hobnail Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a short nail with a thick head; used to protect the soles of boots
  2. verb supply with hobnails

WordNet

Hob"nail` noun
Etymology
1st hob + nail.
Definitions
  1. A short, sharp-pointed, large-headed nail, -- used in shoeing houses and for studding the soles of heavy shoes.
  2. A clownish person; a rustic. Milton.
Hob"nail` transitive verb
Definitions
  1. To tread down roughly, as with hobnailed shoes.
    Your rights and charters hobnailed into slush. Tennyson.

Webster 1913