (archaic, informal) A difficult situation; a scrape.
   • 1845, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, The Cock and Anchor:

     "Saddle a horse—any horse—only let him be sure and fleet," cried Ashwoode, "and I'll pay you his price thrice over!"
     "Well, it's a bargain," replied the groom, promptly; "I don't like to see a gentleman caught in a hobble, if I can help him out of it. […]

4. (dialect, UK and Newfoundland) An odd job; a piece of casual work.

Synonyms

• tether (rope)

Translations

Short straps tied between the legs of unfenced horses

• Arabic: شِكَال m (šikāl), عِقَال (ar) m (ʕiqāl)

  Moroccan Arabic: شكال m (škāl)

• Armenian: ոտնակապ (hy) (otnakap), ոտկապ (hy) (otkap), չիդար (hy) (čʻidar) (dialectal), թշու (tʻšu) (dialectal), քեստաղ (kʻestaġ) (dialectal)

  Old Armenian: ճախանոց (čaxanocʻ)

• Avar: читӏир (čitʼir)
• Azerbaijani: çidar, cidar, buxov, tuşağ (dialectal)
• Bashkir: тышау (tışaw)
• Basque: peya
• Bulgarian: букаи́ f pl (bukaí)
• Buryat: тушаа (tušaa)
• Crimean Tatar: tırşav
• Czech: řemen (cs) m
• Danish: fodreb n
• Dargwa: чедир (čedir)
• Finnish: kammitsa (fi)
• French: entrave (fr) f, abot (fr) m
• Galician: péga, pexa, solta f, cadarme m
• Georgian: ფარმანდი (parmandi) (dialectal), დუშაყი (ka) (dušaq̇i)
• German: Fußfessel (de) f, Spannstrick m
• Greek: πέδικλο (el) n (pédiklo)
• Italian: pastoia (it) f, ceppi (it) m pl, lacci (it) m pl
• Kalmyk: туша (tuşa), чөдр (çödr)
• Kazakh: тұсау (tūsau)
• Kyrgyz: тушоо (ky) (tuşoo), өрөө (ky) (öröö)
• Lak: чидар (čidar)
• Latin: pedica f
• Macedonian: со́пка f (sópka)
• Maori: herehere waewae
• Mongolian: чөдөр (mn) (čödör), тушаа (mn) (tušaa)
• Northern Altai : тужак (tužak) (for horse)
• Ottoman Turkish: بوقاغی (bukağı), كوستك (köstek)
• Persian: اشکیل (fa) (eškil)
• Polish: pęta (pl) n pl
• Russian: трено́га (ru) f (trenóga), пу́ты (ru) f pl (púty)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: не̏гве f pl, gen. не̏га̄ва̄ and не̏га̄вӣ; шкло̏це f pl, gen. шкло̑ца̄; бука̀гије f pl

  Latin: nȅgve (sh) f pl, gen. nȅgāvā and nȅgāvī; šklȍce f pl, gen. šklȏcā; bukàgije (sh) f pl

• Southern Altai: тужак (tužak), тужу (tužu)
• Spanish: manea (es) f, suelta (es) f, atadura (es) f
• Tatar:

  Cyrillic: тышау (tt) (tışaw)

  Latin: tışaw

• Turkish: bukağı (tr), köstek (tr)
• Turkmen: душак
• Ukrainian: пута n pl (puta)
• Uyghur: өрə (örə)
• Uzbek: тушов (tushov)
• Walloon: epîtoe (wa) m

An unsteady, off-balance step

• Czech: belhání n, kulhání n
• Danish: humpen c
• Finnish: nilkutus (fi)
• Greek: πεδίκλωμα (el) n (pedíkloma)
• Irish: habal m
• Italian: traballamento m, barcollamento (it) m, vacillamento m, sbilanciamento m
• Macedonian: ку́цање n (kúcanje)
• Polish: kulenie n, kuśtykanie n
• Russian: ковыля́ние (ru) n (kovyljánije)
• Turkish: aksama (tr)
• Ukrainian: кульгання n (kulʹhannja), шкандибання n (škandybannja)

A horse hobbled for veterinary purposes.

Verb

hobble (third-person singular simple present hobbles, present participle hobbling, simple past and past participle hobbled)

1. To fetter by tying the legs; to restrict (a horse) with hobbles.
   • 1865, Charles Dickens, Doctor Marigold:

     you hobble your old horse and turn him grazing

2. To walk lame, or unevenly.
   • 1681, John Dryden, The Spanish Fryar: Or, the Double Discovery. […], London: […] Richard Tonson and Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, (please specify the page number):

     The friar was hobbling the same way too.

   • 1988 December 25, Michael Bronski, “Passion Statement”, in Gay Community News, volume 16, number 24, page 11:

     Pepa runs all over Madrid in high heels and tube skirts that make her hobble and give the impression of restraining a naturally energetic woman.

3. (figurative) To move roughly or irregularly.
   • 1815, William Wordsworth, The White Doe of Rylstone:

     The hobbling versification, the mean diction.

4. To perplex; to embarrass.

Synonyms

• (walk unevenly): hirple

Translations

To restrict a horse with hobbles

• Arabic: شَكَلَ (šakala)
• Bashkir: тышау (tışaw)
• Bulgarian: спъвам (bg) (spǎvam)
• Finnish: kammitsoida (fi)
• Kazakh: өрелеу (öreleu)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: ئەشکێڵکِردِن (eşkêllkirdin)

• Macedonian: со́пне (sópne)
• Maori: herehere ngā waewae, whakatiki
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: halte (no), humpe

• Ottoman Turkish: كوستكلمك (kösteklemek)
• Polish: pętać impf, spętać pf
• Russian: трено́жить (ru) (trenóžitʹ)
• Spanish: manear (es)
• Turkish: kösteklemek (tr)
• Ukrainian: спутувати (sputuvaty), триножити (trynožyty)

To walk unevenly

• Bashkir: аҡһау (aqhaw), сатанлау (satanlaw)/сатандау (satandaw)
• Bulgarian: куцам (bg) (kucam)
• Czech: belhat se, kulhat (cs) impf, pajdat impf
• Danish: humpe, halte
• Finnish: ontua (fi), nilkuttaa (fi)
• French: boiter (fr)
• Macedonian: ку́ца (kúca), кри́ви (krívi)
• Maori: totitoti, kokekoke
• Polish: kuśtykać (pl) impf, pokuśtykać pf, przykuśtykać pf, kuleć (pl) impf
• Quechua: hank'ay
• Russian: ковыля́ть (ru) (kovyljátʹ), хрома́ть (ru) (xromátʹ) (limp)
• Turkish: aksamak (tr)
• Ukrainian: кульгати (kulʹhaty), шкандиба́ти (škandybáty), шкутильгати (škutylʹhaty)
• Zazaki: lengen

Derived terms

• chain hobble
• hobble-bush
• hobble-chain
• hobble chain
• hobble knot
• hobble rope
• hobble-rope
• hobble skirt
• hobble-skirted
• hobbly
• rounce robble hobble
• unhobble

 

Anagrams

• hobbel