Hob's Pound
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Difficulties, great embarrass- ment. To be in Hob's pound is to be in the pound of a hob or hoberd — i.e. a fool or ne'er- do-well — paying for one's folly.
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 “Hob's Pound” mean?
Difficulties, great embarrass- ment. To be in Hob's pound is to be in the pound of a hob or hoberd — i.e. a fool or ne'er- do-well — paying for one's folly.
Is “Hob's Pound” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.