Word Confusion: Knob versus Nob

Posted December 8, 2020 by kddidit in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
17 Sept 2022

It was those “nobs on the small radio” that set me off. Nobs? On a radio?

Ya know, when I was a kid, I thought there were actual people setting up in a room at a radio station to play the music. I know . . . try to contain your laughter . . . Naturally, that’s where my imagination went with those nobs. Yep, noblemen standing around.

Knob and nob both refer to a head (knob is a less “friendly” reference, lol), which includes the head of a penis. This pair are also heterographs (a subset of homophone). Where they differ . . .

The knob is all about those “rounded lumps” that could be doorknobs, cabinet pulls, volume control buttons, etc., anything that might form a lump. Knob is also a verb.

Nob has an interesting origin, per Wiktionary, from a description from 18th century slang: white-nob for the powdered wigs nobles wore. Eventually the white was dropped and nob remained to refer to refer to a wealthy or influential person.

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

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Knob	Nob
Knobbed Russets, 1971, by M. Smith is in the public domain and is courtesy of the National Fruit Collection, the National Apple Register, via Wikimedia Commons.	Portrait of a Nobleman by Thomas Quine is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — Yep, looks like a nob to me.
Part of Grammar:
Noun ¹, ²; Verb ¹, intransitive & transitive Plural for the noun: knobs Gerund: knobbing Third person present verb: knobs Past tense or past participle: knobbed Present participle: knobbing	Noun ¹, ² Plural: nobs
Noun: A rounded lump or ball, especially at the end or on the surface of something ¹ A handle on a door or drawer shaped like a ball A rounded button for adjusting or controlling a machine A rounded lump or protuberance on the surface or at the end of something, as a knot on a tree trunk Any thickened enlargement A small lump of a substance [Mainly North American; geography] A prominent round hill, mountain, or elevation on a ridge [Vulgar slang; also nob] A penis [Architecture] An ornamental boss, as of carved work [UK; offensive] A way of addressing someone as very stupid or unpleasant [British; informal] The same to you but even more so A rounded ornament on the hilt of an edged weapon A pommel [Ornithology] A small collection of widgeons, dunbirds, teals, or the like ² Verb, intransitive: To form into a knob ¹ Bulge Verb, transitive: To produce a knob on ¹ To furnish with a knob [In stone cutting] To knock off (excess stone) preparatory to dressing Knobble Skiffle	[British; informal] A person of wealth or high social position ¹ [Informal; also knob] A person’s head ² [Cribbage; sometimes his nobs or his nibs] The jack of the same suit as the card turned up, counting one to the holder [Vulgar slang; also knob] The glans penis, the sensitive bulbous structure at the end of the penis also known as the head of the penis.
Examples:
Noun: The lamp uses a knob to turn the light on or off. She grabbed the knob that would open the door. Twiddle the knob to adjust the volume. Add a knob of butter or margarine. Knob Mountain is part of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Suck my knob, baby. He had an egg-shaped knob on his head after the car accident. Most knobs on trees are a result of a deformity. I love the fluted knobs on the bedposts. Don’t be such a knob. And the same to you with knobs on! The knob on the sword is handy as a counterweight to the long blade. We saw a knob of dunbirds. Verb, intransitive: That tree has really knobbed up, hasn’t it? Oh man, that hit on your head is knobbing up beautifully. Verb, transitive: That club will knob his head! They finished knobbing the doors. He’s knobbing a block of granite.	That bloke is quite the nob. Those are the nobs who live in the big house. The nobs were forever snubbing the snobs. That’s one for his nob. That boy is dicked in the nob. Jack and Jill went up the hill / to fetch a pail of water; / Jack fell down and broke his crown / and Jill came tumbling after. / Up Jack got and home did trot, / as fast as he could caper, / to old Dame Dob / to mend his nob / with vinegar and brown paper. A player who holds the Jack of the same suit as the start pegs one for his nob. Moaning, he rubbed his nob as he stood in the shower.
Derivatives:
Adjective: knobbed, knoblike, knobbed, knobblier, knobbliest, knobbly, knobby Noun: doorknob, knobhead [British], knobbiness	Adjective: nobby Adverb: nobbily, nobly Noun: nobility, noble, nobleman, nobleness, noblesse, noblewoman
History of the Word:
Late Middle English from the Middle Low German knobbe meaning knot, knob, bud. 1878	Late 17th century (originally Scots as knab) is of unknown origin. Late 17th century, apparently a variant of knob.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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