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look a gift horse in the mouth

look a gift horse in the mouth
L l

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [loo k ey gift hawrs in stressed th ee noun mouth]
    • /lʊk eɪ gɪft hɔrs ɪn stressed ði noun maʊθ/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [loo k ey gift hawrs in stressed th ee noun mouth]
    • /lʊk eɪ gɪft hɔrs ɪn stressed ði noun maʊθ/

Definitions of look a gift horse in the mouth words

  • noun plural look a gift horse in the mouth a large, solid-hoofed, herbivorous quadruped, Equus caballus, domesticated since prehistoric times, bred in a number of varieties, and used for carrying or pulling loads, for riding, and for racing. 1
  • noun plural look a gift horse in the mouth a fully mature male animal of this type; stallion. 1
  • noun plural look a gift horse in the mouth any of several odd-toed ungulates belonging to the family Equidae, including the horse, zebra, donkey, and ass, having a thick, flat coat with a narrow mane along the back of the neck and bearing the weight on only one functioning digit, the third, which is widened into a round or spade-shaped hoof. 1
  • noun plural look a gift horse in the mouth something on which a person rides, sits, or exercises, as if astride the back of such an animal: rocking horse. 1
  • noun plural look a gift horse in the mouth Also called trestle. a frame, block, etc., with legs, on which something is mounted or supported. 1
  • noun plural look a gift horse in the mouth Gymnastics. vaulting horse. pommel horse. 1
See all 39 definitions of look a gift horse in the mouth

Information block about the term

Origin of look a gift horse in the mouth

First appearance:

before 900
One of the 4% oldest English words
before 900; (noun) Middle English, Old English hors; cognate with Old Norse hross, Dutch ros, German Ross (Middle High German ros, Old High German hros); (v.) Middle English horsen to provide with horses, Old English horsian, derivative of the noun

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Look a gift horse in the mouth

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Look a gift horse in the mouth

look a gift horse in the mouth popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 98% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

See also

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