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Glite Dictionary
crowbait

crowbait

9.9
A very thin, weak horse near death and worth little
  • noun
  • /ˈkroʊˌbeɪt/
  • Archaic
translation icon : caballo en mal estado
  • The old mare was so weak and thin that she looked like crowbait.

Examples

  • Many neglected horses end up as crowbait, with no strength left to carry a rider.

  • After the long race, the horse was reduced to nothing more than crowbait.

  • "Keep on walking around here with that look on your face and what you'll be is crowbait," the white man said.

    Fiction book (1999)

Synonyms

crow-bait
vscrowbait
  • Archaic
9.9

A very thin weak horse that looks near death

focuses on low value and being near death rather than vivid carrion image
shank-nag
vscrowbait
  • Archaic
9.9

An old horse that is weak and not fit for regular work

describes extreme thinness and near death rather than old age or wear

Surface Forms

crowbait singular
crowbaits plural

Morphology

crowbait = crow + bait (semi-transparent) = crow + bait

Formed from 'crow' + 'bait' with a metaphorical sense ('bait for crows'); components are clear but the specific meaning 'a very thin/near-dead horse' is idiomatic and not directly predictable.

Etymology

Crowbait comes from the parts crow and bait and paints a picture of an animal so thin or weak it would be 'bait' for crows, so it means an almost dead, worthless horse.