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charley horse. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
charley horse, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
charley horse in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
charley horse you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Etymology
The term may date back to American slang of the 1880s, and is possibly from the pitcher Charlie "Old Hoss" Radbourn, who is said to have suffered from cramps.[1]
Pronunciation
Noun
charley horse (plural charley horses)
- (idiomatic, US) A muscle cramp, usually a strong one, in the thigh, leg, arm, or core.
- Hypernym: cramp
1914, Ralph Henry Barbour, Left End Edwards:Of course there had been plenty of bruises—one mild case of charley-horse, several dislocated or sprained fingers, a wrenched ankle or two and any number of cuts and scrapes, […]
- (informal) A punch in the thigh.
2006, Joe L. Kincheloe, The Praeger Handbook of Urban Education, volume 1, page 324:I knew to just keep my mouth shut about it — unless I wanted the word "dummy" to be followed by a charley horse.
Translations
a muscle cramp, usually in the thigh or leg
References
Further reading