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horse-trade

[hawrs-treyd]
See more synonyms for horse-trade on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object), horse-trad·ed, horse-trad·ing.
  1. to bargain or trade shrewdly.
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Origin of horse-trade

An Americanism dating back to 1820–30

horse trade

noun
  1. a shrewdly conducted exchange, as of favors or objects, usually resulting from or accompanied by very close bargaining.
  2. an exchanging or trading of horses.
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Origin of horse trade

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for horse-trade

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Truth, it seemed, might be absent or present in a horse-trade, but mystery was essential.

    Buying a Horse

    William Dean Howells

  • I took time to explain how I had made a raise, and about the horse-trade.

  • I can get a margin off most any man in the West on a horse-trade, but I'd look shy about doing a trade with him.

  • They both remembered that Hennard was close by at the time of the quarrel over the Horse-trade.

    Two Little Savages

    Ernest Thompson Seton

  • For there, it is said, no boy is permitted to leave home on a horse enterprise until he has cheated his father in a horse-trade.