Is "hobbit" an insult?

[CurlewKate]

Incredibly trivial. I promise no backstory! We spent a lovely day with our adult dc yesterday. After we dropped ds and gf home, I said to dp "Ah-what sweet little hobbits they are!" I don't think they look like hobbits-they're both tall and attractive young people. But while they like going out, their favorite thing to do is stay home, read and watch TV together, cook nice food, cuddle and generally have a nice time. I think it's lovely-frankly, dp and I are the same! But dp said "That's not a nice thing to say!" He wasn't upset but he didn't like it. So I just said "oh, sorry" and we moved on. What would you think?

No I don’t think so.. you were describing what homebodies they are whereas your husband thought you were describing their physical build or something? Not much of an insult either way as hobbits are pretty cool. They certainly prioritised comfort!

I would have just explained what I meant by it, it can definitely sound like an insult so I'm guessing he just didn't understand what you were alluding to. I wouldn't have thought of the associations you meant when you used the term so I can understand his reaction.

Unless they’re actually 3ft tall with hairy feet, no.

That's funny @YesThatsATurdOnTheRug , because what the OP meant is the first interpretation that sprang to my mind.

DH and I are hobbits with a tiny bit of Took so we would take a description of us like that as a compliment 😁

I wonder@CurlewKate if your DP was thinking of the films and not the book whereas you were thinking of the book description. Because the films don't really describe the general hobbit nature.

I haven't read the books, I have only seen the films (several times over!) and I knew what OP meant. The films definitely convey the idea that hobbits are homebodies and the Shire is cosy, full of creature comforts.

My dp refers to me and my female family members as hobbits, I KNOW it's with affection, I also know it's because we're all short! I'm not sure why any one would take it as an insult tbh.

We've both read the books (me only once-him several times) and seen the films. Ds is the person who said at about 12 "My favorite genre of things is nice." And dp will often say "Have we got plans this weekend? No? Good!" So I reckon we're all hobbits! Meanwhile, our dd flits round that there London like a glamorous butterfly only going back to her flat occasionally just to make sure it hasn't burnt down!

Well, they're famously small, stocky, and hairy-toed, so it's not a particularly flattering physical description. They're also rather preoccupied with the... concrete, in Tolkien's description. Not high-minded people. Not interested in doing good if it might get in the way of second breakfast or a relaxing snooze. Very, very parochial.They are, of course, also tougher than old boots.

So it's not hard to see why someone wouldn't be overjoyed to be called a hobbit.

It doesn't sound like a compliment. I've heard it used by the younger generation in a derogatory way.

I would give a double take if someone described my DC like that.

HoweverIt doesn't really reflect what you meant, which was a nice sentiment and your DP should just accept your explanation as he must know you have no reason to be making unkind comments. Your explaination about it sounds full of kindness towards them.

I think that if you want to use it as a positive term (for comfort-loving foodie homebodies), that is perfectly legit, but you need to do with someone who has recently read (or has strong deeply affectionate memories of reading) The Hobbit or the hobbity bits of LOTR. In all other instances the "three foot tall and hairy feet" connotations will be salient.

It’s not something I would say, because what you might view as a compliment about liking home comforts to someone else might suggest hobbits’ other characteristics — mildly comic, short, hairy-footed people obsessed with eating and avoiding travel and anything unusual.

Maybe I should have said "Sweet little Moomins"!

Moomins is better, although it might be heard as "weirdly hippo-shaped"

You can’t say that. Moomins are fat! 😁

Remember that Bilbo was actively regarded as a dangerous freak for having travelled outside the Shire at all. The only reason he continued to have anybody willing to associate with him was that he was (reputed to be) the richest hobbit in the Shire.

Thee is something about the word itself (hobbit) that sounds cramped and gnarled. Similar words that it calls to mind include hobbled, hobgoblin, hobnail.
I think that might be part of the reason why it doesn't lend itself to being used as a compliment.

@GoodOldEmmaNess I don’t even think that would matter. I’m a massive LoTR fan (a bit too obsessive if I’m honest), a whole shelf on my bookshelf is just Tolkien and I read the books young originally.
I seen the films in the cinema when I was a child and still watch them religiously, and cry every time when Return of the King ends. I even have LoTR tattoos…
Yet, if I heard this my first thought would still be how they look e.g. short, hairy feet etc.

I think it's important to remember that dp knows what his son and gf look like. Apart from else, he hugged them both less than 5 minutes before I made my comment!🤣

I imagined short people with hairy feet who love eating.

Your partner should know what you are like so that you meant no malice by your comment.