Hobbies

The English word ‘hobby’ has an interesting history. In early English, the word was used in two senses: a horse and a falcon. It is favourite pursuit ’has been derived. ‘Hobby horse’ meant “a child’s plaything, consisting of a stick with a horse’s head on one end.” The children rode this ‘hobby horse’ or stick fitted with a wooden horse’s head astride for their amusement .It is for this reason that we still talk of a man ‘riding’ his hobby when he occupies himself in his favourite pursuit. So a hobby is an interesting pursuit, not our main business, which we take up for amusement in our leisure time. What is business to one man may be a hobby to another, for example, a photographer may have gardening; and a paid gardener may go in for photography as a recreation. Hobbies in the sense of ‘favourite pursuit’ admit of an infinite variety. Some people take to gardening. They spend thousands of hours of their lives on the growing of turnips and carrots, mint, spinach or tomatoes according to their individual likings. Again their might be some who would scrape out time from their busy vacations and make out of fret( ornamental net-work ) fine, attractive, fruitstands, inkstands and even door-plates.