1678. Butler, Hudibras, pt. III., c. 1. The spirit hors'd him like a sack Upon the vehicle his back.
1751. Smollett, Peregrine Pickle, ch. xvii. Our unfortunate hero was publicly horsed, in terrorem of all whom it might concern.
1857. Thackeray, Virginians, ch. v. Serjeants, school-masters, slave-overseers, used the cane freely. Our little boys had been horsed many a day by Mr. Dempster.
1881. Notes and Queries, 1 Jan., p. 18. I got well horsed for such a breach of discipline.
TO FALL AWAY FROM A HORSELOAD TO A CARTLOAD, verb. phr. (old).—See quot.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Horseplay. Fallen away from a HORSELOAD TO A CARTLOAD, spoken ironically of one considerably improved in flesh on a sudden.
TO FLOG THE DEAD HORSE.—See Dead-horse and Horse, verb. sense 2.
TO PUT THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To begin at the wrong end; to set things hind-side before.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Horse.
TO PUT THE SADDLE ON THE RIGHT horse, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To apportion accurately.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Horse. Set the saddle on the right horse, lay the Blame where the Fault is.
TO RIDE ON A HORSE WITH (or BAYARD OF) TEN TOES, verb. phr. (common).—To walk; to use the Marrowbone-stage. Cf., Shanks's Mare.
1606. Breton, Good and Badde, p. 14. His trauell is the walke of the woful, and his horse Bayard of ten toes.
1662. Fuller, Worthies, Somerset, ii., 291. At last he [Coryat] undertook to travail into the East Indies by land, mounted on an horse with ten toes.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Bayard.
AS GOOD AS A SHOULDER OF MUTTON TO A SICK HORSE, phr. (old).—Utterly worthless.
1596. Ben Jonson, Every Man in his Humour, ii., 1. Counsel to him is as GOOD AS A SHOULDER OF MUTTON TO A SICK HORSE.
AS STRONG AS A HORSE, adv. phr. (colloquial).—Very strong: a general intensitive.
Horse and horse, adv. phr. (American).—Neck and neck; even.
HORSEBREAKER (or PRETTY
HORSEBREAKER), subs. (colloquial).—A
woman (c. 1860), hired
to ride in the park; hence, a
riding courtesan. See also quot.
1864. For synonyms, see Barrack-hack
and Tart.
1864. E. Yates, Broken to Harness, ch. iv., p. 33 (1873). Kate Mellor was a horsebreaker, a bonâ fide horsebreaker; one who curbed colts, and 'took it out of' kickers and rearers.
1865. Public Opinion, 30 Sep. These demi-monde people, anonymas, horsebreakers, hetairæ . . . are by degrees pushing their way into society.
Horse-buss, subs. (old).—A loud-sounding
kiss; a bite.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
Horse-capper (-coper, -coser,
-COURSER, or -CHAUNTER), subs.
(common).—A dealer in worthless
or 'faked' horses. [Originally
good English. To cope = to
barter.] See Chanter. Hence
Horse-coping and Horse-duffing.
1616. Overbury, Characters (Rimbault, 9th ed., 1856, p. 120). An arrant horse-courser hath the trick to blow up horseflesh as the butcher does veal.
