| "Kick over the traces" | - throw off control or become unruly |
|
"Full of beans"
"Feeling his oats" |
- lively - from the practice
of giving a horse an extra ration of beans or oats
which were very heating and certain to make the horse lively
|
| "Kingpin" | - important, coordinating person, from the carriage bolt which attached the fore-carriage to the rest of the vehicle |
| "Put your shoulder to the wheel" | - passengers were required to do so when a coach became stuck |
| "Rank outsider" |
- the passenger who had the seat next to the guard on the back of a coach
"The Outsiders" - only four passengers
could be accommodated inside a coach, while eight sat on the outside on top
of the coach. For the "outsiders", coach travel was often a matter of extreme
discomfort.
|
| "Raring to go" | - eager; originally meaning to go, as an eager horse in a traffic jam |
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Did You Know?
This coach was first produced in the late 15th century in the Hungarian village of Kocs. The word "coach" or kocsi comes from the name of the village. The distinguishing features of the Hungarian design were the smaller front wheels that allowed the front of the carriage to turn on a very full lock, the lowered center of gravity, and the lightness of construction. These all contributed to greater maneuverability and increased safety, while allowing the vehicle to be driven much faster than had previously been possible. The kocsi was introduced to England in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603). It was initially condemned as a "senseless luxury," and even viewed as a fashion that would "make men effeminate." 
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The 1768 Edition of Enclyclopaedia Britannica
(found under "Mechanics"): It is plain that the small wheels must turn as much oftener round than the great ones, as their circumferences are less. And therefore, when the carriage is loaded equally heavy on both axles, the fore-axle must endure as much more friction, and consequently wear out as much sooner, than the hind-axle, as the fore-wheels are less than the hind ones. But the misfortune is, that all the carriers to a man do obstinately persist, against the clearest reason and demonstration in putting the heavier part of the load upon the fore-axle of the waggon; which not only makes the friction greatest where it ought to be least, but also presseth the fore-wheels deeper into the ground than the hind wheels, notwithstanding the fore-wheels being less than the hind ones, are with so much the greater difficulty drawn out of a hole or over an obstacle, even supposing the weights on the axle were equal. To be continued... |
