▪ I. nobble, v. slang.
(ˈnɒb(ə)l)
[Of obscure origin.]
1. a. trans. To tamper with (a horse), as by drugging or laming it, in order to prevent it from winning a race.
| 1847 [see nobbling vbl. n.]. 1859 Lever D. Dunn iv, A shadowy vision of creditors ‘done’, horses ‘nobbled’. 1868 Pall Mall G. 4 May (Farmer), Buccaneer.. was nobbled, i.e. maimed purposely, before the Two Thousand in which he was engaged. 1881 Standard 22 June 3/4 The libel accused the Plaintiff of being a party to ‘nobbling’ a horse..with the object of raising the odds against it. 1933 Wodehouse Heavy Weather iii. 34 At any moment..the bounder was liable to come sneaking in, mask on face and poison-needle in hand, intent on nobbling the favourite. 1951 News Chron. 18 Dec. 1 Lord Rosebery confirms today that his horse which was nobbled was Snap. |
b. To secure (a person, etc.) to one's own side or interest by bribery or other underhand methods. Also in somewhat weakened sense: to reduce the efficiency of (a person, etc.) by some means.
| 1856 Ld. Clarendon Let. in H. R. C. Wellesley Paris Embassy (1928) 103 Morny..seems to have talked with enthusiasm about the Empress-mother, and to have been quite nobbled by her. 1865 [see nobbling vbl. n.]. 1884 Manch. Exam. 15 Oct. 5/5 He must be a very clumsy operator who, when he wishes to nobble a newspaper, does it by cash down. 1889 Times 2 May 9/5 A cool attempt to nobble the Council on the question of the licensing of music-halls. 1912 F. M. Hueffer Panel i. ii. 31 ‘I want to point out to Miss Delamere that you can't reform the theatre without reforming the conventional idea about marriage.’.. ‘Oh, I see,’ the major said amiably, ‘you want to nobble her before she makes any business arrangements with my uncle.’ 1939 H. Nicolson Diary 20 Sept. (1967) 36 Margesson insisted that..he [sc. Churchill] must be ‘nobbled’ by having a department which would occupy all his time. 1960 J. Fingleton Four Chukkas to Australia xvii. 142 He was left bereft when this particular style of ‘nobbling’ the opposition was outwitted in the first Test. 1963 Times 13 May 6/6 Unions felt that if they were to take part in the work of the National Incomes Commission they would be ‘nobbled at the start.’ 1973 ‘M. Underwood’ Reward for Defector v. 39 What about the rest of the delegation?.. No chance of nobbling one of them? |
2. a. To obtain by dishonest methods; to steal.
| 1854 Thackeray Newcomes lvii, After nobbling her money for the beauty of the family. 1862 ― Philip xvi, The old chap has nobbled the young fellow's money. 1889 D. C. Murray Catspaw 207 A gentleman in your position might as well nobble the Griffin outside as steal them stones. |
b. To swindle (one) out of something.
| 1854 Thackeray Newcomes xxv, I don't know out of how much the reverend party has nobbled his poor old sister. |
3. To get hold of, seize, catch. Also, to strike; to kidnap; to ‘steal’.
| 1841 C. H. Hartshorne Salopia Antiqua 517 Nobler, a man whose duty it is to remind inattentive youths in church, of their misbehaviour, by ‘nobling’ them, or hitting them on the head with a wand. 1865 Milton & Cheadle N.-W. Passage by Land xv. 306 His son had succeeded in ‘nobbling’ a brace of partridges, knocking the young birds out of the trees with short sticks, missiles they used with great dexterity. 1877 Greenwood Dick Temple I. ii. 73 There's a fiver in the puss, and nine good quid... Nobble him, lads, and share it betwixt you. 1888 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Robbery under Arms (1890) 69 We're bound to be nobbled some day. 1922 Joyce Ulysses 497 You once nobble that, congregation, and a buck joy ride to heaven becomes a back number. 1928 E. Waugh Decline & Fall vii. 66 ‘What sort of job?’ I says. ‘Nobbling,’ he says, meaning kidnapping. 1932 H. J. Massingham World without End 296 Off he goes to ‘bibble’ a mug of scrumpy and ‘nobble’ a hunk of cheese. 1968 M. Woodhouse Rock Baby viii. 64 We've got this Shackleton we've nobbled off Coastal Command. |
Hence ˈnobbled ppl. a.
| 1891 Review of Rev. IV. 580/2 The nobbled managers were quite cowed. 1901 McCarthy 5 Yrs. Irel. xxxiv. 513 Secure, as they fondly thought, in a nobbled hierarchy. |
▪ II. nobble
variant of knobble v.