Do you know
the true meaning behind some of the most popular horse-related clichés that many
of us use on a regular basis? It’s time for me to educate, inspire, and
challenge all of you. (You know how I am? This is what I do. It will get entertaining
rather quickly though because I have the attention span of a gnat.)[iv]
1. "HOLD
YOUR HORSES" means wait. (The phrase is historically related to
driving a horse-drawn carriage.)
"If your horse says "no", you
either asked the wrong question, or asked the question wrong." [v]
2. “A HORSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR”
means a
new way of doing something. Any specific type of thing
that is different in a noticeable way, similar to a horse dyed with Jell-O
powder so that is a different color. This phrase was derived
from Shakespeare’s play, Twelfth Night
(“a horse of that color”).
"The world is best viewed through the
ears of a horse."[vi]
3.
“Beat a dead horse” means
the act
of pushing onward when a decision has already been made and will not change.
"Horses change lives. They give our
young people confidence and self-esteem. They provide peace and tranquility to
troubled souls. They give us hope."[vii]
4. “CHARLEY HORSE” means a painful involuntary cramp in
the leg muscle, which typically last anywhere from a few seconds to about a
day. (This term is used in the United States and Canada. Mustard may be useful
in relieving the spasm.)
"A
horse is the projection of peoples' dreams about themselves (strong, powerful, [and] beautiful) and it has the capability of
giving us escape from our mundane existence.”[viii]
5. “CHOMPING AT THE BIT” means turning nervous about
an impending event. It
refers to the tendency of a horse to chew on a metal mouthpiece (bit to
control) when impatient or eager.
“We all stumble along
the way. If a person never speaks hurtful words or shouts in anger or profanity, then he has achieved
perfection. The one who can control his tongue can also control the rest of his
body.
It’s like when we
place a metal bit into a horse’s mouth to ride it; we can control its entire
body with the slightest movement of
our hands.” [ix]
6.
“Dark horse” means
a candidate about whom little is known, but who unexpectedly wins.
7.
“Don’t Look A gift horse in the mouth” means don’t find fault with something that has been received
as a favor.
8.
“Eat Like a Horse” means
someone who eats a great deal of food (like me).
"The
essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the
rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit and freedom."[xii]
9.
“Get off your high horse” means
stop behaving in a superior manner. (Being
told you were on a high horse used to be a compliment: Only soldiers and royalty
rode tall war chargers. Then, as people lost respect for the high and mighty
during the revolutions of the late 1700s, the high horse was seen as uppity.)
"When a horse greets you with a snicker
and regards you with a large and liquid eye, the question of where you want to
be has been answered."[xiii]
10.
“HORSEPOWER” is a unit of power equal to 550 foot-pounds per second.
This is an
imperial unit of power. (1 horsepower, hp = 745.7 watts, W)
11.
“Horseplay” means rough, boisterous play.
"The love for a horse is just as
complicated as the love for another human being...if you never love a horse,
you will never understand."[xv]
12. “HORSEY SAUCE” is condiment created by
Arby’s for their roast beef sandwich that is a mixture of horseradish and
mayonnaise. (It can cause bowel issues.)
13.
“One Horse Town” means an insignificant town.
"One can get in a car and see what man has made. One
must get on a horse to see what God has made."[xvii]
14. “You
can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink” means
you can give someone the opportunity to learn, but you can never force them to accept that opportunity.
"Wherever man has left his footprints in
the long ascent from barbarism to civilization, we find the hoof print of a
horse beside it."[xviii]
Whatever it is in life that you find
gives you true purpose; pursue it. I believe Winston Churchill church
got it right when he made this quote: "No hour of life is wasted that is
spent in the saddle." What should
you be investing your life in?
 |
| Aunt Phyllis with her daughters (left to right, Cousin Linnette and Cousin Tiffany) |
[ii] The title of this post was
inspired by this quote by an unknown author: "Bread may
feed my body, but my horse feeds my soul."
[iii] This post is inspired by the
article, “The Origins of 12 Horse-Related Idioms” by Lucas Reilly
[iv] All of the following definitions were adapted from www.urbandictionary.com and Google Answers.“I sometimes feel I have the attention span of a gnat, that my multitasking is really masking an inability to concentrate on one thing long enough to finish it…”
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