from the horse's mouth


(straight) from the horse's mouth

From the original or most reliable source. A: "Is our test really getting rescheduled?" B: "Yep, our teacher was ahead of me in the lunch line, so I heard it straight from the horse's mouth."See also: mouth

(straight) from the horse's mouth

Fig. from an authoritative or dependable source. (See also .) I know it's true! I heard it straight from the horse's mouth! This comes straight from the horse's mouth, so it has to be believed.See also: mouth

from the horse's mouth

From a reliable source, on the best authority. For example, I have it from the horse's mouth that he plans to retire next month. Also put as straight from the horse's mouth, this expression alludes to examining a horse's teeth to determine its age and hence its worth. [1920s] See also: mouth

from the horse's mouth

If you get a piece of information from the horse's mouth, you get it directly from someone who is involved in it and knows most about it. When he hears, straight from the horse's mouth, what a good worker you are, he'll increase your wages. Most of the book is completely true; it comes from the horse's mouth. Note: This expression may refer to the fact that you can tell a horse's age by looking at its teeth. Alternatively, it may simply refer to a racing tip which is so reliable that it is as if the horse itself has told you how well it is going to perform. See also: mouth

(straight) from the horse's mouth

from the person directly concerned or another authoritative source. This expression refers to the presumed ideal source for a racing tip and hence of other useful information. 1998 New Scientist PhD students will be able to learn these subjects direct from the horse's mouth. See also: mouth

(straight) from the horse’s ˈmouth

(informal) (of information, etc.) directly from the person who really knows because they are closely connected with its source: ‘How do you know he’s leaving?’ ‘I got it straight from the horse’s mouth. He told me himself.’This may come from horse racing and the humorous suggestion that you had heard from the horse itself whether it would win the race.See also: mouth

from the horse's mouth, straight

From the best authority. The analogy here is to examining a horse’s teeth, which reveal its age with some accuracy. Although this fact has been known for centuries (and indeed gave rise to the adage, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, dating from the fifth century), the expression dates only from the 1920s. “I have it straight from the mouth of a horse,” wrote Christopher Morley (Kitty Foyle, 1939).See also: straight