What Is The Origin Of The Saying It’S A Horse Apiece?

The likeliest origin of this phrase comes from old dice games (back sometime in the 1800s). While there is an old dice game called ‘Horse’, the phrase ‘A Horse Apiece’ was used in a wide variety of games. It was used to refer to a situation when two players are throwing for the best two out of three.

What’s the meaning of a horse a piece?

Erie sayings. “About a horse a piece” (meaning “same either way”)

Where did the phrase it is what it is come from?

Where does it is what it is come from? According to the New York Times, the phrase it is what it is appeared as early as an 1949 article by J.E. Lawrence in The Nebraska State Journal.

What does riding shanks mare mean?

to walk to
Noun. shanks’ mare (countable and uncountable, plural shanks’ mares) (US, idiomatic) One’s own legs used for walking; to “travel by shanks’ mare” or “ride [on] shanks’ mare” is to walk to your destination.

What is stealing a horse called?

Horse theft is the crime of stealing horses. A person engaged in stealing horses is known as a horse thief.

Why is it called Dressed to the nines?

So in the end, “dressed to the nines” is most likely simply an offshoot of the previous “to the nines” expression, more or less meaning “perfect” or “to perfection.” Where “to the nines” came from exactly is a bit of a mystery. The “Nine Muses” origin theory seems to have the strongest case.

Where did the expression dressed to the nines originate?

The phrase is said to be Scots in origin. The earliest written example of the phrase is from the 1719 Epistle to Ramsay by the Scottish poet William Hamilton: The bonny Lines therein thou sent me, How to the nines they did content me.

What does coffee as it comes mean?

If someone asks how they should prepare your drink and you say as it comes, you mean that any way will be acceptable: “How do you like your coffee?” “Oh, as it comes.”

What does shanks’s pony mean in slang?

Noun. shanks’ pony (uncountable) (idiomatic, UK, Australia, New Zealand) One’s feet or legs, regarded as a means of transport.

What does it mean to put a mare under lights?

Mares should be put under lights in late November or early December to stimulate follicular development and ovulation by early February. In general, approximately 60 to 70 days of an artificial photoperiod are required to induce ovulation.

What is the meaning of the idiom dead heat?

a competition in which two or more competitors finish at exactly the same time or with exactly the same result: The race ended in a dead heat.

What do you call riding a horse fast?

gallop. verb. to ride a horse very fast.

What is a horse lover called?

hippophile (plural hippophiles) A person who loves horses.

What is a train pulled by a horse called?

A horsecar, horse-drawn tram, horse-drawn streetcar (U.S.), or horse-drawn railway (historical), is an animal-powered (usually horse) tram or streetcar.

Why do they say 40 winks?

As a blink lasts for a fraction of a second, forty winks take a few seconds. Hence the phrase ”forty winks” has come to mean a few moments of sleep, or a very short nap, especially taken during the daytime, while not in a sleeping position.

Where does the saying at sixes and sevens come from?

The term at sixes and sevens goes back at least to the 1300s. Originally, the phrase was rendered on six and seven, and referred to a dice game where throwing on a six or seven meant risking one’s entire fortune. Until the 1600s, on sixes and sevens meant to take a careless risk.

What does being at sixes and sevens mean?

confused
in a confused, badly organized, or difficult situation: We’ve been at sixes and sevens in the office this week. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Confusion, confusing and feeling confused. addled.

Where does the expression in the soup come from?

The phrase “in the soup” may have come from those who were forced to eat in soup kitchens. The meaning behind “in the soup” most likely has to do with the actual process of cooking, where anything that went into the pot was in trouble, since it was becoming part of a meal.

Where did the expression hair on fire come from?

“Hair on fire.” That odd phrase – believed to have originated among Navy aviators, intended to convey a sense of hair-raising urgency – quickly became the phrase of the day as this week’s hearings began before the commission investigating events that led to 9/11.

Where did the expression in the doghouse come from?

But what is the meaning of “the doghouse” and where did the idiom come from? As it turns out, the first known reference to a partner heading to “the doghouse” is in the 1911 J.M. Barrie classic children’s novel, Peter Pan. In the story, as you may recall, the Darling family has a dog named Nana.

What does dirty mean when ordering a coffee?

Dirty coffee is prepared by pulling a regular shot of espresso and then, while it’s still hot, slowly pouring it over cold milk; with the aid of the back of a spoon or without. The hot espresso floats on top of the cold milk and slowly seeps through the milk creating a messy and perceived “dirty” appearance.