horse-trade

[hawrs-treyd]

verb (used without object), horse-trad·ed, horse-trad·ing.

to bargain or trade shrewdly.

Origin of horse-trade

An Americanism dating back to 1820–30

horse trading

noun

the act or fact of conducting a shrewd exchange or engaging in a horse trade; bargaining.

Origin of horse trading

An Americanism dating back to 1820–30

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for horse-trading

squabble, barter, dicker, bargain, wrangle, quibble, cavil, deal, palter, argue, dispute, chaffer

Examples from the Web for horse-trading

Contemporary Examples of horse-trading

Israeli politics will now devolve into a fierce period of horse-trading, double dealing, and speculation.
Israel’s Election Could Be Bad News for Netanyahu
Robert Shrum
January 23, 2013
The word "horse-trading" in politics is not meant to be understood literally after all.
Obama's Crazy Clinton Mess
Eric Alterman
May 28, 2010
Andrew Roberts on the horse-trading ahead—and the financial Armageddon to come.
Well-Hung British Election
The Daily Beast
May 7, 2010
The leadership may have to dangle choice committee assignments to complete the steal, and engage in other kinds of horse-trading.
How To Switch Parties
Samuel P. Jacobs
January 6, 2010

Historical Examples of horse-trading

If we put this deal over right we don't need to bother about horse-trading.
Rimrock Trail
J. Allan Dunn
Rome began as a thousand American cities have done, by being a convenient place for barter and horse-trading.
The Story of Mankind
Hendrik Van Loon
Jasper went out and into the dining-room conducted the horse-trading preacher.
The Starbucks
Opie Percival Read
The former make an open business of horse-trading, and the latter of public-dancing, singing, and fortune-telling.
Due North or Glimpses of Scandinavia and Russia
Maturin M. Ballou
They indulged in horse-trading and played politics to a certain extent, but the lines of demarcation were sharper.
Ten From Infinity
Paul W. Fairman

British Dictionary definitions for horse-trading

horse trading

noun

hard bargaining to obtain equal concessions by both sides in a dispute

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with horse-trading

horse trading

Negotiation marked by hard bargaining and shrewd exchange. For example, The restaurant owner is famous for his horse trading; he's just exchanged a month of free dinners for a month of free television commercials. This expression alludes to the notorious shrewdness of horse traders, who literally bought and sold horses. [c. 1820]