mulebackn.adv.adj.
/ˈmjuːlbak/, U.S. /ˈmjulˌbæk/ A. n.
In on (also by, etc.) muleback: mounted or loaded on the back of a mule or mules.
ΚΠ
1725 D. Defoe New Voy. round World ii. 84 His Mayor Domo, on Horse-back, that is to say, On Mule-back.
1845 New Monthly Mag. Jan.–Apr. 32 Don Eugenio de Aviraneta..travell[ed] half over Spain on muleback, disguised as a peasant or fruit-seller.
1878 Harper's Mag. Jan. 283/2 He put it in his broken English, ‘On horse-back or mule-back, and many times on foot-back.’
1932 E. Waugh Black Mischief iv. 137 It was necessary for the Emperor to leave his car and complete the journey on mule back.
1973 K. Benton Craig & Jaguar iii. 29 An estate..surrounded by high mountain ranges..and until recently only accessible by mule-back.
1990 ‘L. de Bernières’ War Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts i. 7 Hundreds of peasants arrived on muleback to get away from their women, their labour, their poverty.
B. adv.
On the back of a mule. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > riding on horse (or other animal) > [adverb] > on an ass
assishly1612
muleback1835
1835 New-Eng. Mag. June 446 To-morrow, we'll attend mass, tease the senoritas, and ride mule-back.
1897 R. M. Stuart In Simpkinsville 15 Many's the time..he's rode into town, mule-back, with her settin up in front of him.
C. adj.
Using a mule or mules for transport. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > riding on horse (or other animal) > [adjective]
riding1544
equestrial1556
prickant1613
equestrian1656
horsy1849
equitative1855
muleback1904
1904 ‘O. Henry’ Cabbages & Kings i. 16 The mule-back system of transport that prevailed between Coralio and the capital.
1929 Travel Jan. 40/1 Light snow flurries sometimes occur in the winter but never enough to prevent muleback trips into the canyon depths.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
n.adv.adj.1725