hay is for horses en · X
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From hay being homophonous with hey.
Meanings
-
(sarcastic) Said as a retort to someone saying hey (any sense of the interjection), used to indicate that the speaker disapproves of the usage of the word "hey", perhaps due to a dislike of informal speech.
He called again: "Hey, Con?" "Hay is for horses, Homeboy," I shot back, and he laughed.
2003, Kathryn Reiss, Paint by Magic, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, →ISBN, page 124:Neverout. Hay, Madam, did you call me? / Miſs. Hay; why, Hay is for Horſes.
1731 (date written), Simon Wagstaff [pseudonym; Jonathan Swift], “Dialogue I”, in A Complete Collection of Genteel and Ingenious Conversation, […], London: […] B[enjamin] Motte […], published 1738, →OCLC, page 107:"Hey, do you remember this space toy?" "Hey is for horses."
2024, Mark Sarvas, Memento Park, Macmillan + ORM, →ISBN:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| hey is for horses | alternative | lexicographic | |
| hay is for horses, better for cows; pigs eat it too, but I don't know how | alternative | lexicographic | |
| hay is for horses and cows | alternative | lexicographic |