Thanks to Trollope

[poliphilo]

I now know that the  mid-Victorian word for "geek" is "hobbledehoy". 

Comments

[lblanchard.livejournal.com]

Well....that's good to know.

My mother's variant of the bounce-on-the-knee rhyme went like this:

This is the way the ladies ride: trit, trot, trit, trot

This is the way the gentlemen ride: trit-trot-trit-trot-trit-trot-trit-trot

By and by comes an old country clown: hobbledehoy, hobbledehoy, hobbledeyhow, wheeeeeeeeee

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I know that last line as.

This is the way the old man rides- hobble-dee, hobble-dee- and down into the ditch!

[nineweaving.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's a lovely rhyme!

Nine

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

Interesting. What was the actual context? I always thought "hobbledehoy" was more like "yob" or "country bumpkin" and implied stupidity and clumsiness.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

The character so designated is Johnny Eames in The Small House at Allington- an awkward, naive, inexperienced but not unintelligent young clerk in a government office. He loves Lily Dale but can't declare himself and meanwhile gets entangled with a predatory older woman.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Only sort of.

'A chap that be called a hobbledehoy
Is less of a man and more of a boy'

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That's good.

[nineweaving.livejournal.com]

I'd would say that "hobbledehoy" is closer to "nerd" than "geek." Awkwardness to the fore, not obsessiveness. But historically, a hobblehoy is a stripling, a half-grown youth, especially a clumsy one, all feet and hands.

Nine

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

You're right. I get "nerd" and "geek" muddled up.