d. 1680. Butler, Remains (1759), ii., 458. A horse-courser is one that hath read horses, and understands all the virtues and vices of the whole species by being conversant with them, and how to take the best advantage of both.
1742-4. North, Life of the Lord Keeper i., 271. There were horse-copers among them.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Horse-coser, vulgarly and corruptly pronounced horse courser, a dealer in horses. The verb to cose, was used by the Scots, in the sense of bartering or exchanging.
1863. Sporting Life, 29 Apr., p. 4, col. 3. Copers and Chaunters are now in full feather.
1864. London Review, 18 June, p. 643. Amongst the mysteries of horse-flesh is the noble science of coping, and its practitioners the horse-copers.
1874. G. A. Lawrence, Hagarene, ch. ii. He had lived somewhat precariously by his wits; eking out the scanty allowance wrung from his miserly old sire, by betting and horse-coping on a small scale.
1884. Daily News, 23 Aug., p. 4, c. 7. The most accomplished gipsy copers, if they are not belied, are not satisfied with merely doing up an unsound horse and selling him as a sound one, but frequently steal outright the subject of their scientific and often lucrative experiments.
1888. Rolf Boldrewood. Robbery Under Arms, ch. i. Poaching must be something like cattle and horse-duffing.
1889. Answers, 27 July, p. 141, c. 1. Allow me to expose some more tricks of HORSE COPERS.
1893. National Observer, 5 Aug., p. 291, col. 1. A veracious horse-coper is a monster which the world ne'er saw.
Horse-collar, subs. (venery).—1.
The female pudendum. For synonyms,
see Monosyllable.
2. (tailors').—An extremely long and wide collar.
3. (old).—A halter. To die IN A HORSE'S NIGHTCAP = to be hanged. See Ladder.
English Synonyms.—Anodyne necklace; Bridport dagger; choker; hempen cravat; hempen elixir; horse's neckcloth; horse's necklace; neck-squeezer; neckweed; squeezer; St. Andrew's lace; Sir Tristram's knot: tight cravat; Tyburn tiffany; Tyburn tippet; widow.
French Synonym.—La cravate de chanvre.
1593. Bacchus' Bountie in Harl. Misc. (ed. Park), ii., 304. Yea, his very head so heavie as if it had beene harnessed in an HORSE-NIGHTCAP.
1608. Penniles Parliament in Harl. Misc. (ed. Park), I., 181. And those that clip that they should not, shall have a horse night-cap for their labour.
1681. Dialogue on Oxford Parliament (Harl. Misc., ii., 125.). He better deserves to go up Holbourn in a wooden chariot, and have a horse night-cap put on at the farther end.
1883. Echo, 25 Jan., p. 2, c. 4. Even an attempt is made to lighten the horror of the climax of a criminal career, by speaking of dying in a horse's night-cap, i.e., a halter.
Horse-editor, subs. (American
journalists').—A sporting editor.
Horse-copy = sporting news.
Horseflesh, See Dead Horse
and Horse, verb. sense 2.
Horse-godmother, subs. (old).—A
strapping masculine woman;
a virago. Fr., une femme hommasse.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
d. 1819. Wolcot, Wks. In woman angel sweetness let me see No galloping HORSE-GODMOTHER for me.
1838. Selby, Jacques Strop, iii., 1 What a couple of horse-godmothers.
1846-8. Thackeray, Vanity Fair, ii., ch. 4. How do, my dear? Come to see the old man, hay? Gad—you've a pretty face, too. You ain't like that old horse-godmother, your mother.
Horse-latitudes, subs. (nautical).—A
space in the Atlantic, north
of the trade-winds, where the
winds are baffling.
