hoss
nounUS /hɔːs/
Etymology A dialectal pronunciation of horse; see also 'oss in English dialects with h-dropping.
1
Southern US, Pronunciation spelling, Slang Pronunciation spelling of horse.
- "Them hosses are feeling their oats," said McGuire. "Can't tell what they'd be up to the minute I turned my back on 'em. Might jump that old fence and be off, for all I know."1922, Max Brand [pseudonym; Frederick Schiller Faust], Alcatraz:
- “That ole black hoss let out a whinny.”1952, Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man, Penguin Books (2014), page 563:
2
Southern US, Slang A big, strong and respected or dependable person, usually a man; one who is large like a horse.
- So here I was, fondling all sorts of fine mats, when a hoss of a woman screeched into her cell phone, rattling the lamps in the light fixture aisle.2004 December 8, Susan Reinhardt, “Facing my fear: Doing Disney with the crowds”, in Asbury Park Press, page 18:
3
Southern US, Capitalized, Often, Slang Term of address for a man.
- What's up, hoss?
- It's easy as picklin' eggs, Hoss.2015 November 23, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, “Dulcinea”, in The Expanse, season 1, episode 1, spoken by Alex Kamal (Cas Anvar):
- Derived terms
- hoss opera, one-hoss shay