nob ‧ ble /ˈnɒb ə l $ ˈnɑː-/ BrE AmE verb [transitive] British English informal
[ Date: 1800-1900 ; Origin: Perhaps from knobble 'to hit with the closed hand' (1800-1900) ]
1 . to make someone do what you want by illegally offering them money or threatening them ⇨ bribe :
The jury had been nobbled and the case had to be reheard.
2 . to prevent a horse from winning a race, especially by giving it drugs
3 . to get someone’s attention, especially in order to persuade them to do something:
I was nobbled by my deaf old aunt and couldn’t get away.