hay is for horses
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From hay being homophonous with hey.
Phrase
(deprecated template usage) hay is for horses
- (sarcastic) said as a retort to someone saying hey (any sense of the interjection), used to indicate that the speaker disapproves of the usage of the word "hey", perhaps due to a dislike of informal speech.
Usage notes
In British English, use of the word "Hey" is usually associated with an accusation. "Hey you, stop that" to someone fighting in the street, for example. It is not therefore used as an alternative to "hello" in normal speech.