Definition

1. Noun:
   • A horse trained to trot; especially a horse trained for harness racing: A "trotter" is a horse specifically bred and trained for the gait known as a trot, often for competitive harness racing where it pulls a light two-wheeled cart called a sulky.
   • The foot of a pig or sheep, especially one used as food: In culinary contexts, a "trotter" refers to the foot of certain animals, most commonly a pig, which is often cooked and eaten.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Horse):
  • The champion trotter broke the track record in the final race.
  • He breeds and trains standardbred trotters for a living.
• Noun (Animal Foot):
  • The recipe for the stew calls for two pig's trotters.
  • She ordered braised lamb trotters from the traditional menu.

Advanced Usage

• "To be on one's trotters": (British English, informal/humorous) To be on one's feet; to be walking or moving about.
  • After the long meeting, I was glad to be back on my trotters.

Variants and Related Words

• Trot (verb/noun): The two-beat diagonal gait of a horse, or the act of moving at such a pace. This is the base action from which "trotter" is derived.
• Trotting (noun/adj): The sport of harness racing with trotters, or describing something related to this gait.

Synonyms

• For the horse: Harness racer, standardbred (a breed commonly used for trotting races).
• For the foot: Pig's foot, pettitoes (an older term for pig's trotters).

Related Idioms

• "To go for a trot" / "To trot something out": While these idioms use the verb "trot," they are conceptually related. "To trot something out" means to bring forward for inspection or use, often repeatedly.
  • He trotted out the same old excuses for being late.

Noun

1. a horse trained to trot; especially a horse trained for harness racing
2. foot of a pig or sheep especially one used as food