Dictionary

call a cab en · VERB

Etymology

(raise arm while riding): From the similarity to the raised-arm gesture used to summon a taxi.

Meanings

1. To raise one's arm to maintain balance while riding.
   • Drawings of races sixty years ago show the riders trying to avoid catching their horses in the mouth by stretching forward with one arm and lifting the other hand backwards off the reins into the position known as 'calling a cab'. Although it is no longer the normal and recognized thing to do, 'calling a cab' is still occasionally seen when a jockey finds himself in difficulties over a fence. 2002, Frank R. Scatoni, Finished Lines, page 181:
   • An habitually raised arm, termed 'calling a cab', was the trademark of amateurism. 1994, Dick Francis, Wild Horses, page 137:
2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see call, cab. (to summon a taxi)

Forms