dead horse

noun

The period of work on board ship for which the seamen have been paid in advance (usually a month's wages), the end of this term being celebrated by parading a straw horse about the decks.

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Meanings

noundead horse (usually uncountable, plural dead horses)

plural dead horses

  1. dateduncountableusuallynauticalThe period of work on board ship for which the seamen have been paid in advance (usually a month's wages), the end of this term being celebrated by parading a straw horse about the decks.
  2. AustraliaslanguncountableusuallyTomato sauce.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
laughing stock
Cite this entry
APA

dead horse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dead%20horse

MLA

“dead horse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dead%20horse. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dead horse,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dead%20horse.

Source: dead horse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.