hobby horse

plural hobby horses · alternative hobbyhorse · alternative hobby-horse

1. originallyThe Irish Hobby, an extinct breed of horse.
2. A child's toy consisting of a (usually wooden or cloth) horse's head mounted on a stick.
3. figurativelyA topic that elicits a prolonged and enthusiastic discussion from an individual.

   Don't ask him about global warming: it's his favourite hobby horse, you'll never get away.

   1 more example

   The squire was now on his hobby-horse, as we say; he had placed the old worn fur cap by his side on the sofa, leaving his bald head and grey hairs exposed.

   1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 250

4. A puppetlike costume used in some traditional dances and festivals that gives its wearer the appearance of a man on horseback.
5. historicalcyclingAn early bicycle with no pedals or brakes.

   British users rechristened the baron's invention the hobby horse then the dandy horse, because draisines became very fashionable with Regency gentlemen.

   2015, Chris Boardman, The Biography of the Modern Bike: The Ultimate History of Bike Design, Hachette, →ISBN, page 10

   Synonyms: dandy horse, draisienne

present singular third person hobby horses · participle present hobby horsing · participle past hobby horsed · past hobby horsed · alternative hobbyhorse · alternative hobby-horse

1. intransitivenauticalTo pitch back and forth.