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charley horse

Char·ley horse
C c

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [chahr-lee hawrs]
    • /ˈtʃɑr li hɔrs/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [chahr-lee hawrs]
    • /ˈtʃɑr li hɔrs/

Definitions of charley horse words

  • variable noun charley horse People sometimes refer to a cramp in the muscles of their leg or arm as a charley horse. 3
  • noun charley horse muscle stiffness or cramp following strenuous athletic exercise 3
  • noun charley horse a cramp or soreness in a muscle, specif. of the thigh, caused by strain 3
  • noun charley horse a painful, involuntary cramp of an arm or leg muscle resulting from excessive muscular strain or a blow. 1
  • noun charley horse muscle cramp 1
  • noun charley horse (Idiomatic) A muscle cramp, usually in the thigh or leg. 0
See all 6 definitions of charley horse

Information block about the term

Origin of charley horse

First appearance:

before 1885
One of the 21% newest English words
First recorded in 1885-90; orig. baseball slang

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Charley horse

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Charley horse

charley horse popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 34% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
According to our data about 61% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

charley horse usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for charley horse

noun charley horse

  • pain — physical suffering or distress, as due to injury, illness, etc.
  • twinge — a sudden, sharp pain: On damp days, he's often bothered by a twinge of rheumatism.
  • stiffness — rigid or firm; difficult or impossible to bend or flex: a stiff collar.
  • ache — If you ache or a part of your body aches, you feel a steady, fairly strong pain.
  • convulsion — If someone has convulsions, they suffer uncontrollable movements of their muscles.
All 27 Synonyms of charley horse

Antonyms for charley horse

noun charley horse

  • health — the general condition of the body or mind with reference to soundness and vigor: good health; poor health.
  • aid — Aid is money, equipment, or services that are provided for people, countries, or organizations who need them but cannot provide them for themselves.
  • assistance — If you give someone assistance, you help them do a job or task by doing part of the work for them.
  • comfort — If you are doing something in comfort, you are physically relaxed and contented, and are not feeling any pain or other unpleasant sensations.
  • ease — freedom from labor, pain, or physical annoyance; tranquil rest; comfort: to enjoy one's ease.
All 13 Antonyms of charley horse

See also

Matching words

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