(hob) noun
1. A projection on the side of a fire-place; also, its top, serving as a shelf.
2. The nave of a wheel.
3. A hardened fluted steel mandrel for cutting screw threads.
4. A steel punch with a design in relief.
5. A game in which quoits or other objects are tossed at a stake; also, the stake. [? Var. of HUB]

(hob) noun
A fairy; hobgoblin; elf.
—to play hob with To throw into confusion; upset; ruin. [Orig., a nickname for ROBERT, ROBIN]