Pronunciation: hob<\/strong>–uh<\/em>\u00a0l-dee-hoi<\/p>\n n. <\/em>“clumsy, ungainly,\u00a0or\u00a0awkward\u00a0youth”<\/p>\n 1530s,\u00a0of\u00a0uncertain\u00a0origin.\u00a0First\u00a0element\u00a0is\u00a0probably\u00a0hob\u00a0<\/em>in\u00a0its\u00a0sense\u00a0of\u00a0“clown, prankster”\u00a0(hobgoblin),\u00a0the\u00a0second\u00a0element\u00a0perhaps\u00a0is\u00a0Middle\u00a0French de\u00a0haye\u00a0<\/em>“worthless,\u00a0untamed,\u00a0wild,” literally\u00a0“of\u00a0the\u00a0hedge.”<\/p>\n Image by State Library of New South Wales Collection via Wikimedia Commons.<\/p><\/div>\n There\u2019s something inherently loveable about a hobbledehoy, isn\u2019t there?<\/p>\n After all, wasn\u2019t Gilbert Blythe a bit of a hobbledehoy when he first met Anne with an E?<\/p>\n Probably all the great tall, dark, and handsome figures in our daydreams were clumsy, perpetually awkward youths \u2026 once upon a time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Was your first love one of these? Have you ever found yourself crushing on one when you yourself were just a girl? Hobbledehoy Pronunciation: hob–uh\u00a0l-dee-hoi n. “clumsy, ungainly,\u00a0or\u00a0awkward\u00a0youth” 1530s,\u00a0of\u00a0uncertain\u00a0origin.\u00a0First\u00a0element\u00a0is\u00a0probably\u00a0hob\u00a0in\u00a0its\u00a0sense\u00a0of\u00a0“clown, prankster”\u00a0(hobgoblin),\u00a0the\u00a0second\u00a0element\u00a0perhaps\u00a0is\u00a0Middle\u00a0French de\u00a0haye\u00a0“worthless,\u00a0untamed,\u00a0wild,” literally\u00a0“of\u00a0the\u00a0hedge.” There\u2019s something inherently loveable about a hobbledehoy, isn\u2019t … Continue reading ![](\"http:\/\/www.raisingjane.org\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Boy_with_pigeons_at_Circular_Quay_Sydney_22-6-1935_-_by_Sam_Hood_3284118942.jpg\")