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Hobbit Phrases and Sayings

Note: Many of these phrases just show how English the hobbits are, but some show social class, and some are just interesting.

Characters: Bilbo, Bree-landers (including a non-hobbit, Butterbur), Frodo, Hamfast, Pippin, Sam

Class: Lower-class (see Hamfast and Sam)

Exclamations

Greetings and Goodbyes

Hobbit Exasperations (can't call them curses)

Said of Someone

Sayings

Bilbo

Hobbit	Phrase	Note
Bilbo	"Hullo!" - To Gandalf after Party

Bree-landers (including a non-hobbit, Butterbur)

Hobbit	Phrase	Note
Bree-lander hobbit	“if you take my meaning.”
Butterbur	“Half a minute, if you please.”	I know Butterbur isn’t a hobbit, but he sounds like one. Frodo also says “Half a minute.”
Butterbur	“What may you be wanting.”
Butterbur	“Barliman Butterbur at your service”
Butterbur	“Wooly-footed slowcoach”
Butterbur	“You’ll be wanting supper, I don’t doubt. As soon as may be.”
Butterbur	“if you understand me.”	Sam also said this.
Butterbur	“I should like a word with you.”
Butterbur	“I hope that you’ll not take it amiss.”
Butterbur	“your right name is”
Butterbur	“I’m mortal afraid of what”
Butterbur	“I didn’t keep it back a-purpose”
Butterbur	“Then I couldn’t find nobody”	double negative
Butterbur	“if they mean well, then I’m a hobbit.”
Butterbur	“I bid the black fellows be off.”
Butterbur	“If I was in your…”
Butterbur	“now, bless me”
Butterbur	“Well, you don’t want looking after and no mistake.”
Nob	“Will you be wanting anything to drink?” Nob sounds just like Butterbur.

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Frodo

Hobbit	Phrase	Note
Frodo	"Half a minute"
Frodo	"dratted wizard"
Frodo	"hobbit-sense"
Frodo	"But just you up and answer his questions straight away!"
Frodo	"I shall be as thin as a will-wand, I'm sure."
Frodo	"hush"
Frodo	"Don't let us go too far."
Frodo	“That won’t mend matters.”
Frodo	“that decides me”
Frodo	“I shan’t be doing…”
Frodo	“I’ll be getting to bed. We shall be making an early start.”
Frodo	“And what will that be, pray?”
Frodo	“Oh, indeed!”… “I should not agree to…”
Frodo	“Indeed! Let’s have it, then.”
Frodo	“He’s here with my leave.”	Frodo is higher class
Frodo	“He writes as if he was going”

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Hamfast

Hobbit	Phrase	Note
Hamfast	Hamfast "has learned him his letters"
Hamfast	"mark you"
Hamfast	"Elves and Dragons!"
Hamfast	"There isn't no call to go talking"
Hamfast	Calls Frodo "Mr. Frodo"
Hamfast	"as you might say"

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Maggot

Hobbit	Phrase	Note
Maggot	“Hallo! Hallo! And who may you be, and what may you be wanting?”
Maggot	Offers “good ale on tap.”
Maggot	“What in the Shire can he want?”
Maggot	“Hallo there.”
Maggot	“It’s been a queer day, and no mistake. But all’s well as ends well.”
Maggot	“Mrs. Maggot put this up for Mr. Baggins.”

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Merry

Hobbit	Phrase	Note
Merry	“What in the Shire is that?”
Merry	“I should not sing any more at present.”

Pippin

Hobbit	Phrase	Note
Pippin	"Good heavens!"
Pippin	“Cousin Frodo has been very close” – when Frodo wouldn’t say anything about the Black Riders.
Pippin	“Sam is an excellent fellow, and would jump down a dragon’s throat to save you, if he did not trip over his own feet.”
Pippin	“I dare say”
Pippin	“Mind yourself”
Pippin	“Hallo.”
Pippin shouting to the trees	“Oi! Oi!”

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Sam

Hobbit	Phrase	Note
Sam	"xxx, to be sure"
Sam	"I daresay"
Sam	"I reckon"
Sam	"there ain't no elm tree on the North Moors"
Sam	"mind you"
Sam	"I've heard tell"
Sam	"they do say"
Sam	"There's Mr. Baggins now, that I work for."
Sam	"I didn't rightly understand."
Sam	"It's from Hobbiton that this here black riders comes."
Sam	"It was like this."
Sam	"Didn't give much heed to it, myself."
Sam	"hope he hasn't done no harm."
Sam	"Well, sir, if I could grow apples like that, I would call myself a gardener.."
Sam	"If you know what I mean."
Sam	"I shan't"
Sam	“’Don’t you leave him!’ they said to me. ‘Leave him!’ I said, ‘I never mean to. I am going with him, if he climbs to the Moon.’”
Sam	“If you understand me”
Sam	“take them as was willing.”
Sam	“I reckon”
Sam	“see naught better”
Sam	“With your leave, Frodo.”
Sam	“I never heard no good of such folk.” double negative
Sam	“Apples for walking, and a pipe for sitting.”
Sam	“It was Mr. Bilbo as taught me my letters. He was mighty book-learned was dear old Mr. Bilbo.”
Sam	“I durstn’t go outside this dell for any money.”

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Exclamations

Hobbit	Phrase	Note
Frodo	“Oh, indeed!”… “I should not agree to…”
Frodo	“Indeed! Let’s have it, then.”
Hamfast	"Elves and Dragons!"
Pippin	"Good heavens!"
Pippin shouting to the trees	“Oi! Oi!”

Greetings and Goodbyes

Hobbit	Phrase	Note
Bilbo	"Hullo!" - to Gandalf after Party
Green Dragon patron	"Your good health!"	said in parting
Maggot	“Hallo! Hallo! And who may you be, and what may you be wanting?”
Maggot	“Hallo there.”
Pippin	“Hallo.”

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Hobbit Exasperations

Hobbit	Phrase	Note
Frodo	"Half a minute"
Frodo	"dratted wizard"
Frodo	“Oh, indeed!”… “I should not agree to…”

Said of Someone

Hobbit	Phrase	Note
Said of Merry	“not a very easy nut to crack.”
Speaking of Frodo when a child	“trespassing after mushrooms”

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Sayings

Hobbit	Phrase	Note
Bilbo's saying	"Escaping goblins to be caught by wolves"
Bilbo's saying	"Never laugh at live dragons"
Bilbo's saying	"While there's life, there's hope" (from his father)
Bilbo's saying	"Third time pays for all" (from his father)
From the Eastfarthing	“Strange as news from Bree.”
In Bree	“No accounting for East and West, as we say in Bree.”
Maggot and Merry	“What in the Shire?”
Maggot	“It’s been a queer day, and no mistake. But all’s well as ends well.”
Merry	“Mind your Ps and Qs.”
Pippin	“Short cuts make long delays.”
Pippin	“But handsome is as handsome does, as we say in the Shire.”
Sam	“Apples for walking, and a pipe for sitting.”
General hobbit sayings
	"Filling up the corners"
	"Snowed food and rained drink, as hobbits say"
	“’A few suitable words,’ as they would have said in the Shire.”

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