charley horse

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charley horse

/t͡ʃɑɹli hoɹs/ US
/t͡ʃali hɔːs/ UK

Where it comes from

Uncertain, although first attested in American baseball slang of the 1880s, possibly related to cramps suffered by the pitcher Charles Gardner Radbourn, who was nicknamed "Old Hoss", or possibly from period use of Charlie as a generic name for horses similar to Rover for dogs and Felix for cats.

noun charley horses · charlie horse · charley-horse · charleyhorse · Charlie horse · Charley horse

US, idiomatic Synonym of cramp, a painful involuntary muscle contraction, particularly a strong cramp in the torso, arms, or legs. Several years ago, says the Chicago Tribune, Joe Quest, now of the Athletics, gave the name of ‘Charlie horse’ to a peculiar contraction and hardening of the muscles and tendons of the thigh, to which base ball players are especially liable from the sudden starting and stopping in chasing balls, as
Similar: cramp
informal A punch in the thigh. I knew to just keep my mouth shut about it — unless I wanted the word "dummy" to be followed by a charley horse.

Translations

Every language

noun a muscle cramp, usually in the thigh or leg

日本語	こむら返り komuragaeri
中文	抽筋 chōujīn
Français	jambe de bois, béquille

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MLA

"charley horse." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/charley%20horse. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

charley horse. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/charley%20horse

Chicago

"charley horse." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/charley%20horse.

BibTeX

@misc{charley_horse_2026,
  title = {charley horse},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/charley%20horse},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}