Hobelars were a type of light cavalry, or mounted infantry during the Middle Ages, used for skirmishing. They originated in 13th century Ireland, and generally rode hobbies, a type of light and agile horse.
As if 'skirmishing' would be of help to understand anything...! LOL
Looking that up, I found I did not even know the origin of the Swedish word for skirmish, which I've only ever seen used in a figurative sense (for a minor disagreement)
The mentioning of hobbies also set me wondering if that has anything to do with 'hobby horse' as in toy horse.
As if 'skirmishing' would be of help to understand anything...! LOL
ReplyDeleteLooking that up, I found I did not even know the origin of the Swedish word for skirmish, which I've only ever seen used in a figurative sense (for a minor disagreement)
The mentioning of hobbies also set me wondering if that has anything to do with 'hobby horse' as in toy horse.