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Taka Posted 20 years ago
Grammar

horse feathers

0 01i01font00Very nice indeed. And, 01font01u00horse feathers02u01font00, how about the rest of the piece?02br
02br
00 （A comment from 02font02font02font02i05001font01i00)02br
02br
02i00What does 'horse feathers' mean here?02br
02font01i01font01font01font02br
02font02font02font02i00 020yid2FNlwmpU7Rk
  

Top answer

0Hi Taka,02br 02br 01i 01font 00Very nice indeed. 02font 02br 02br 01font 00It's not 100% clear from the context here, but usually it's just a very,very mild expletive. It has a certain amount of minor humour, since it is ridiculous to think of a horse having feathers.

— Clive

  • 0Hi Taka,02br 02br 01i 01font 00Very nice indeed.
  • 02font 02br 02br 01font 00It's not 100% clear from the context here, but usually it's just a very,very mild expletive.
  • It has a certain amount of minor humour, since it is ridiculous to think of a horse having feathers.
  • 02font 02br 02br 01font 00eg 01font 00Oh horse feathers, I forgot my keys!
  • 02font 02font 02br 02br 01font 01font 00Best wishes, Clive02br 02font 02font 02br 02br 02u 02i 020yid2FNlwmpU7Rk
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5 Answers
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0Hi Taka,02br
02br
01i01font00Very nice indeed. And, 02font01u01font00horse feathers01font01i00, how about the rest of the piece?02br
02br
00（A comment from 02i02font02font05001font
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0
0Could it have something to do with the Marx Brothers' film 'Horse Feathers" (1932)? There are some dialogues online (google it), but I didn't spot any relationship, though... 050010id6
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0 01blockquote
01cite10Clive12cite11font10It's not 100% clear from the context here, but usually it's just a very,very mild expletive. It has a certain amount of minor humour, since it is ridiculous to think of a horse having feathers. I think the humour also derives from the word 'feathers' used as a substitute for a mor
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0Clive wrote02br
02br
00I think the humour also derives from the word 'feathers' used as a substitute for a more common term relating to a horse's excrement.02br
02br
00I agree.02br
02br
00I just want to say that the expression was originally used to refer to the fur at the coronet of a horse's hoof.02br
02br
00Now i
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0 01blockquote
01cite10Muayad Jajo12cite10Now it simply means “Nonsense”12br
12blockquote
12br
00Yes, that's what my dictionary says. But it doesn't apply to the context of my example or Clive's, does it?02br
02br
00Contextually, it doesn't seem to have a special meaning sometimes.02br
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