• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Where Did the Term “Charley Horse” Come From and What Does the Phrase Mean?

Where Did the Term “Charley Horse” Come From and What Does the Phrase Mean?

June 17, 2020 by Karen Hill

The phrase charley horse has its roots in baseball.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, groundskeepers often used old and lame horses to pull the equipment used to keep the playing field in top condition.

The Baltimore Orioles had a player named Charley Esper, who, after years of injuries, walked with pain.

Because his limp reminded his teammates of the groundskeeper’s lame horse, they called Esper “Charley Horse.”

In the German-speaking world, a charley horse is commonly known as a Pferdekuss, meaning “horse’s kiss”, and in Norway it is referred to as a lårhøne, which means “thigh hen”.

Related Facts

  • What does the term “Charley horse” mean and Where does the phrase come from?
  • What Is a Charley Horse?
  • Where do Hershey’s Kisses come from and How are Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses made?
  • Why Do People Kiss, Who Invented the Kiss, and Where Did The Word Kiss Come From?
  • Where does the term “dark horse” come from and What does dark horse mean?
  • Where does the term “sumpter horse” come from and What does sumpter horse mean?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « What Does the Term “Well Heeled” Mean and How Did the Expression Originate?
Next Post: What is the Difference Between “Bulls” and “Bears” in the Stock Market and How Did the Terms Originate? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy