Meaning & use
horsehides
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“horsehides” is a form of “horsehide”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nouncountable
The skins of horses, especially when used as leather.
Grammar: Countable; the singular is 'horsehide'. Often used in the plural to refer to multiple skins.
Patterns
- a horsehide
- horsehides for something
The old tannery specialized in processing horsehides.
Horsehides were once common in the making of durable bags and shoes.
nouncountableinformalsport
A baseball, especially one made with a horsehide cover.
Grammar: Countable; usually plural 'horsehides' in this sense.
Patterns
- hit the horsehide
- a horsehide
The batter smacked the horsehide over the fence.
In the early days, baseballs were often called horsehides.
Word forms
| singular | horsehide |
|---|
Common combinations
- horsehide leather
- The jacket was made of tough horsehide leather.
- horsehide gloves
- He wore horsehide gloves for the heavy work.
- hit the horsehide
- The crowd cheered when he hit the horsehide.
Synonyms and how they differ
- horse leather
- A more descriptive phrase, but less common as a single term.
Word family
- horsehide noun
- The singular form, meaning one such skin or a baseball.
Commonly confused: horsehides or horsehair?
horsehides vs horsehair
Horsehair is the hair from a horse's mane or tail, not the skin.
Practice
In old baseball slang, what does 'horsehides' refer to?
Choose one answer.
'Horsehides' was a slang term for baseballs because they were often covered with horsehide. The other options are not the usual meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “horsehides”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.