What is meant by "straight from the horses mouth?

Question

What is meant by "straight from the horses mouth?

Answer 1

In the old days horses played a great role in the lives of humans.  They were partners in their labours and essential for livelihoods.

Horse traders (eg:used car salesman) would travel about buying and selling horses.  A horse in those days was a huge investment and they only had a productive life span less than twenty years.  (and a horse traders were notorious for their trickery and lies)  So the age of a horse was crucial when one was buying a horse, and it is very hard to tell how old a horse is  after they reach the age of seven.  (every horse I heard of was 7, even when I knew they weren't)  A knowledgeable person would check the development and wear on the horses teeth to get a good idea of the age of the horse, thus he would know if it was really a bargain.

So, to make a long story short: If you want to know the truth, go right to the source, :"the horses mouth".

Answer 2

'Straight from the horse's mouth' simply refers to something heard in the first person, for example: an *I said* or *I did* statement.

It is the opposite of 'hearsay' which is when you hear something related via a third person, for example: *he said*, *she did* etc.

It doesn't have to be anything famous tho. If I tell you that I'm sitting here wearing my PJs, then you can say: 'I know Hannah's wearing only her PJs' and if anyone questions it, you'd say that you know it's true because you heard it 'straight from the horse's mouth' meaning you heard it direct from me (i.e. from the person who is the subject of the sentence).

However if someone else tells you that they know I'm posting this wearing just my pyjamas, that's not 'straight from the horse's mouth' because you are then being indirectly told something about me by a third party.

Answer 3

Straight from the person you are talking about

Answer 4

you got it from the original person who said it

Answer 5

Hello :)

STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH -- "By examining a horse's teeth an expert can make a good estimation of its age; a horse's first permanent teeth, for example, don't appear until it is about two and a half years old. So despite what any crooked horse trader might have wished them to believe, informed horsemen in England stood little chance of being cheated about a horse's age -- they had it on good authority, 'straight from the horse's mouth.' The expression came into racetrack use in about 1830 and was part of everyday speech by 1900." (1)

However, there is also the possibility of its origin being based in British Shamanism...

"...These traditions exist to this day accross the country including The Mari Llywd, The Derby Tup (Ram), the Hooden Horse, the Gloucester Bull, the Ooser and the Hobby Horse. In the case of the Derby Tup and the Hooden Horse of East Kent, two of the best examples, these animals perform at the winter solstice, and are accompanied with drinking. The hooden horse also has an oracular function as money placed in the mouth will result in the horse telling the fortune of the individual. This is the origin of the phrase 'straight from the horses mouth'...." (2)

I prefer option 1 :)

Answer 6

You should be the one to figure it out. Obviously it's part of school, but since you asked you must not be that bright. It means that it's from the original person. That a famous quote or something came from a famous person. If you refer it in that way. It can mean several things. I hope that I helped.

Answer 7

It means it came straight from the person themselves.

Answer 8

The answer has come from someone who is an expert in that field

Answer 9

idk, but it doesn't sound good..lol