Hobblers
Preserved but no longer current.
Also seen as: Hovellers
An old name for long- shoremen— especially on the Kentish coast — who acted as pilots although they were not licensed, and got their living by rendering casual assistance to vessels in distress, plun- dering wrecks, warning smugglers, etc.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Hobblers” mean?
An old name for long- shoremen— especially on the Kentish coast — who acted as pilots although they were not licensed, and got their living by rendering casual assistance to vessels in distress, plun- dering wrecks, warning smugglers, etc.
Is “Hobblers” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.