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Glite Dictionary
one-horse

one-horse

2 8.3
Small and not important, often far from larger towns
  • adjective
  • /ˈwʌnˌhɔrs/
  • Informal
translation icon : pueblo insignificante
  • Because actually the truth is that Pompeii and Herculaneum were absolutely ordinary one horse towns in southern Italy.
  • a one-horse town

Examples

  • I grew up in a one-horse town in Texas.

    Eddie (1996)

  • The small café in this one-horse town was the only place to get breakfast.

  • Looks like a one horse town to me.

    Night Shadows (1984)

  • You are not going back to a stupid job in a one-horse town ..

    Cass Timberlane (1947)

  • It's a one-horse town, and I'm that horse.

    The One That Got Away (2008)

  • It used to be a one-horse town.

    The Fighting Temptations (2003)

  • Since it's the Talbert Lumber Company that feeds the horse in this one-horse town, that makes us important people.

    Forgiven (2011)

  • I grew up in a one-horse town in Texas, where everyone knows each other.

  • After living in a big city, moving to a one-horse town felt incredibly quiet and uneventful.

Synonyms

no-count
vsone-horse
  • Offensive
1 8.9

A person or thing that others see as worthless

is more about smallness and remoteness than moral worth or value
poky
vsone-horse
  • Informal
1 8.5

A small, boring place with little interest

is similar but also highlights lack of sophistication beyond mere smallness
pokey
vsone-horse
  • Informal
1 7.9

A place that is small and cramped and often far from the city and not important

is the broader label for small and unsophisticated locations or institutions
jerkwater
vsone-horse
  • Informal
9.9

A small unimportant place far from big cities

is a general word for anything small and lacking sophistication
peanut
vsone-horse
  • Informal
7.0

Not very important or powerful

focuses more on small size and lack of sophistication often for places

Antonyms

important
∞ 1.0

A person or thing that matters a lot

metropolitan
121 4.8

About a large city and its way of life

How Important

major
∞ 1.0
important
∞ 1.0
minor
600 2.4
one-horse
  • Informal
2 8.3

Surface Forms

one-horse positive

Morphology

one-horse = one + horse (opaque) = one + horse

The term 'one-horse' refers to a small, insignificant place, which is not directly derivable from the literal meanings of 'one' and 'horse'.

Etymology

One-horse comes from the old idea of a town or business that had only one horse to pull a cart, so it was small and poor. So calling a place or operation one-horse means it is 'small', 'unimportant', or 'not very fancy'.