After practicing for our miniature horse/pony square dance we were brainstorming for our next fundraiser June 9 (for Matthew House Hospice in Alliston). We started thinking about the horse.
Thirty years before I was born horses were an integral part of a great many people’s lives in North America. Nowadays many humans have never touched a horse or needed one…for anything. HOWEVER, the “horse” is deeply ingrained in our language. While brainstorming we thought it’d be very interesting/educational/entertaining to create a quiz incorporating these horse idioms. Can you add to our list?
The “horse” in our language today:
- Back in the saddle.
- Blow it out your nose.
- Charley horse
- Chomp/champ at the bit.
- Curb your enthusiasm.
- Don’t beat a dead horse.
- Don’t change horses in midstream.
- Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
- Don’t put the cart before the horse.
- Don’t shut the barn door after the horses get out.
- Dog and pony show.
- Down to the wire.
- Dark horse, dark horse candidate
- Dragooned.
- Eat like a horse.
- Feeling your oats.
- Free rein
- Frisky as a colt.
- Getting a leg up.
- Get back in the saddle.
- Get off your high-horse.
- Grab the bit.
- Green horse. A person who’s “green” (new) to the project.
- Grass is always greener…
- Hack
- Hay burner
- Haywire
- Healthy as a horse.
- He’s got a burr under his saddle.
- Hit one’s stride.
- Hit the trail.
- Hobby horse
- Hold your horses!
- Home stretch
- Hoofing it.
- Horse and buggy days.
- Horsefeathers
- Horse for courses.
- Horse Latitudes: between 30 and 35 degrees north and south of the equator. Doldrums. Lack of wind. Horses being shipped died on board.
- A horse of a different colour.
- Horse play
- Horse power
- Horse sense, W. C. Fields “What horses have that keeps them from betting on people.”
- Horse trade.
- I could eat a horse.
- In his stride.
- Inside track.
- In the stretch, down the stretch, in the home stretch
- Jump on the bandwagon
- Jump the gun.
- Keep him on a short rein.
- Lash out
- Lean into the collar.
- Left behind at the gate.
- Long in the tooth.
- Loosen the reins.
- Making hay.
- Mare’s nest
- Mosey headed. (in old age white hairs appearing on a dark horse)
- A nod is good as a wink to a blind horse.
- No sweat.
- One hand on the plow.
- One horse race.
- One horse town
- On the hoof
- Ponytail
- Pull up
- Put the horse out to pasture.
- Put it through its paces.
- Rein in (your enthusiasm)
- Ride hard
- Riding for a fall.
- Riding Shotgun
- Rode hard and put away wet.
- Rode roughshod
- Runner up
- Saddle up
- Saddled with _____
- Saw horse
- Send in the cavalry!
- Shoe-in
- Sidekick
- Sowing wild oats.
- Squeaky wheel gets the grease.
- Stop to change horses.
- Straight from the horse’s mouth.
- Strong as a horse.
- Throw your heart over the fence.
- Unbridled
- Under the wire
- Wheel horse
- Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.
- Win by a nose
- Winning your spurs
- Won hands down.
- Work like a horse
- You and the horse you rode in on.
- You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.
- You can see who holds the reins in that family.