trot1

[trot] /trɒt/
verb (used without object), trotted, trotting.
1.
(of a horse) to go at a gait between a walk and a run, in which the legs move in diagonal pairs, but not quite simultaneously, so that when the movement is slow one foot at least is always on the ground, and when fast all four feet are momentarily off the ground at once.
2.
to go at a quick, steady pace; move briskly; bustle; hurry.
verb (used with object), trotted, trotting.
3.
to cause to trot.
4.
to ride (a horse) at a trot.
5.
to lead at a trot.
6.
to travel over by trotting:
to spend the day trotting the country byways.
7.
to execute by trotting.
noun
8.
the gait of a horse, dog, or other quadruped, when trotting.
9.
the sound made by an animal when trotting.
10.
the jogging gait of a human being, between a walk and a run.
11.
Harness Racing. a race for trotters.
12.
brisk, continuous movement or activity:
I've been on the trot all afternoon.
13.
Archaic: Disparaging. an old woman.
14.
Slang. a literal translation used illicitly in doing schoolwork; crib; pony.
15.
the trots, Informal. diarrhea.
16.
Informal. a toddling child.
Verb phrases
17.
trot out, Informal.
  1. to bring forward for inspection.
  2. to bring to the attention of; introduce; submit:
    He trots out his old jokes at every party.
Origin
1250-1300; (v.) Middle English trotten < Middle French troter < Germanic; akin to Old High German trottōn to tread, whence Middle High German trotten to run; (noun) Middle English < Middle French, derivative of troter
Related forms
untrotted, adjective
Usage note
The meaning “old woman” is archaic, used with disparaging intent especially in contexts where the woman is regarded as mean, ugly, etc.

trot2

[trot] /trɒt/
noun
1.
a trotline.
2.
a short line with hooks, attached to the trotline.
Origin
1880-85; short for trotline
Examples from the web for trot
  • Apparently they're not inclined to trot them out before a jury of their peers.
  • When they are hunting with their packs, wolves set out at a smooth, easy trot.
  • To trot out another overdone cliche, if at first you don't succeed, try and try again.
  • He and his handler literally trot through the customs hall to cover the territory fast enough to clear everyone quickly.
  • As you trot around your globe, you are guided through a story line that boasts incredibly unique territories.
  • Apologists for the financial markets always trot out venture capital when they want to discourage increased regulation.
  • She did a little trot to arrive at the door a fraction of a second earlier, expressed her thanks and then erupted in laughter.
  • What matters is that they don't trot out their television persona in the part, but engage with the character.
  • War is always a good occasion to trot him out, as are obfuscating politicians.
  • Set a beggar on horseback and he won't trot but gallops.
British Dictionary definitions for trot

trot

/trɒt/
verb trots, trotting, trotted
1.
to move or cause to move at a trot
2.
(angling) to fish (a fast-moving stream or river) by using a float and weighted line that carries the baited hook just above the bottom
noun
3.
a gait of a horse or other quadruped, faster than a walk, in which diagonally opposite legs come down together See also jog trot, rising trot, sitting trot
4.
a steady brisk pace
5.
(in harness racing) a race for horses that have been trained to trot fast
6.
(angling)
  1. one of the short lines attached to a trotline
  2. the trotline
7.
(Austral & NZ, informal) a run of luck: a good trot
8.
(mainly Brit) a small child; tot
9.
(US, slang) a student's crib
10.
(informal) on the trot
  1. one after the other: to read two books on the trot
  2. busy, esp on one's feet
11.
(informal) the trots
  1. diarrhoea
  2. (NZ) trotting races
Word Origin
C13: from Old French trot, from troter to trot, of Germanic origin; related to Middle High German trotten to run

Trot

/trɒt/
noun
1.
(informal) a follower of Trotsky; Trotskyist
Word Origin and History for trot
n.

c.1300, from Old French trot (12c.), from troter "to trot, to go," from Frankish *trotton (cf. Old High German trotton "to tread"), from a variant of the Germanic base of tread (v.). The trots "diarrhea" is recorded from 1808 (cf. the runs).

v.

late 14c., from Old French troter "to trot, to go," from Frankish *trotton (see trot (n.). Italian trottare, Spanish trotar also are borrowed from Germanic. To trot (something) out originally (1838) was in reference to horses; figurative sense of "produce and display for admiration" is slang first recorded 1845. Related: Trotted; trotting.

Idioms and Phrases with trot

trot

In addition to the idiom beginning with trot also see: hot to trot
Encyclopedia Article for trot

two-beat gait of a horse in which the feet are lifted and strike the ground in diagonal pairs-the right hind and left fore almost simultaneously; then the left hind and right fore. As the horse springs from one pair of legs to the other, twice in each stride all of its legs are off the ground at once.

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