Meaning of willing horse | Babel Free

Definitions

One who readily performs hard work or who voluntarily tolerates an adverse situation.

dated, idiomatic

Examples

“[A]fter a good deal⟳ of discussion (some of it angry) among the Major-Generals, it was settled as such things are everywhere—the willing horse (which SHERMAN always is) getting the work⟳ to do.”

“[S]he said to me as quietly as a maiden might ask⟳ one to carry⟳ a glove, "Jan Ridd, carr thic^([sic]) thing for me." So I carried it for her, without any words; wondering what she was up to next, and whether she had ever heard of being too hard on the willing horse.”

“Finding us easy in our ways, he […] told me a cock-and-bull story with the moral of another five francs for the narrator. The thing was palpably absurd; but I paid up, and at once dropped all friendliness of manner, and kept him in his place⟳ as an inferior with freezing British dignity. He saw⟳ in a moment that he had gone too far, and killed a willing horse; his face⟳ fell; I am sure he would have⟳ refunded if he could only have⟳ thought of a decent pretext.”

“"When he hears of it he'll be more anxious than ever to fight⟳." / Valencia nodded. "A spur to a willing horse."”

“There is certainly the need⟳ to reward⟳ performance and offer⟳ incentives for success, but flogging a willing horse is not the way to do it.”

CEFR level