Charley horse
noun, slang
noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A muscle cramp, usually a strong one, in the thigh, leg, arm, or core. US, idiomatic
"Of course there had been plenty of bruises—one mild case of charley-horse, several dislocated or sprained fingers, a wrenched ankle or two and any number of cuts and scrapes, […]"
- 2 a muscular cramp (especially in the thigh or calf) following vigorous exercise wordnet
- 3 A punch in the thigh. informal
"I knew to just keep my mouth shut about it — unless I wanted the word "dummy" to be followed by a charley horse."
Example
More examples"Of course there had been plenty of bruises—one mild case of charley-horse, several dislocated or sprained fingers, a wrenched ankle or two and any number of cuts and scrapes, […]"
Etymology
The term may date back to American slang of the 1880s, and is possibly from the pitcher Charlie "Old Hoss" Radbourn, who is said to have suffered from cramps.