hobgoblin

hobgoblin [hob-gob-lin] ExamplesWord Origin See more synonyms for hobgoblin on Thesaurus.com noun

1. something causing superstitious fear; a bogy.
2. a mischievous goblin.
3. (initial capital letter) Puck(def 1).

Origin of hobgoblin First recorded in 1520–30; hob2 + goblin Related Words for hobgoblin puck, elf, brownie, bogeyman, pixie, imp, leprechaun, fairy, fay, sprite Examples from the Web for hobgoblin Contemporary Examples of hobgoblin

To the speechwriters, he was the hobgoblin of editors, demanding we cram in more statistics, more attacks, more examples.

The Rove You Don’t Know

Matt Latimer

March 9, 2010

Historical Examples of hobgoblin

I hardly know what sort of creature or hobgoblin to call them.

The Gorgon’s Head

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Why, Clifton, you imagine that he’s a hobgoblin—a sort of wild child of the Highlands.

The English at the North Pole

Jules Verne

The colonel eyed the wreck of the hobgoblin with satisfaction.

The Rival Campers Ashore

Ruel Perley Smith

I am not a hobgoblin, though I may pose as one now and then.

Fernley House

Laura E. Richards

It was really a fish; but it was also a hobgoblin, nightmare, and ooze-croaker!

The Fall of the Year

Dallas Lore Sharp

British Dictionary definitions for hobgoblin hobgoblin noun

1. an evil or mischievous goblin
2. a bogey; bugbear

Word Origin for hobgoblin C16: from hob ² + goblin Word Origin and History for hobgoblin n.

1520s, from hob “elf,” from Hobbe, a variant of Rob (cf. Hick for Richard, Hodge for Rodger, etc.), short for Robin Goodfellow, elf character in German folklore, + goblin.