One of the things I love most about reading British authors is stumbling across words and cultural references that send me down fascinating little rabbit trails. This week’s discovery? Hobnobs.

As an American reader, I’ve always known the word hobnob as a verb. You know—the act of mingling socially, usually with important or influential people.

“She spent the evening hobnobbing with celebrities.”

Simple enough.

So imagine my curiosity when characters in a British novel, The Twilight Toxin: A humorous British cozy mystery, were happily eating Hobnobs and apparently enjoying them immensely.

Naturally, I had to investigate.

Turns out, Hobnobs are a beloved British biscuit made by McVitie’s. (And yes, in the UK, a “biscuit” is what Americans would call a cookie.) From my research, they’re "crunchy oat biscuits somewhere between an oatmeal cookie, a digestive biscuit, and a flapjack." From everything I’ve read, they’re especially prized because they hold together well when dunked into tea or coffee, apparently a very important qualification in British snack culture.

There’s also a chocolate-covered version that seems to inspire near-universal devotion.

But what amused me most was learning that the biscuit’s name was intentionally tied to the social meaning of hobnob.

The word itself dates back to the 16th century and originally meant something closer to “have or have not.” Later, it evolved into a drinking expression associated with toasting and buying rounds together before eventually taking on its modern meaning of friendly socializing and mingling.

McVitie’s apparently leaned into that idea when naming the biscuit, a snack meant to be shared over conversation, tea, and companionship.

So now I’ve learned something new:

In Britain, hobnobbing may involve actual Hobnobs.

Honestly, this is one of the reasons I enjoy reading internationally. Stories don’t just introduce us to new characters; they quietly open doors into language, traditions, food, and everyday life we might never encounter otherwise.

And now I kind of want to try a chocolate Hobnob with a cup of tea.