wheel horse

American  

Or wheel-horse

noun

1. Also called wheeler.  a horse, or one of the horses, harnessed behind others and nearest the front wheels of a vehicle.

2. Chiefly South Atlantic States. the left-hand horse of a pair hitched to a wagon or plow.

3. Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. a reliable, diligent, and strong worker.

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wheel horse British  

noun

1. another word for wheeler

2. a person who works steadily or hard

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Etymology

Origin of wheel horse

First recorded in 1700–10

Example Sentences

“It’s a new economy and a new way of life, and the origins are the invention of the wheel, horse riding, and dairying.”

From Science Magazine • Sep. 15, 2021

The wheel horse of the Army line is bashful, 225-lb.

From Time Magazine Archive

He always reported for votes on crucial measures, has been a loyal wheel horse day in, day out, hardworking, steady, easy to know and easy to like.

From Time Magazine Archive

For the post of dean of the graduate school and senior college Chancellor Kirkland had chosen no Vanderbilt wheel horse but President Oliver Cromwell Carmichael of Alabama College.

From Time Magazine Archive

Jezebel, who had come up leading the big wheel horse, said significantly, “Somethin’ stronger, if you like.”

From The Fighting Shepherdess by Lockhart, Caroline