dray-horse
Definition
- Noun:
- A dray-horse is a type of horse specifically bred or trained to pull a dray, which is a low, heavy cart without sides, used for transporting heavy loads such as beer barrels, coal, or other bulky goods.
Usage Examples
- (A horse used for pulling a heavy cart.)
- (A working horse for heavy transport.)
Advanced Usage
- "to work like a dray-horse": to work very hard, especially at physical labor.
- After a long day of moving furniture, he felt like a dray-horse. (He worked extremely hard, similar to the animal's laborious role.)
Variants and Related Words
- Dray (n): a low, heavy cart without sides, used for carrying heavy loads.
- The dray was loaded with sacks of grain. (The cart itself.)
- Dray-horse (n): a synonym for a draft horse or heavy horse used for pulling.
Synonyms
- Draft horse: a horse bred for heavy work, such as pulling plows or carts.
- Workhorse: a horse used for labor, or metaphorically a person who works tirelessly.
- Carthorse: a horse used to pull a cart.
Related Idioms
- "Strong as a dray-horse": extremely physically powerful.
- The blacksmith was as strong as a dray-horse from years of lifting anvils. (Very strong, like the animal.)
Notes on Usage
- The term dray-horse is somewhat historical or specific to contexts involving traditional heavy transport, such as breweries or coal yards. In modern English, it is less common than draft horse or workhorse, but it remains a precise term for a horse pulling a specific type of cart.