hobby horse
the subject that one constantly talks about
TRANSLATION
-- hobby horse = das Lieblingsthema; das Steckenpferd --- GOOGLE INDEX hobby horse: approximately 550,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Taxing the rich and ending corporate welfare has always been the NDP's HOBBY HORSE.
(The London Free Press)
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"Adherence is a HOBBY HORSE of mine – it is one of the biggest problems we face today. Around 30 per cent of medicines are not taken by patients – either because the prescription is not dispensed or because patients don't take the medicines prescribed..."
(The London Free Press)
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"Adherence is a HOBBY HORSE of mine – it is one of the biggest problems we face today. Around 30 per cent of medicines are not taken by patients – either because the prescription is not dispensed or because patients don't take the medicines prescribed..."
Did you
know?
hobby horse
noun phrase
- a subject that someone often talks about, usually for a long time
- a toy made from a long stick with a shape like a horse's head at one end, which a child can pretend to ride
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
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The word hobby is to thought to have originated from the proper name of a horse - perhaps Robert or Robin - and came to be used as a general name for a small horse or pony. The word was used to describe several breeds of horses in the British Isles like the Irish Hobby.
Hobby horse was eventually adopted in the 16th century to describe the children's toy that is made from a long stick with a horse's head on one end. This then led to the sense of hobby as a favourite pastime with the idea of an activity that doesn't go anywhere.
It didn't take long for hobby horse to be used in the additional sense of a subject that someone constantly talks about almost obsessively, like a child who can't seem to stop riding a real hobby horse.
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Don't get him started on the subject of train delays. It's his hobby horse."
noun phrase
- a subject that someone often talks about, usually for a long time
- a toy made from a long stick with a shape like a horse's head at one end, which a child can pretend to ride
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
---
The word hobby is to thought to have originated from the proper name of a horse - perhaps Robert or Robin - and came to be used as a general name for a small horse or pony. The word was used to describe several breeds of horses in the British Isles like the Irish Hobby.
Hobby horse was eventually adopted in the 16th century to describe the children's toy that is made from a long stick with a horse's head on one end. This then led to the sense of hobby as a favourite pastime with the idea of an activity that doesn't go anywhere.
It didn't take long for hobby horse to be used in the additional sense of a subject that someone constantly talks about almost obsessively, like a child who can't seem to stop riding a real hobby horse.
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Don't get him started on the subject of train delays. It's his hobby horse."
