horse

name

1. A surname.
2. The seventh of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar.

noun

Etymology: Unknown; probably originally criminals' cant based on the initial letter of heroin and horse.

1. Heroin (drug).

   “Riccio nodded toward a boy across the floor and said, “See that kid? He’s on dope.” The boy was standing against a wall, staring vacantly at the dancers, his face fixed in a gentle, faraway smile. Every few seconds, he would wipe his nose with the back of his hand. “Man, that Jo-Jo!” Benny said. “He’s stoned all the time.” “What’s he on—horse? Riccio asked, meaning heroin. “Who knows with that creep?” Benny said. I asked Benny if any special kind of boy went in for dope. “The creeps,” he said. “You know, the goofballs.” He searched for a word. “The weak kids. Like Jo-Jo. There ain’t nothing the guys can’t do to him. Last week, we took his pants off and made him run right in the middle of the street without them.””

   “Check that shirt. I got a couple of jolts of horse stashed under the collar”

verb

Etymology: From Middle English horsen, from Old English horsian (“to horse, provide with horses”) and ġehorsian (“to horse, set or mount on a horse, supply with horses”), from the noun (see above).

1. Synonym of horse around.

   “"Stop horsing, and guess how many kids!"”

   “"Why don't we stop horsing and get down to cases, Lou?" Mike Davey growled.”

2. To play mischievous pranks on.

   “Was someone horsing her? Was it Josh's idea of a joke? For some moments she sat, plump hands with long pointed pink nails, toying with the envelope. Then she went to the telephone and called[…]”

3. To provide with a horse; supply horses for.

   “being better horsed, outrode me”

   “[…] and the same number from Russia for horsing her guns. During peace Turkey has 15,000 regular Cavalry; on mobilisation she should have 21,000, and 4,000 pack animals, without taking the irregular corps into consideration.”

4. To get on horseback.

   “He horsed himself well.”

5. To sit astride of; to bestride.

   “Stalls, bulks, windows / Are smothered up, leads filled, and ridges horsed / With variable complexions, all agreeing / In earnestness to see him.”

6. To copulate with (a mare).
7. To take or carry on the back.

   “keepers, horsing the deer”

8. To place (someone) on the back of another person, or on a wooden horse, chair, etc., to be flogged or punished.

   “So they brought him out and horsed him upon the back of Planter George, and whipped him until he fell quivering in the dust.”

   “Faster than Lei could have believed, Omura blocked the exit, grabbed Kennedy's wrist and twisted it up behind her back, horsing her onto the hard metal chair. She sat the woman on it, slapping on a pair of cuffs.”

9. To place (someone) on the back of another person, or on a wooden horse, chair, etc., to be flogged or punished.

   “[N]otwithstanding the intercession of his governor, who begged earnestly that his punishment might be mitigated, our unfortunate hero was publickly horsed, in terrorem of all whom it might concern.”

10. To pull, haul, or move (something) with great effort, like a horse would.

    “[A] country-ship from China to Bombay, standing into the strait at noon with a strong tide and scant wind, stood too near Pedro Branco before tacking, and was totally lost, by the tide horsing her upon the rock whilst in stays.”

    “Cambria observing this again went about, and tacked towards the island, Sappho followed suit; after a short reach she again tacked and stood for the mark vessel, the tide horsing her well to the westward, but the Cambria stood on[…]”

11. To cram (food) quickly, indiscriminately or in great volume.

    “The Spaniards spend generations honing the subtle flavours of their delightful tapas and you're horsing it into your mouth as though it was a fried egg roll with brown sauce.'”

    “Get your laughing gear around some protein at every meal, spreading your intake over the course of the day rather than horsing it into you all in one go, at one mealtime. If you are training hard, try to consume around 25g protein[…]”

12. To urge at work tyrannically.
13. To charge for work before it is finished.
14. To cheat at schoolwork by means of a translation or other illegitimate aid.