In William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Sir Toby Belch warned Viola (who was disguised as a man) that Sir Andrew wanted to duel. "Hob, nob is his word," said Sir Toby, using "hob, nob" to mean something like "hit or miss." Sir Toby's term is probably an alteration of "hab nab," a phrase that meant "to have or not have, however it may turn out." After Shakespeare's day, hob and nob were used in the phrases "to drink hob or nob" and "to drink hobnob," which meant "to drink alternately to each other." Since "drinking hobnob" was generally done among friends, hobnob came to refer to congenial social interaction.
He loves to hobnob with celebrities. those two have been hobnobbing together since freshman year
Recent Examples on the WebApplicants also have to hobnob with the committee at a cocktail reception. Mark Shanahan, BostonGlobe.com, 28 May 2022 This networking event is sure to give you some insight – and the chance to hobnob with folks who build festival lineups for a living. Detroit Free Press Staff, Detroit Free Press, 14 Apr. 2022 Conceptually, the first season of Moon Knight feels intended less as a TV show and more as an explanation for why viewers would want to watch the character eventually hobnob with Doctor Strange or Blade or whomever. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Mar. 2022 Albright also appeared as herself in the 2011 film The Adjustment Bureau in a scene in which several real-life political figures hobnob with Matt Damon's congressman character. Grayson Quay, The Week, 23 Mar. 2022 When basketball’s best gather in Cleveland to dunk, fire 3-pointers and hobnob with corporate partners as the league celebrates its 75th anniversary this weekend, another group of players will get a chance to shine amid the glittering stars. Tom Withers, baltimoresun.com, 15 Feb. 2022 For many in Trumpworld, the hotel was a place to see and be seen—a bizarro Camelot where Republican lawmakers, conservative elites, and MAGA enthusiasts could cross paths, mingle, and hobnob the night away. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 14 Oct. 2021 The next opportunities to hobnob with the honchos are in November, with Disney chief Bob Chapek scheduled to make an appearance on Nov. 15 and JPMorgan Chase boss Jamie Dimon returning to Boston on Nov. 23.BostonGlobe.com, 4 Oct. 2021 But there are still pervasive, sometimes pernicious assumptions about what a music director must look and act like — who can hobnob with donors, who can help sell tickets.New York Times, 4 June 2021 See More
Word History
Etymology
from the obsolete phrase drink hobnob to drink alternately to one another