Hobnob biscuit
A HobNob is an oat biscuit made from rolled oats, making it similar to flapjacks. It is made especially for dunking in tea, a liquid in which it does not lose its shape. McVitie's introduced the brand in 1985. A milk chocolate-covered version was made available in 1987, and the biscuit is currently available in many varieties, including dark chocolate, chocolate orange, and HobNob bars. Other HobNob-branded snacks include a HobNob flapjack. [1]
The original tagline of the HobNob was "one nibble and you're nobbled"[2] , although it has been removed from the Chocolate Orange varieties.
Etymology
The name comes from an earlier phrase, to hob or nob, meaning "to drink together, taking turns toasting one another," probably from Middle English habbe "to have" and nabbe, a contraction of ne + habbe, "to have not," hence, "to have and have not, to give and take." [3]
Popular Culture
- Pundit Roddy Forsyth mentioned before taking part in the 28th of October episode of BBC Five Live's show Fighting Talk, that he had his "NobHob, my cup of tea" and that "everything is right with the world."
- HobNobs are Keane's drummer Richard Hughes' favorite biscuit.
- Comedian Peter Kay uses HobNobs in his trademark jokes in which he calls them "the Marines, the bloody SAS of the biscuit world!". Kay has also called them the "Steven Seagals of the biscuit world".
- The fictional character Inspector Fowler from the TV series The Thin Blue Line, played by Rowan Atkinson, often mentions chocolate HobNobs as being his favourite sweet.
- In the webcomic Sheldon, Sheldon, his duck and the cartoonist himself, Dave Kellet, have proclaimed their love of HobNobs in a number of strips. Sheldon asking for distribution in the US and Dave Kellet fantasizing receiving a full crate.
- HobNob is the Nickname of esteemed playwright and social commentator Rebecca Hodgkinson. Interestingly, the etymology is related to Hobbit and a reported likeness to the creatures detailed by Tolkein, rather than a personal predilection to oat biscuits.
References
- ^ http://www.unitedbiscuits.com/80256C1A0047922E/vWeb/pcTSTT5EPGEC
- ^ Justin Holloway (1999-06-24). "Keeping up with the Jonesness". Salon. Retrieved 2007-01-28.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ hobnob. Dictionary.com. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. (accessed: September 24, 2006).
External links
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