ride one's hobbyhorse, to

ride one's hobbyhorse, to

To dwell on one’s favorite theory or project. The term alludes to the popular children’s toy, a stick mounted with a horse’s head on which youngsters “ride.” It was transferred to pet schemes and ideas by the early seventeenth century. “Almost every person hath some hobby horse or other wherein he prides himself,” wrote Sir Matthew Hale in 1676. See also ax to grind.See also: ride