As most of you probably know, the Kentucky Derby was last week. I was cheering for Dullahan, the horse from Iowa. He ended up getting third place, and it was a really good race. All this race-talk and horse-talk last week got me thinking about homonyms related to horses. Here's what I was able to think up:
horse - a large, solid-hoofed, herbivorous quadruped, Equus caballus, domesticated since prehistoric times, bred in a number of varieties, and used for carrying or pulling loads, for riding, and for racing.
hoarse - having a vocal tone characterized by weakness of intensity and excessive breathiness; husky: the hoarse voice of the auctioneer.
course - the track, ground, water, etc., on which a race is run, sailed, etc.: One runner fell halfway around the course.
coarse - lacking in fineness or delicacy of texture, structure, etc.: The stiff, coarse fabric irritated her skin.
gait - any of the manner in which a horse moves, as a walk, trot, canter, gallop, or rack.
gate - a movable barrier, usually on hinges, closing an opening in a fence, wall, or other enclosure.
neigh - to utter the cry of a horse; whinny.
nay - archaic. no (used in dissent, denial, or refusal).
mane - the long hair growing on the back of or around the neck and neighboring parts of some animals, as the horse or lion.
main - chief in size, extent, or importance; principal; leading: the company's main office; the main features of a plan.
tail - the hindmost part of an animal, especially that forming a distinct, flexible appendage to the trunk.
tale - a narrative that relates the details of some real or imaginary event, incident, or case; story: a tale about Lincoln's dog.
rein - often, reins. a leather strip, fastened to each end of the bit of a bridle, by which the rider or driver controls a horse or other animal by pulling so as to exert pressure on the bit.
rain - water that is condensed from the aqueous vapor in the atmosphere and falls to earth in drops more that 1/50 in. (0.5 mm) in diameter.
reign - the period during which a sovereign occupies the throne.
hay - grass, clover, alfalfa, etc., cut and dried for use as forage.
hey - hello: used as a greeting.
carrot - a plant, Daucus carota, of the parsley family, having pinnately decompound leaves and umbels of small white or or yellow flowers, in its wild form a widespread, familiar weed, and in cultivation valued for its edible root.
karat - a unit for measure the fineness of gold, pure gold being 24 karats fine.
All definitions are obtained from www.dictionary.com.
