hob
play (or raise) hob cause mischief; make a fuss. North American
☞ Hob is short for hobgoblin and is used in this mid-19th-century expression to mean 'the devil'. Compare with raise Cain (atCain) and raise the devil (atdevil).
1993Canadian Living When rain finally came, it wouldn't stop and played hob with the lentils that were growing there for the first time in a big way.