Meanings
alternative rode hard and put up wet
- idiomaticMistreated; not properly cared for.
The Oriskany had been ridden hard and put away wet at the end of the Vietnam War, without an overhaul or proper preservation.
1988, John F. Lehman, Command of the Seas: A Personal Story, page 1742 more examples
However, much more is needed, much more. Farmers throughout the Nation feel that they have been "ridden hard and put away wet."
1978, Subcommittee on Conservation; Credit, United States Congress, Amend Credit Provisions for Farm and Rural Development Programs, page 62Alexandra collapsed onto the leather couch in the library, feeling as if she were a horse who had just been ridden hard and put away wet.
1995, Linda Howard et al., Everlasting Love, page 293 - colloquialpotentially offensive; chiefly applied to women; potentially offensive; chiefly applied to womenPresumed to have had a significant number of lovers and showing the signs of overuse.
That's what my mama would call rode hard and hung up wet.
2022, Ryan Binaco, To Leslie
Origin
From the inadvisable practice of riding a horse and then stabling it while it is still coated in sweat, rather than brushing and grooming it properly afterwards.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
ridden hard and put away wet. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ridden%20hard%20and%20put%20away%20wet
“ridden hard and put away wet.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ridden%20hard%20and%20put%20away%20wet. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ridden hard and put away wet,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ridden%20hard%20and%20put%20away%20wet.
Source: ridden hard and put away wet on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.