Link Centre Dictionary

hobgoblin

hob·gob·lin

UK/hɒbˈɡɒb.lɪn/ US/hɑbˈɡɑb.lɪn/ uncommon

noun

1.

(folklore) a small grotesque supernatural creature that makes trouble for human beings

Synonyms
2.

an object of dread or apprehension

  • “Germany was always a bugbear for France”
  • “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Synonyms

Origin

From hob (“elf”, from Hob, a variant of Rob, short for Robin Goodfellow, an elf in Germanic folklore) + goblin.

Phrases

  • a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.