horse manure
3
3.2
- noun
- /hɔrs məˈnʊr/
:
estiércol de caballo
- After removing all the plants, I'll scatter a good load of horse manure over the whole plot.
- composted with horse manure
Examples
-
Farmers often use horse manure as an organic fertilizer to enrich the soil.
-
Hughes began composting in 1988, using horse manure that the company picked up from local stables.
Academic text (1995) -
On the floor, there were only a few piles of horse manure, not many at all.
Fiction book (1992) -
There, the bags were placed on a layer of horse manure and bedding.
Academic text (1995) -
"We could use twice as much horse manure as we have coming in here," notes Intervale manager Andy Harper.
Academic text (1998) -
Obern is working to obtain horse manure from a racetrack in Pompano Beach.
Academic text (2001) -
The ground was thick with chicken feathers, horse manure, and decayed melon rinds.
Fiction book (2002) -
Materials composted include horse manure, vegetable and yard trimmings, plus residues from chocolate production.
Academic text (1998) -
Compost is produced in windrows using vegetable residuals, horse manure, and hemp stalks.
Academic text (1998) -
Gunther Achleitner is an organic farmer near Eferding, Austria, who composts vegetable residuals, grass clippings, horse manure, and clay.
Academic text (1998)
Synonyms
66
2.9
Animal or plant waste spread on soil to help plants grow
57
2.8
The waste animals produce that is often used to fertilize soil
3
2.6
A solid waste that cows make and people use as fertilizer or fuel
2
1.8
Dung from cows that people put on soil to help plants grow
1
3.0
A fertilizer made from chicken droppings that makes soil richer
Surface Forms
Morphology
The primary meaning 'feces produced by horses' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'horse' (the animal) and 'manure' (animal waste); a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer this literal sense. There is a secondary informal use meaning 'nonsense' which is metaphorical and less predictable, but the dominant, compositional sense makes the MWE overall transparent.
Etymology
Horse manure comes from the simple idea of manure made by horses. Farmers and gardeners spread it on soil to help plants grow, so the phrase means 'material used to help plants grow'.