hobby-horse

hobby-horse

A subject, topic, or issue about which one frequently or incessantly talks, expounds, or complains. The term can also be spelled as a single word. Ah, here we go again. Once grandpa gets on his hobby-horse about the government, there's no stopping him! Uh oh, sounds like Janet is on her hobbyhorse again about the need for healthcare reform.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

a ˈhobby horse

a subject that somebody feels strongly about and likes to talk about: Sorry, I’m starting to get on my hobby horse! (= talk about my favourite subject).
See also: hobby, horse
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • a hobby horse
  • on (one's) hobby-horse
  • ride (one's) hobby-horse
  • get on (one's) hobby-horse
  • hobby
  • hobbyhorse
  • cry-baby
  • see the last of
  • see the last of (someone or something)
  • see the end of (someone or something)
References in periodicals archive
In order to get more speed, the front wheels of these early hobby-horses kept growing bigger, resulting in the "high-wheelers" that gained such popularity by the late 1880s.
The problem would seem to involve three questions: (i) why is the hobby-horse associated with things forgotten?
And, admittedly a hobby-horse of my own, their public and press relations is almost non-existent.
Sir, - I see Mr Green is on his misguided hobby-horse again.
But Brzezinski contents himself with mounting his favorite hobby-horse and decrying the "degree to which the most popular programs devised for young audiences ...
Stunts included ten hobby-horse Grand Nationals, a space-hopper race for jockeys at Newmarket - won by Brooke supporter Kevin Darley - and camel racing at Musselburgh.
They are accompanied by a Jester, a Hobby-Horse, a Maid Marion (a man dressed as a woman) and a Bowman.
Richard McGrath won a hobby-horse Grand National staged as part of a day's fundraising on behalf of the Brooke equine welfare charity
A REGULAR hobby-horse of mine reared its head again last Friday at Knowsley Road.
And the people will not forgive any hardliners or hobby-horse class warriors who blow Labour's chances - again.
The Triple Crown has been a great hobby-horse of mine since I saw Nijinsky achieve
"This has always been a hobby-horse of mine and it's something I would love to see achieved.
A spokesman said: "There is a huge consensus that reading is best taught using a mixture of methods, but the Government ignores the evidence in favour of its outdated hobby-horses. After all its talk of setting teachers free, it now wants to chain them further with another high-stakes test."
"There is a huge consensus that reading is best taught using a mixture of methods, but the Government ignores the evidence in favour of its outdated hobby-horses," Martin Johnson, of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, added.
'Back in time the knights lanced on horseback, so here we will have children on wooden hobby-horses, and then they have to pick up hoops and things with mini-lances, so they learn a bit about the technique.