hobbing

hobbing — noun

1. the flat top part of a kitchen stove where pots and pans are placed for cooking,

1.nounB1
Definition

the flat top part of a kitchen stove where pots and pans are placed for cooking, usually heated by gas burners or electric rings.

Example

Isabela boiled the pasta on the front burner of the gas hob while she stirred the sauce.

prepositional phrase: "on the ... hob"

The induction hob heats up much faster than an old electric one, so you need to watch the pan carefully.

types of hob: gas / electric / induction

Common collocations
  • gas hob
  • electric hob
  • induction hob
  • ceramic hob
  • hob burner
  • hob ring
  • on the hob
Synonyms
  • stovetop

    common American equivalent

  • cooktop

    standard term in both British and American English, especially for built-in units

Grammar Patterns

on the hob

gas hob

electric hob

Usage Note

This entry groups the senses of the noun 'hob' under the spelling 'hobbing' as given in the source dictionary. The word 'hobbing' on its own most commonly refers to the gear-cutting machining process (see sense 4 below) or the gerund form of the verb 'to hob'. For the cooktop, folklore, and fireplace meanings, see also 'hob'.

Common Mistakes

I put the cake in the hob to bake.
I put the cake in the oven to bake.
The hob is the top surface for boiling, frying, or simmering, not for baking.

2. a flat shelf-like area built into the side or back of a fireplace where pots, ke

2.nounC1
Definition

a flat shelf-like area built into the side or back of a fireplace where pots, kettles, or dishes can be placed to stay warm.

Example

Gita set the kettle on the hob to keep it hot while the guests finished their tea.

prepositional phrase: "on the hob"

In the old farmhouse, the hob was wide enough to hold two large pots of soup at the same time.

Common collocations
  • stone hob
  • on the hob
  • warm on the hob
  • iron hob
Synonyms
  • hearth

    refers to the whole floor area in front of the fireplace, not just the shelf

Grammar Patterns

on the hob

hob + noun

Usage Note

Common in descriptions of traditional British houses and cottages. In modern homes this feature has largely been replaced by the separate cooktop (sense 1).

Common Mistakes

She put the pan on the hob of the electric stove.
She put the pan on the hob.
In British English, 'hob' for a fireplace shelf and 'hob' for a cooktop are separate but related senses; context tells you which one is meant.

3. a small imaginary creature from old folk stories, often described as looking lik

3.nounC1
Definition

a small imaginary creature from old folk stories, often described as looking like a hairy elf or goblin that enjoys causing minor trouble for people.

Example

The old grandmother warned the children that a hob lived in the hollow tree behind their cottage.

In Cornish folklore, a hob might tidy a kitchen at night if the family left out a bowl of cream.

"hob" as a helpful but mischievous household spirit

Common collocations
  • house hob
  • mischievous hob
  • hob story
  • old hob
Synonyms
  • goblin

    more aggressive and ugly in most traditions

  • sprite

    broader term for any small supernatural being

  • brownie

    Scottish household spirit, similar but usually helpful

Grammar Patterns

a hob

hob + verb (singular)

Usage Note

Common in British and Celtic folklore. The name is often shortened from 'hobgoblin'. In modern use the word mostly appears in stories or historical references rather than everyday speech.

Common Mistakes

A hobgoblin and a hob is the same creature.
A hobgoblin and a hob are the same creature.
'hobgoblin' is a full compound noun, and 'hob' is its shortened form, not a different creature.

4. a hard steel cutting tool used in machine shops to cut the teeth of gears, worm

4.nounC2
Definition

a hard steel cutting tool used in machine shops to cut the teeth of gears, worm wheels, and similar mechanical parts through a process called hobbing.

Example

The machinist fitted a new hob into the gear-cutting machine before starting the morning shift.

A single hob cut over six hundred truck gear wheels before the foreman sent it for sharpening.

countable noun in industrial context

Common collocations
  • hob cutter
  • tungsten hob
  • hob sharpening
  • hob machine
  • steel hob
Synonyms
  • gear cutter

    broader term for any tool that cuts gear teeth

Grammar Patterns

hob + noun

hob for + noun

Usage Note

Highly technical term used in mechanical engineering and manufacturing. The process 'hobbing' (verb sense 1) is named after this tool. Not to be confused with the cooktop sense (1), which shares the same spelling but is unrelated in meaning.

Common Mistakes

The chef sharpened his hob before cutting vegetables.
The chef sharpened his knife before cutting vegetables.
'hob' in the gear-cutting sense has nothing to do with kitchen knives.

5. playful trouble or annoyance, especially when someone causes disorder or confusi

5.nounC1
Definition

playful trouble or annoyance, especially when someone causes disorder or confusion in a mischievous way; used almost only in fixed expressions.

Example

The children raised hob in the garden, turning the hose on each other and trampling the flowerbeds.

fixed phrase: "raise hob"

When the school trip was cancelled at the last minute, the students played hob with the teacher's carefully made plans.

fixed phrase: "play hob with"

Common collocations
  • raise hob
  • play hob with
Synonyms
  • mischief

    broader and more common; can be used freely without fixed phrases

  • ruckus

    informal US term for noisy trouble, closer to 'raise hob'

Grammar Patterns

raise hob

play hob with something

Usage Note

This sense is virtually never used on its own — it appears in the idiomatic phrases 'raise hob' (cause trouble) and 'play hob with' (disrupt something). Distinguish from sense 3 (FOLKLORE CREATURE), where hob is a countable noun referring to a specific being.

Common Mistakes

He caused a lot of hob.
He raised hob at the party.
'hob' meaning mischief cannot stand alone as a regular noun; it must appear in the fixed phrase 'raise hob' or 'play hob with'.

hobbing — verb

Word family

  • hob
    nounB1
  • hob
    verbC2
  • hobnail
    nounC1
  • hobnailed
    adjectiveC1
  • hobgoblin
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words refer to the cooking surface of a kitchen stove, but they differ by region and specificity. 'Hob' is the standard term in British English for the entire cooking surface — whether gas, electric, or induction. 'Stovetop' is the American equivalent, used for the same thing; you would say 'stovetop' in the US and 'hob' in the UK. 'Cooktop' is a more technical term used in both varieties, especially for a built-in unit that is separate from the oven. 'Burner' refers to one individual heating element on the hob (e.g. 'the front left burner'). So you might say: 'The back burner on my gas hob isn't lighting properly' (British) or 'The back burner on my stovetop isn't lighting properly' (American).

hob ↗stovetop ↗cooktopburner ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • hob tool
  • hob cutter
  • hob machine
  • hob plate

Phrases

  • raise hob
  • play hob with

Prepositions

  • on the hob
  • hob for (cutting gears)

Etymology

Old English / Germanic rootsMiddle EnglishEnglish

The entry 'hobbing' collects senses whose base form is 'hob', a word with several distinct origins that have converged under the same spelling. The folklore sense (a mischievous creature) is thought to come from 'Hob', a nickname for 'Robin' (as in Robin Goodfellow, a well-known sprite in English folklore). The fireplace sense — a projection for keeping things warm — likely comes from a different root, possibly from an old dialect word meaning 'hub' or 'projecting piece'. The cooktop sense grew out of the fireplace meaning in the 20th century as stoves replaced open hearths. The gear-cutting sense (early 1900s) was named after the hob tool because its shape resembled the projection of a fireplace hob. The verb senses derive from the noun: 'to hob' meaning to cut with a hob tool or to fit with hobnails. The gerund 'hobbing' is most commonly used as the name of the gear-cutting machining process.

First known use

15th century

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Noun (2)