Abstract
The earliest recorded appearance of phrase, the hobby horse is forgot, perhaps a quotation from a popular song, is in Love's Labour's Lost, III. i. 30. Shakespeare played upon it again in Hamlet, III. ii. 143, and his editors and OED have cited other uses of phrase from early seventeenth century. In order of time second occurrence cited is in William Kemp's Nine Daies Wonder (i6oo), in which he tells of his Morris dance from London to Norwich in 1599. At one point he had to dance along a muddy road, and in describing his progress he broke into rhyme:
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
