& A 1930 article about the high cost of high heels:
What that two inches off the ground means is a proportionate habitual displacement both of the foot, and of the whole body, in standing, walking, or running. Another thing it means is that any shoe which lifts the heels very much above horizontal has to be tight in front in order to hold back the foot that slides down into it by way of a thirty-degree slope. The foot either has to fetch up against something, or go through the front of the shoe. Anything that will stop it from doing that has to cramp the front of the foot, force the toes out of place and into grotesque positions, and play hob with what is already a bad business.
“Play hob” isn’t a phrase I’ve heard before, & I’m going to guess it’s short for “hobgoblin” and means something like “wreak havoc” or “make worse.” Anyone know the expression who can clarify?