hoss

See also: Hoss

English

Alternative forms

• hawss

Etymology

Non-rhotic spelling pronunciation of horse. See also 'oss in English dialects with H-dropping.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /hɔːs/
• Rhymes: -ɔːs

Noun

hoss (countable and uncountable, plural hosses)

1. (Southern US, slang) Pronunciation spelling of horse.
   • 1922, Max Brand [pseudonym; Frederick Schiller Faust], Alcatraz‎^[1]:

     "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."

   • 1952, Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man, Penguin Books (2014), page 563:

     “That ole black hoss let out a whinny.”

2. (Southern US, slang) A big, strong and respected or dependable person, usually a man; one who is large like a horse.
   • 2004 December 8, Susan Reinhardt, “Facing my fear: Doing Disney with the crowds”, in Asbury Park Press, page 18:

     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.

3. (Southern US, slang, often capitalized) Term of address for a man.

   What's up, hoss?

4. (Northwestern US, slang) A car.

Synonyms

• (man): dude, man, brother, guy, chap, comrade, bub

Derived terms

• hoss opera
• one-hoss shay

Anagrams

• Sohs, shos, sohs, sosh

Norwegian Bokmål

Adverb

hoss

1. form removed with the spelling reform of 1959; superseded by hvordan

Norwegian Nynorsk

Adverb

hoss

1. (pre-2012) alternative form of korleis