hobbyhorse

[ hob-ee-hawrs ]

noun

1. a stick with a horse's head, or a rocking horse, ridden by children.
2. a figure of a horse, attached at the waist of a performer in a morris dance, pantomime, etc.
3. a pet idea or project.

hobbyhorse

/ ˈhɒbɪˌhɔːs /

noun

1. a toy consisting of a stick with a figure of a horse's head at one end
2. another word for rocking horse
3. a figure of a horse attached to a performer's waist in a pantomime, morris dance, etc
4. a favourite topic or obsessive fixed idea (esp in the phrase on one's hobbyhorse )

verb

1. intr nautical (of a vessel) to pitch violently

Word History and Origins

Origin of hobbyhorse¹

First recorded in 1550–60; hobby ¹ + horse

Word History and Origins

Origin of hobbyhorse¹

C16: from hobby ¹, originally a small horse, hence sense 3; then generalized to apply to any pastime

Example Sentences

Never mind the crime issue or that favorite Trumpian hobbyhorse, immigration and the border.

From Los Angeles Times

Still, his hobbyhorse will be on the Supreme Court’s agenda, and it has drawn as much zealous backing as it has ferocious pushback.

From New York Times

“It is refreshingly free both of collegiate sentiment and — in John Updike’s memorable phrase — the dim rumble of hobbyhorses being ridden back and forth across the floor,” Washington Post book reviewer L.J.

From Washington Post

In another sign that Republican radicals are in the ascendance, McCarthy said he wants to impose limits on future U.S. aid to Ukraine, a hobbyhorse of Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

From Los Angeles Times

He has gone on to establish regular, silly characters - a romantic poet, a highwayman with a hobbyhorse, and a running story that sends up the allure of the archetypal aloof hero.

From BBC