What is "pony"

Horse \Horse\ (h[^o]rs), n. [AS. hors; akin to OS. hros, D. & OHG. ros, G. ross, Icel. hross; and perh. to L. currere to run, E. course, current Cf. Walrus.]

1. (Zo["o]l.) A hoofed quadruped of the genus Equus; especially, the domestic horse ( Equus caballus), which was domesticated in Egypt and Asia at a very early period. It has six broad molars, on each side of each jaw, with six incisors, and two canine teeth, both above and below. The mares usually have the canine teeth rudimentary or wanting. The horse differs from the true asses, in having a long, flowing mane, and the tail bushy to the base. Unlike the asses it has callosities, or chestnuts, on all its legs. The horse excels in strength, speed, docility, courage, and nobleness of character, and is used for drawing, carrying, bearing a rider, and like purposes.

   Note: Many varieties, differing in form, size, color, gait, speed, etc., are known, but all are believed to have been derived from the same original species. It is supposed to have been a native of the plains of Central Asia, but the wild species from which it was derived is not certainly known. The feral horses of America are domestic horses that have run wild; and it is probably true that most of those of Asia have a similar origin. Some of the true wild Asiatic horses do, however, approach the domestic horse in several characteristics. Several species of fossil ( Equus) are known from the later Tertiary formations of Europe and America. The fossil species of other genera of the family Equid[ae] are also often called horses, in general sense.

2. The male of the genus Equus, in distinction from the female or male; usually, a castrated male.

3. Mounted soldiery; cavalry; -- used without the plural termination; as, a regiment of horse; -- distinguished from foot.

   The armies were appointed, consisting of twenty-five thousand horse and foot.
   --Bacon.

4. A frame with legs, used to support something; as, a clotheshorse, a sawhorse, etc.

5. A frame of timber, shaped like a horse, on which soldiers were made to ride for punishment.

6. Anything, actual or figurative, on which one rides as on a horse; a hobby.

7. (Mining) A mass of earthy matter, or rock of the same character as the wall rock, occurring in the course of a vein, as of coal or ore; hence, to take horse -- said of a vein -- is to divide into branches for a distance.

8. (Naut.)

   1. See Footrope, a.

   2. A breastband for a leadsman.

   3. An iron bar for a sheet traveler to slide upon.

   4. A jackstay.
      --W. C. Russell.
      --Totten.

9. (Student Slang)

   1. A translation or other illegitimate aid in study or examination; -- called also trot, pony, Dobbin.

   2. Horseplay; tomfoolery.

10. heroin. [slang]

11. horsepower. [Colloq. contraction] Note: Horse is much used adjectively and in composition to signify of, or having to do with, a horse or horses, like a horse, etc.; as, horse collar, horse dealer or horse?dealer, horsehoe, horse jockey; and hence, often in the sense of strong, loud, coarse, etc.; as, horselaugh, horse nettle or horse-nettle, horseplay, horse ant, etc. Black horse, Blood horse, etc. See under Black, etc. Horse aloes, caballine aloes. Horse ant (Zo["o]l.), a large ant ( Formica rufa); -- called also horse emmet. Horse artillery, that portion of the artillery in which the cannoneers are mounted, and which usually serves with the cavalry; flying artillery. Horse balm (Bot.), a strong-scented labiate plant ( Collinsonia Canadensis), having large leaves and yellowish flowers. Horse bean (Bot.), a variety of the English or Windsor bean ( Faba vulgaris), grown for feeding horses. Horse boat, a boat for conveying horses and cattle, or a boat propelled by horses. Horse bot. (Zo["o]l.) See Botfly, and Bots. Horse box, a railroad car for transporting valuable horses, as hunters. [Eng.] Horse breaker or Horse trainer, one employed in subduing or training horses for use. Horse car.

    1. A railroad car drawn by horses. See under Car.

    2. A car fitted for transporting horses. Horse cassia (Bot.), a leguminous plant ( Cassia Javanica), bearing long pods, which contain a black, catharic pulp, much used in the East Indies as a horse medicine. Horse cloth, a cloth to cover a horse. Horse conch (Zo["o]l.), a large, spiral, marine shell of the genus Triton. See Triton. Horse courser.

       1. One that runs horses, or keeps horses for racing.
          --Johnson.

       2. A dealer in horses. [Obs.] --Wiseman. Horse crab (Zo["o]l.), the Limulus; -- called also horsefoot, horsehoe crab, and king crab. Horse crevall['e] (Zo["o]l.), the cavally. Horse emmet (Zo["o]l.), the horse ant. Horse finch (Zo["o]l.), the chaffinch. [Prov. Eng.] Horse gentian (Bot.), fever root. Horse iron (Naut.), a large calking iron. Horse latitudes, a space in the North Atlantic famous for calms and baffling winds, being between the westerly winds of higher latitudes and the trade winds. --Ham. Nav. Encyc. Horse mackrel. (Zo["o]l.)

          1. The common tunny ( Orcynus thunnus), found on the Atlantic coast of Europe and America, and in the Mediterranean.

          2. The bluefish ( Pomatomus saltatrix).

    3. The scad.

    4. The name is locally applied to various other fishes, as the California hake, the black candlefish, the jurel, the bluefish, etc. Horse marine (Naut.), an awkward, lubbery person; one of a mythical body of marine cavalry. [Slang] Horse mussel (Zo["o]l.), a large, marine mussel ( Modiola modiolus), found on the northern shores of Europe and America. Horse nettle (Bot.), a coarse, prickly, American herb, the Solanum Carolinense. Horse parsley. (Bot.) See Alexanders. Horse purslain (Bot.), a coarse fleshy weed of tropical America ( Trianthema monogymnum). Horse race, a race by horses; a match of horses in running or trotting. Horse racing, the practice of racing with horses. Horse railroad, a railroad on which the cars are drawn by horses; -- in England, and sometimes in the United States, called a tramway. Horse run (Civil Engin.), a device for drawing loaded wheelbarrows up an inclined plane by horse power. Horse sense, strong common sense. [Colloq. U.S.] Horse soldier, a cavalryman. Horse sponge (Zo["o]l.), a large, coarse, commercial sponge ( Spongia equina). Horse stinger (Zo["o]l.), a large dragon fly. [Prov. Eng.] Horse sugar (Bot.), a shrub of the southern part of the United States ( Symplocos tinctoria), whose leaves are sweet, and good for fodder. Horse tick (Zo["o]l.), a winged, dipterous insect ( Hippobosca equina), which troubles horses by biting them, and sucking their blood; -- called also horsefly, horse louse, and forest fly. Horse vetch (Bot.), a plant of the genus Hippocrepis ( Hippocrepis comosa), cultivated for the beauty of its flowers; -- called also horsehoe vetch, from the peculiar shape of its pods. Iron horse, a locomotive. [Colloq.] Salt horse, the sailor's name for salt beef. To look a gift horse in the mouth, to examine the mouth of a horse which has been received as a gift, in order to ascertain his age; -- hence, to accept favors in a critical and thankless spirit. --Lowell. To take horse.

       1. To set out on horseback.
          --Macaulay.

       2. To be covered, as a mare.

       3. See definition 7 (above).

1650s, powny, from Scottish, apparently from obsolete French poulenet "little foal" (mid-15c.), diminutive of Old French poulain "foal," from Late Latin pullanus "young of an animal," from Latin pullus "young of a horse, fowl, etc." (see foal (n.)) [Skeat's suggestion, still accepted].\n

\nGerman, sensibly, indicates this animal by attaching a diminutive suffix to its word for "horse," which might yield Modern English *horslet. Modern French poney is a 19c. borrowing from English. Meaning "crib of a text as a cheating aid" (1827) and "small liquor glass" (1849) both are from notion of "smallness" (the former also "something one rides"). As the name of a popular dance, it dates from 1963. The U.S. Pony Express began 1860 (and operated about 18 months before being superseded by the transcontinental telegraph). The figurative one-trick pony is 1897, American English, in reference to circus acts.

1824, in pony up "to pay," of uncertain origin. OED says from pony (n.), but not exactly how. In other sources said to be from slang use of Latin legem pone to mean "money" (first recorded 16c.), because this was the title of the Psalm for March 25, a Quarter Day and the first payday of the year (the Psalm's first line is Legem pone michi domine viam iustificacionum "Teach me, O Lord, the ways of thy statutes").

Etymology 1 n. 1 Any of several small breeds of horse under 14.2 hands. 2 (context regional English) A small serving of an alcoholic beverage, especially beer. 3 (context Australia New South Wales Victoria English) A serving of 140 millilitres of beer (formerly 5 fl oz); a quarter pint. 4 (context UK slang English) Twenty-five pounds sterling. 5 (context US slang English) A translation used as a study aid; loosely, a crib, a cheat-sheet. vb. (context transitive English) To lead (a horse) from another horse. Etymology 2

1. (context Cockney rhyming slang English) Of little worth. n. (context Cockney rhyming slang English) crap; rubbish, nonsense.

1. n. a range horse of the western United States

2. an informal term for a racehorse; "he liked to bet on the ponies"

3. a literal translation used in studying a foreign language (often used illicitly) [syn: trot, crib]

4. a small glass adequate to hold a single swallow of whiskey [syn: shot glass, jigger]

5. any of various breeds of small gentle horses usually less than five feet high at the shoulder

A pony is a small horse.

Pony, PONY or ponies may also refer to:

"Pony" is a country song written by Kasey Chambers and produced by Nash Chambers for Kasey Chambers third album Wayward Angel (2004). It was released as the album's third single on 16 January 2005 in Australia as CD single. The song became Chambers' third top ten hit in Australia and includes a reference to Ralph Stanley, the Folk, Bluegrass, and Country music legend.

The Pony was a dance made popular in the 1960s by the Chubby Checker song " Pony Time". The beat is 1&2, 3&4, etc. In the dance the feet are kept comfortably together, while various arm and hand motions are possible. Movement around the dance floor may occur, but there is no line-of-dance. Couples, who generally face each other, do not touch and turns and chase positions are possible.

The Pony is mentioned in the Wilson Pickett song " Land of a Thousand Dances", in the Nick Lowe song " I Knew the Bride" and in The Go-Go's song " We Got the Beat."

Cindy Wilson of The B-52's can be seen performing the Pony in the video for their 1980 song, " Give Me Back My Man", as well as in other films of the band performing between 1978 and 1980 (including their 1980 appearance on Saturday Night Live). The band completed the period effect by wearing early 60s-style outfits and hairstyles.

"Pony" is the debut single of American singer Ginuwine, released as a single from his first LP Ginuwine...The Bachelor in 1996. The song was written by Ginuwine with Swing Mob associates Static Major and Timbaland, who produced the recording. The song's lyrics describe a blatant sexual come-on: "If you're horny, let's do it / Ride it; my pony."

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A pony is a small horse ( Equus ferus caballus). Depending on context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. There are many different breeds. Compared to other horses, ponies often exhibit thicker manes, tails and overall coat, as well as proportionally shorter legs, wider barrels, heavier bone, thicker necks, and shorter heads with broader foreheads. The word pony derives from the old French poulenet, meaning foal, a young, immature horse, but this is not the modern meaning; unlike a horse foal, a pony remains small when fully grown. However, on occasion, people who are unfamiliar with horses may confuse an adult pony with a foal.

The ancestors of most modern ponies developed small stature because they lived on the margins of livable horse habitat. These smaller animals were domesticated and bred for various purposes all over the Northern Hemisphere. Ponies were historically used for driving and freight transport, as children's mounts, for recreational riding, and later as competitors and performers in their own right. During the Industrial Revolution, particularly in Great Britain, a significant number were used as pit ponies, hauling loads of coal in the mines.

Ponies are generally considered intelligent and friendly, although sometimes they also are described as stubborn or cunning. Properly trained ponies are appropriate mounts for children who are learning to ride. Larger ponies can be ridden by adults, as ponies are usually strong for their size. In modern use, many organizations define a pony as a mature horse that measures less than at the withers, but there are a number of exceptions. Different organizations that use a strict measurement model vary from to nearly . Many breeds classify an animal as either horse or pony based on pedigree and phenotype, no matter its height. Some full-sized horses may be called ponies for various reasons of tradition or as a term of endearment.

Pony is the debut and only album by the English psychedelic rock band Spratleys Japs. Released in 1998 on All My Eye And Betty Martin Music, the album was a side-project of Cardiacs frontman Tim Smith and his then partner Joanne Spratley. Although other musicians are credited as playing on the album, it is believed that this was part of an elaborate fictional conceit, and that in fact Smith and Spratley were the only musicians to have been involved with the recording.

Pony is a gay bar in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, in the U.S. state of Washington.