tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1296790474430208977.post8567401155268269514..comments2022-11-01T03:34:18.084-05:00Comments on Ghostlight Chicago: Theater is a Hobby?Stephen F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10520642344822125330noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1296790474430208977.post-17113966534665404422010-08-27T09:48:51.553-05:002010-08-27T09:48:51.553-05:00Saw this etymology for hobby:
hobby
late 13c., &q...Saw this etymology for hobby:<br />hobby <br />late 13c., "small horse, pony," later "mock horse used in the morris dance," and c.1550 "child's toy riding horse," which led to a transferred sense of "favorite pastime or avocation," first recorded 1670s. The connecting notion being "activity that doesn't go anywhere." Probably originally a proper name for a horse (cf. dobbin), a dim. of Robert or Robin. The original hobbyhorse was a "Tourney Horse," a wooden or basketwork frame worn around the waist and held on with shoulder straps, with a fake tail and horse head attached, so the wearer appears to be riding a horse. These were part of church and civic celebrations at Midsummer and New Year's throughout England.<br />At least there's some connection to acting. Yet, ironically, it is in hobbies that one finds craftsmen, people with fine skills and interests, a pasttime that gives a person peace of mind and soul.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com