noun · rare

hobgoblin

hobgoblin · hobgoblins

Schreckgespenst

A small, ugly goblin that makes trouble for humansA small, ugly goblin that makes trouble for humans.

UK/hɒbˈɡɒb.lɪn/US/hɑbˈɡɑb.lɪn/

» A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.

Meaning

2 senses

A small, ugly goblin that makes trouble for humans.
(folklore) a small grotesque supernatural creature that makes trouble for human beings
(broadly, figuratively)A source of dread, fear or apprehension; a bugbear.
Schreckgespenst
an object of dread or apprehension

2 sentences

A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.
CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · CarpeLanam · C2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.
CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · DJ_Saidez · C2Open on Tatoeba Report a problem

3 languages

Deutsch

By meaning 1

source of dread, fear or apprehension:

From hob (“elf”, from Hob, a variant of Rob, short for Robin Goodfellow, an elf in Germani

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

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

plural: hobgoblins

Singular	hobgoblin
Plural	hobgoblins

regular

3 synonyms

hostile supernatural creature:goblin

Close in meaning

an object of dread or apprehension:bugbear
(folklore) a small grotesque supernatural creature that makes trouble for human beings:goblin hob