Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A team of four horses controlled by one driver.
  • noun A vehicle drawn by four horses.
  • noun A necktie tied in a slipknot with long ends left hanging one in front of the other.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A long scarf or necktie. One of the ends (which are broader than the center which surrounds the neck) is wound over the other, passed up between the neck and the tie, and then brought down in front through the loop thus formed.
  • noun A vehicle drawn by four horses driven by one person.
  • noun A team of four horses attached to a single vehicle, or matched for the purpose of being driven in this way.
  • Drawn by four horses driven by one person: as, a four-in-hand coach.
  • Having to do with a four-in-hand: as, a good four-in-hand driver.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A long necktie that is tied in a slipknot with one end hanging in front of the other.
  • noun a coach pulled by four horses with one driver.
  • adjective Consisting of four horses controlled by one person; ; drawn by four horses driven by one person.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A carriage drawn by four horses controlled by one driver; a coach-and-four.
  • noun A slipknot with one end hanging in front of the other; a simple necktie.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a long necktie that is tied in a slipknot with one end hanging in front of the other
  • noun a carriage pulled by four horses with one driver

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

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  • "...her driving the new green four-in-hand with only one servant up behind."

    --O'Brian, The Truelove, 69

    March 10, 2008

  • A carriage drawn by a team of four horses having the reins rigged so that it can be driven by a single driver. The stagecoach and the tally-ho are usually four-in-hand coaches.

    October 22, 2008

  • *Can't help wondering about four-in-hand vs bird-in-hand and the whole number of bushes thing...*

    October 22, 2008