1. A horse used for drawing a coach.
1603. Narrative King’s Entertainment, in Arber, Garner, VIII. 509 (T.). They drew together like coach horses.
1756–7. trans. Keysler’s Trav. (1760), I. 3. Switzerland that furnishes Lombardy with the best part of its coach-horses.
fig. 1590. Marlowe, 2nd Pt. Tamburl., IV. iii. To restrain These coltish coach-horse tongues from blasphemy.
1599. B. Jonson, Cynthia’s Rev., IV. i. ’Tis the swaggering coach-horse Anaides, that draws with him.
2. Naut. (See quot.)
1867. Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk., Coach-horses, the crew of the state barge; usually fifteen selected men.
