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horse trading

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horse trading

Negotiation, trading, or bargaining conducted in or characterized by a shrewd, judicious manner. Primarily heard in US. You'll have to excuse my cousin, he has no patience for horse trading ever since he started working on Wall Street.

See also: horse, trade

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]

See also: horse, trade