horse trading

noun
1.
the act or fact of conducting a shrewd exchange or engaging in a horse trade; bargaining.
Origin
1820-30, Americanism

horse-trade

[hawrs-treyd] /ˈhɔrsˌtreɪd/
verb (used without object), horse-traded, horse-trading.
1.
to bargain or trade shrewdly.
Origin
1820-30, Americanism
Examples from the web for horse trading
  • Everything else is subject to political horse trading and accusations of government meddling.
  • In the countryside they sometimes are engaged in farm labor, but more usually in horse trading.
  • The observations: they are horse trading at the moment.
  • Municipal horse trading, you might say in a way was made possible, for the benefit of both sides in any such arrangement.
British Dictionary definitions for horse trading

horse trading

noun
1.
hard bargaining to obtain equal concessions by both sides in a dispute
Idioms and Phrases with horse trading

horse trading

Negotiation marked by hard bargaining and shrewd exchange. For example, The restaurant owner is famous for his horse trading; he's just exchanged a month of free dinners for a month of free television commercials. This expression alludes to the notorious shrewdness of horse traders, who literally bought and sold horses. [ c. 1820 ]