trial horse
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of trial horse
First recorded in 1900–05
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He even went so far as to commission Britton Chance Jr. to design a new 12-meter to be used as a trial horse for the challenging French sloop.
From Time Magazine Archive
But Sydney is not Newport, and after watching Dame Pattie in U.S. waters against her trial horse, Nefertiti, most experts do not rate her quite as fast as Intrepid.
From Time Magazine Archive
His comeback so far had been unimpressive; in January he was beaten by a clumsy trial horse, Tiger Jones.
From Time Magazine Archive
In a dozen tune-up races with an elderly twelve-meter trial horse, Evaine, the gleaming Sceptre had been beaten every time.
From Time Magazine Archive
And in the matter of a contest Jasper could not imagine a better trial horse than Buck Heath.
From Way of the Lawless by Brand, Max
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
