What do you think of the word "hobby"?

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I still feel uncomfortable describing a leisure activity as a "hobby." ("Leisure activity" is not much better, but I would probably never actually use this in conversation, unless I were trying to be funny.) Somehow "hobby" has connotations of passionlessness. I was getting excessively tense and serious in a dance class lately, and when I discussed it with someone afterwards they suggested maybe I should get a new "hobby." But I don't think of it as a hobby. When I was involved in a (temporarily, but indefinitely, discontinued) project of reading certain philosophers, I wouldn't really have called that a hobby. I dance because I love it, because it gives back to me on many levels. I read about philosophy or politics, because I am curious, because it matters to me, because I think it's important, etc.

I tend to think of a "hobby" as something you do so as not to be bored, or not to completely atrophy mentally.

I remember a friend asking me what I was reading, to which I responded, "a how to book on Hawaiian shamanism." Her response was, "That seems like a good new hobby for you." That was a good use of the word "hobby," I thought.

― DeRayMi, Saturday, 27 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The current use of the word "hobby" derives from the "hobby horse", as in the child's toy horse that rocks on its legs and goes nowhere.

In Tristam Shandy, a "hobby horse" was a trivial subject that one became unduly passionate about. Whenever this 'pet' subject came up in conversation, the afflicted person would spring onto their hobby horse and ride it fiercely until everyone left the room from boredom. A good hobby is like that. Passion is definitely involved.

― Little Nipper, Saturday, 27 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Is it like being a prick?

― N., Saturday, 27 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I never know how to answer if someone asks me if I have any hobbies. Some people seem to consider reading books a hobby, which rather mystifies me because I make the utterly wrong assumption that everyone does that. There are overtones to the word, implications of selecting an activity with which to fill your time, rather than stumbling across thousands of potential interests in your life, of which a few catch your attention enough that they start occupying your time, willy nilly.

― Martin Skidmore, Saturday, 27 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

DeRayMi and Martin are on the money. It's a word which conjours up collecting toby jugs or thimbles or something.

― Dr. C, Saturday, 27 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think the problem with 'hobby' is that, because it means doing something as a pastime rather than as a paid occupation, it hints that you might not be very good at it (ie not good enough to do it professionally). That and the previously mentioned connotations of filling in leisure time.

― David, Saturday, 27 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I hate the word. In Arkansas (and maybe other places) we have stores called Hobby Lobby. They are like Wal-Mart's "slow" cousin.

― Lindsey B, Saturday, 27 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

It has two b's in the middle, which makes it classic.

― Christine "Green Leafy Dragon" Indigo, Monday, 29 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

two years pass...

hate it

― jones (actual), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 03:12 (twenty-one years ago)

I like to refer to non work interests as "personal projects". It sounds more wanky and impresses boring people in suits.

― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 04:05 (twenty-one years ago)

I love Hobby Lobby. Craft/art supply stores are like little heavens for me.

― Miss Misery (thatgirl), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 05:28 (twenty-one years ago)

It reminds me of the scene in A Room With a View when Lucy Honeychurch, mindful of the good stamp-collecting has done her brother, asks George's father whether or not George, who is troubled, has any hobbies.

― youn, Tuesday, 22 March 2005 05:33 (twenty-one years ago)

this reminds me of the line in "before sunset" where julie delpy asks ethan hawke "what do you think of the word 'pussy'?"

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 05:36 (twenty-one years ago)

This is such an impossible question, it basically requires revolution before you can answer it.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 06:27 (twenty-one years ago)

There are an awful lot of people who sign up for temp jobs with our agency who list, under hobbies, just: "clubbing, listening to music, spending time with friends."

― caitlin (caitlin), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 12:08 (twenty-one years ago)

I always think I don't have ANY hobbies, but then people point out that I talk with geeky internet friends, play guitar, read lots etc, and I guess that counts. Does volenteering at a charity shop count as a "hobby"?

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 12:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Adorno to thread!

― nathalie barefoot in the head (stevie nixed), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 12:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I just had to check my resume to make sure it didn't say "Hobbies and Interests" in that misc section at the end. Thank god, no. It says "Activities and Interests" though. eesh, but what're ya gonna do? Also see: art vs. craft, goals vs. pursuits, etc. Yeah, all of Cultural Studies Theory to thread... (eek, no!)

― rrrobyn (rrrobyn), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 14:37 (twenty-one years ago)

My first thought was Hobby Lobby, and I don't even have one near me.

― tokyo rosemary (rosemary), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 15:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Drink your weak lemon drink NOW!

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 15:32 (twenty-one years ago)

i agree with DeRayMi.

regardless of the dictionary definition, i would say a hobby is something you're not too active about, something that is just passively engaging. reading, writing, music, art, knitting, etc could all be hobbies, but only if they're done on a superficial level. if you're actively pursuing it and it means something to you, it aint a hobby.

i dont know. im all full of shit.

― AaronK (AaronK), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 15:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Just going on gut feeling, a "hobby" is something you're doing to engage yourself because your life is otherwise very boring and and you're not creative enough to do anything more than knit and make puffy paint shirts and stupid shit like that. That's what the word "hobby" feels like to me. And to that end, that's also what "Hobby Lobby" feels like to me.

― sunburned and snowblind (kenan), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 15:45 (twenty-one years ago)

The Dutch way to say "your fly is open" is to say "Your hobby room is open"

― Maria D. (Maria D.), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 15:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Hobby. Meh. It's not a hobby, it's something I do!

― Ian Riese-Moraine. Sweeter than a lorry load of white Toblerones. (Eastern Mantr, Tuesday, 22 March 2005 16:20 (twenty-one years ago)

It's like a nickname Rob Shneider's SNL photocopy character guy uses for hobgoblins.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 16:24 (twenty-one years ago)

this word was designed to immasculate renaissance men like myself

― jones (actual), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 16:41 (twenty-one years ago)

There are an awful lot of people who sign up for temp jobs with our agency who list, under hobbies, just: "clubbing, listening to music, spending time with friends."

Part of my job is to write CVs for unemployed folk who are looking to get back into work, one of my colleagues who does the same has a habit of writing "I have a wide variety of hobbies" as a matter of course on her clients' CVs WITHOUT SAYING WHAT ANY OF THEM ARE.

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 16:47 (twenty-one years ago)

uh, what does adorno have to say about hobbies?

― ignoramateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 17:11 (twenty-one years ago)

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