charley horse

[chahr-lee] /ˈtʃɑr li/
noun
1.
a painful, involuntary cramp of an arm or leg muscle resulting from excessive muscular strain or a blow.
Origin
1885-90; orig. baseball slang
British Dictionary definitions for charley horse

charley horse

/ˈtʃɑːlɪ/
noun
1.
(US & Canadian, informal) muscle stiffness or cramp following strenuous athletic exercise
Word Origin
C19: of uncertain origin
Word Origin and History for charley horse
n.

1887, sporting slang, origin obscure, probably from somebody's long-forgotten lame racehorse. Charley horse seems to have been a name for a horse or a type of horse (perhaps especially a lame one) around that time.

charley horse in Medicine

charley horse char·ley horse (chär'lē hôrs')
n.
Localized pain or stiffness in a muscle following excessive muscular exertion or the contusion of a muscle.

Slang definitions & phrases for charley horse

charley horse

noun phrase

A stiff and painful inflammation of a muscle, esp of the large thigh muscle (1887+)


Idioms and Phrases with charley horse

charley horse

Cramp or stiffness in a muscle, most often in the thigh, as in After working in the garden I frequently get a bad charley horse. First used in the 1880s among baseball players, the term was soon extended to more general use. Its true origin is disputed. Among the more likely theories proposed is that it alludes to the name of either a horse or an afflicted ball player who limped like one of the elderly draft horses formerly employed to drag the infield.