|
More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
|
hackney
|
|
The hackney carriage and a hackneyed phrase share a common derivation in the medieval French word haquenée for an ambling female horse (having nothing to do with the London district of Hackney). Such an inferior horse was the kind generally offered for hire, and so 'hackney' became a term for anything worn out by general use, including in the past prostitutes as well as cabs and clichés.
|
|
|
|