Where did the term Hold your horses come from?

Literal meaning: comes from the 17th century, when someone broke a law they would trample them with horses. The person in charge would say "Hold your horses" and then would tie the lawbreaker onto a piece of wood and lay him on the ground. Then the horses would come and trample him.
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Who came up with hold your horses?

The Origin Of 'Hold Your Horses'

It may have originated from a time where horse transportation was more common. Perhaps people looking for a ride on a horse or horse-drawn vehicle would tell the rider to literally hold their horses.
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Is hold your horses a southern thing?

If you grew up in the South, you know hearing the phrase "hold your horses" means hang on a minute or wait, but knowing where the expression comes from isn't quite as common knowledge. The literal meaning of the phrase is an easy one to grasp.
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Where did the saying hold on come from?

Hold on is early 13c. as "to maintain one's course," 1830 as "to keep one's grip on something," 1846 as an order to wait or stop.
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What is the meaning of to hold one's horse?

to come to a temporary halt in one's activity. We'll eat when everyone is here, so just hold your horses.
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Hold Your Horses: Meaning of Expression



What does cat has your tongue mean?

The phrase 'Cat Got Your Tongue' is used to describe when someone is at a loss of words or being unusually quiet.
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What does the idiom When Pigs Fly mean?

Definition of when pigs fly

—used to say that one thinks that something will never happen The train station will be renovated when pigs fly.
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What does going bananas mean?

Definition of go bananas

: to become very excited or angry The crowd went bananas when the concert began.
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What does Never look a gift horse in the mouth mean?

Definition of look a gift horse in the mouth

: to look in a critical way at something that has been given to one I noticed the guitar wasn't made of real wood, but I didn't say anything because you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
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What does fish out of water mean?

A person away from his or her usual environment or activities. For example, Using a computer for the first time, Carl felt like a fish out of water, or On a hiking trail, Nell was a fish out of water. This expression alludes to the fact that fish cannot survive for long on dry land. [ Late 1300s]
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What does it mean to take 5?

US, informal. : to take a brief break (as from work) They're locked in a fierce debate over the last scene of their film … when camp director and Hollywood veteran Sam Dalton finally orders them to take five.—
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What is meant by Keep your chin up?

Definition of keep one's chin up

: to stay cheerful and hopeful during difficult times He's still keeping his chin up despite all his health problems. (Keep your) chin up! Everything will work out for the best.
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What is meaning once in a blue moon?

Once in a blue moon: This poetic phrase refers to something extremely rare in occurrence. A blue moon is the term commonly used for a second full moon that occasionally appears in a single month of our solar-based calendars.
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What is hold your horses an example of?

The idiom is often used to tell someone to wait and think about something before taking action. This idiom is most commonly used as a command but can be used in any verb tense form.
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What type of clause is hold your horses?

Today, hold your horses is often used as an imperative, which is a verb that is used as a command or exhortation.
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What is the meaning of all ears in idioms?

Eager to hear something, listening attentively, as in Tell me who else was invited? I'm all ears.
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What is the meaning of putting the cart before the horse?

Definition of put the cart before the horse

: to do things in the wrong order People are putting the cart before the horse by making plans on how to spend the money before we are even certain that the money will be available.
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What does it mean to be a little long in the tooth?

Getting on in years, old, as in Aunt Aggie's a little long in the tooth to be helping us move. This expression alludes to a horse's gums receding with age and making the teeth appear longer. [
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What does back to square one mean?

Definition of go back to square one

: to start over His idea didn't work, so he had to go back to square one.
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What does Apple pie order idiom mean?

Definition of in apple-pie order

informal. : arranged neatly or perfectly : in perfect order Everything in the cupboard was (arranged) in apple-pie order.
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What does eye to eye mean?

to have or come to the same opinion or point of view. The two did not see eye to eye on on certain political issues.
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What is the literal meaning of green with envy?

Full of desire for someone's possessions or advantages; extremely covetous. For example, Her fur coat makes me green with envy. Shakespeare described envy as the green sickness (Anthony and Cleopatra, 3:2), but the current phrase, dating from the mid-1800s, is the one most often heard. Also see green-eyed monster.
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Where did the phrase till the cows come home?

The idiom till the cows come home has been in use since at least the sixteenth century and may have originated in the Scottish Highlands, where cows are allowed to graze for months at a time before they meander home in the fall.
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What does zip your lips mean?

Definition of zip one's lip

: to stop talking immediately Tell your sister to zip her lip!
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What does having a foot of clay mean?

a weakness or hidden flaw in the character of a greatly admired or respected person:He was disillusioned to find that even Lincoln had feet of clay. any unexpected or critical fault.
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