‘Bobble hat’ must be one of the most pleasing words in the English language, but what’s the meaning behind the bobble bit?
The word ‘bobble’ has several meanings. It can mean a ‘mistake’ or fumble, so you might go to catch a ball and ‘bobble’ it. It can also refer to a ‘repeated, jerky movement’ as in ‘bobbing up and down’. We like to think the way it bobs up and down upon one’s head is what gives the bobble hat its name, but it probably comes from the third meaning - ‘a small ball of fabric used decoratively’. This can be as tiny as the little bobbles of wool on your jumper, which gives us the eternally useful verb ‘to de-bobble’, or as large as the biggest pom-pom you can imagine.
The word can be found as early as 1812 when the term ‘bob’ (as in up and down) first had the ‘le’ added to it to create the bobble as a verb. It’s first recorded as a noun in 1836. Bobble hats definitely existed before then with bobbles being used for centuries by both the military and the clergy to denote rank, but they were previously known as pompoms rather than bobbles - another splendid word.
So as you’re bobbing along with your bobble bobbling up and down this winter, look where you’re going so you don’t miss your footing and bobble yourself onto the pavement.
You can read about the history of the bobble hat on our ‘Wearing Well’ page in our January issue, which is in shops now.
Buy this month's The Simple Things -buy, download or subscribe
