horse trading

American  

noun

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

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horse trading British  

noun

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

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horse trading Idioms  

1. 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]

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Etymology

Origin of horse trading

An Americanism dating back to 1820–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

horse trading

Perhaps this winter will bring more snow, replenishing the reservoirs and buying time for horse trading.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

That means extensive glad-handing and horse trading before the famously blunt Milei can get started on a daunting legislative agenda.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2025

"Party discipline takes second place where there is constituency money involved," says Prof Logsdon, a seasoned watcher of the horse trading that goes on with space politics in Congress.

From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2025

After the election, lawmakers form camps around hotels in the capital Honiara where horse trading takes place to persuade a majority to back various candidates for prime minister.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 15, 2024

There is a great deal of dishonesty in horse trading and an honest seller who has nothing to conceal should be willing to grant a fair trial of a week or more.

From Outdoor Sports and Games by Claude H. Miller