hobs

1. a cooking appliance, or the flat top part of a cooker, with hotplates or burners.
2. a machine tool used for cutting gears or screw threads.
3. a peg or pin used as a mark in throwing games.

late 16th century (in hob¹ (sense 3 of the noun)): alteration of hub. hob¹ (sense 1 of the noun), ‘metal shelf by a fireplace’, dates from the late 17th century.

1. a male ferret.
2. a sprite or hobgoblin.

late Middle English (in the sense ‘country fellow’): pet form of Rob, short for Robin or Robert, often referring specifically to Robin Goodfellow.