IN A HOBBLE (or HOBBLED), adv. phr. (colloquial).—In trouble; hampered; puzzled. Also (thieves), committed for trial. Fr., tomber dans la mélasse (= to come a cropper), and faitré (= BOOKED [q.v.]). HOBBLED UPON THE LEGS = transported, or on the hulks.

1

  1777.  FOOTE, The Trip to Calais (1795), ii., p. 39. Clack. But take care what you say! you see what a HOBBLE we had like to have got into.

2

  1789.  G. PARKER, Life’s Painter, p. 163. A term when any of the gang is taken up and committed for trial, to say, such a one is HOBBLED.

3

  1811.  POOLE, Hamlet Travestie, iii., 5.

          Hamlet.  Horatio, I am sorry for this squabble;
I fear ’twill get me in a precious HOBBLE.

4

  1819.  J. H. VAUX, A Vocabulary of the Flash Language, s.v. HOBBLED, taken up, or in custody; to HOBBLE a plant, is to spring it.

5

  1838.  HALIBURTON (‘Sam Slick’), The Clockmaker, 2nd S., ch. xvii. A body has to be cautious if he don’t want to get into the centre of a HOBBLE.

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  1849.  Punch, Fortune-Tellers’ Almanack. To dream that you are lame is a token that you will get into a HOBBLE.

7

  1892.  MILLIKEN, ’Arry Ballads, p. 44. I got into a ’OBBLE.

8

  Verb (venery).—See quot.

9

  15[?].  R. SEMPILL, ‘The defence of Crissell Sandelandis’ in Bannatyne MSS. (Hunterian Club, 1879–88), p. 354, lines 21–2.

        Had scho bene vndir and he HOBLAND abone
That war a perellous play for to suspect thame.

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