horse trader
1
6.3
- noun
- /hɔrs ˈtreɪdər/
:
negociante de caballos
- As a seasoned horse trader, she was well-known for her ability to strike the best deals at the market.
Examples
-
Smart little horse-trader too.
-
I had you figured for a horse trader.
-
"You're the horse trader, not me," I said.
Fiction book (1992) -
He was known around the diggings as "the California horse trader."
-
The savvy horse trader negotiated a fair price for the stallion after hours of tough bargaining.
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Everyone respected him as a skilled horse trader who always got the best value from his transactions.
Synonyms
279
2.1
A person or company that buys and sells things to make money
171
4.6
A person who talks with others to reach an agreement
7
3.8
A person who is good at arranging agreements in business or politics
4
4.3
A person who makes and negotiates business deals between companies
3
8.0
A person who makes deals using clever or dishonest methods
1
6.7
A person who argues again and again to get a lower price for items
1
3.7
A person who talks with others to get better terms
Surface Forms
Morphology
horse + trader
A B1 learner who knows 'horse' and 'trader' will readily infer the literal sense 'someone who trades horses.' The evaluative sense 'skilled or hard‑nosed bargainer' is an extended, stereotypical inference from the occupation rather than a direct compositional meaning, so it is partly but not fully predictable.
Etymology
The noun horse trader comes from people who bought and sold horses and had to be good at checking a horse and getting the best price. So today calling someone a horse trader means they are clever and tough when making deals and can 'drive a hard bargain'.