bobble meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

bobble

noun

/ˈbɒbəl/

Etymology * (noun): from bob + -le (diminutive suffix). * (verb): from bob + -le (frequentative suffix). Compare bauble.

A furry ball attached on top of a hat.

UK Elasticated band used for securing hair (for instance in a ponytail), a hair tie

Informal A pill (a ball formed on the surface of the fabric, as on laundered clothes).

Business, Knitting, Manufacturing, Textiles A localized set of stitches forming a raised bump.

From the top the sample shows four stitch popcorns, five stitch bobbles, two rows of bells and a central leaf with leaves sloping to the left and right each side.2008, Claire Compton, Sue Whiting, The Knitting and Crochet Bible, page 45:

A wobbling motion.

My favourite dubious history of the head bobble was put forward by an Indian management consultant […]2013, Elizabeth Chatterjee, Delhi: Mostly Harmless: One woman’s vision of the city:

Derived terms: bobble hat, bobblehead, bobbly, debobble, hair bobble, head bobble

verb

Etymology * (noun): from bob + -le (diminutive suffix). * (verb): from bob + -le (frequentative suffix). Compare bauble.

To bob up and down.

US To make a mistake in.

To roll slowly.

A neat interchange between Mikel Arteta and Wilshere set up Podolski and his finish bobbled into the net via Gallas.November 17 2012, BBC Sport: Arsenal 5-2 Tottenham http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20278355

Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports US To mishandle a ball.

You've been cabling, twisting, popcorning and bobbling. See, we told you that they weren't so hard.2008, Leisure Arts, I Can't Believe I'm Knitting Cables, page 9: