HOBBY HORSICAL. A man who is a great keeper or rider of hobby horses; one that is apt to be strongly attached to his systems of amusement.
HOBNAIL. A country clodhopper: from the shoes of country
farmers and ploughmen being commonly stuck full of
hob-nails, and even often clouted, or tipped with iron.
The Devil ran over his face with hobnails in his shoes;
said of one pitted With the small pox.
HOBSON'S CHOICE. That or none; from old Hobson, a
famous carrier of Cambridge, who used to let horses to the
students; but never permitted them to chuse, always
allotting each man the horse he thought properest for his
manner of riding and treatment.
HOCKS. vulgar appellation for the feet. You have left
the marks of your dirty hocks on my clean stairs; a frequent
complaint from a mop squeezer to a footman.
HOCKEY. Drunk with strong stale beer, called old hock.
See HICKEY.
HOCKING, or HOUGHING. A piece of cruelty practised by the butchers of Dublin, on soldiers, by cutting the tendon of Achilles; this has been by law made felony.
HOCUS POCUS. Nonsensical words used by jugglers, previous to their deceptions, as a kind of charm, or incantation. A celebrated writer supposes it to be a ludicrous corruption of the words hoc est corpus, used by the popish priests in consecrating the host. Also Hell Hocus is used to express drunkenness: as, he is quite hocus; he is quite drunk.
HOD. Brother Hod; a familiar name for a bricklayer's labourer: from the hod which is used for carrying bricks and mortar.
HODDY DODDY, ALL A-SE AND NO BODY. A short clumsy
person, either male or female.
HODGE. An abbreviation of Roger: a general name for a
country booby.