Hobgoblin – A Whimsical Word-Play Poem for Language-Loving Kids
- Deborah Ann Martin
- Aug 9
- 3 min read
For the Kids Who Love Words, Fantasy, and a Little Weirdness
In today’s My Poetry Corner, I’m sharing a poem that’s playful, peculiar, and packed with some of the strangest and most fun words you’ve probably never heard before.
Hobgoblin was written for my son Chris — a super smart, book-loving, fantasy-reading, Hobbit-watching kind of kid. He didn’t need more cartoons or rhyming frogs. He needed something challenging, strange, and hilarious.
This poem is full of rare English words, fantasy-inspired action, and just enough silliness to make even the most serious readers crack a smile. And if your child loves Tolkien, weird vocabulary, or monsters with squishy backs and strange habits — this one’s for them.
Hobgoblin
Chris was a Hobbledehoy.
He saw a rambunctious hobgoblin.
Cattywampus from him.
It gave him the collywobbles.
He drew his snickersnee from its sheath
Cutting the air widdershins.
Chris gave the warning cry, “Gardyloo!”
The hobgoblin seemed bumfuzzled.
He began striking the hobgoblin’s bulbous back
Exposing gubbins in the perturbing bulbs.
Chris felt borborygm as he looked at the hobgoblin.
The hobgoblin laughed as he sialoquent.
He was a slangwhanger who used Billingsgate.
“You silly nincompoop, I am an old fuddy-duddy.
Do you think I am going to mollycoddle you?
I am a frugivore. As you go down my throat,
I am sure you'll cause some crapulence.
But it will be comeuppance for your fatuous.”
Chris was a namby-pamby that refused to lollygag.
He ran lickety-split for a vomitory.
The hobgoblin laughed his head off.
Because he was a pettifogger.
With being a troglodyte, getting into
Shenanigans was his only entertainment.
From Kid Moments: Poems for Early Readers
Part of the Life Moments Series
© 2025 Deborah Ann Martin. All rights reserved.
Reflection on My Hobgoblin Poem
My Hobgoblin Poem is pure fun — but it’s also full of some wild old English words you don’t hear every day.
I wrote this for my son Chris. He loved fantasy stories, but more than that, he loved words. I wanted to give him something that would challenge his brain and make him laugh at the same time.
Each word was chosen to be quirky, strange, or oddly specific. You’ll find everything from “snickersnee” (an old word for a knife) to “vomitory” (a real word for an exit — not what you think it is).
But underneath all the nonsense and fantasy is something I really believe in: Kids who love language will grow up to think creatively. And maybe — just maybe — being weird is the best kind of wonderful.
If you know a kid like that, share this poem with them. Let them laugh, look up words, and fall in love with the power of vocabulary.
The Style Behind the Words
Poetry Style Name: Nonsense/Fantasy Poem with Rare English Vocabulary
Structure and Form: 24 lines of narrative-style free verse
Meter: Variable, written for rhythm and surprise more than pattern
Rhyme and Rhyme Scheme: No traditional rhyme; instead, rhythm and repetition
Sound and Rhythm: Chaotic and surprising — matching the absurdity of the language
Poetic Devices:
Alliteration: “hobbledehoy / hobgoblin,” “lickety-split for a vomitory”
Rare Vocabulary: Uses words from Old English, slang, and obscure dictionaries
Tone: Whimsical, offbeat, challenging
Theme: Imagination, bravery, language play, word exploration
Explore More Kid Moments
If Hobgoblin made you laugh, scratch your head, or reach for a dictionary — then you’ll love Kid Moments: Poems for Early Readers.
Not every kid’s poem needs to be simple. Sometimes, they just need to be fun.
About the Life Moments Series
My Life Moments Series celebrates the real moments that shape our lives — love, heartache, laughter, and growth.
Discover Loving Moments, Love and Heartache Moments, and Kid Moments — collections filled with poems written from the heart, for every stage of life.
References
Kid Moments: Poems for Early Readers. Deborah Ann Martin, 2025.
Deborah Ann Martin Amazon Author Central Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/deborahamartin
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