關於Hobgoblin的意思和用法的提問

A:

It means the minds of idiots are easily taken over by obsessions with pointless and destructive things

A: I believe this comes from:
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds,” stated by Ralph Emerson.

In this phrase, “small minds” refers to ignorant or under developed minds. And a hobgoblin is a mythical creature (imp), which (I believe) refers to as a manifestation (the body, idea as a clear whole). And consistency can refer to the stable (or even) existence of something.

So the sentence could be understood as:
“Foolish (daily) living is the vessel (heart) of ignorant people”

Does this answer your question?

A: It’s not a common phrase. I personally have never heard of this phrase until now. It’s more of a poetic/abstract statement in the Ralph Emerson’s essay “Self-Reliance”
I answered your other question about the meaning of “hobgoblin of small minds.” This statement is a stand alone essentially. So you can’t really change the context (usage) without changing the true meaning of this statement.

A:

Foolish consistancy is the hobgoblin of small minds.

Attention to received ideas regarding behaviour is the hobgoblin of small minds.

Expectations of emotional fulfilment are the hobgoblin of small minds.

Investment in media portrayals of any kind is the hobgoblin of small minds.


And so on 👍😀👍

A: In most of the fantasy novels I've read, hobgoblins are usually the evolved form of goblin