Bit (horse) - Idiomatic Usage

Idiomatic Usage

Bits and the behavior of horses while wearing bits have made their way into popular culture outside of the horse world.

• Took the bit in his teeth, a phrase that describes a horse that sets its jaw against the bit and cannot be controlled (rarely does the horse actually grab the bit with its molars), is used today to refer to a person who either is taking control of a situation or who is uncontrollable and casts off restraint

• Champing at the bit, also worded chomping at the bit or chafing at the bit, meaning to show impatience or burst with energy, refers to a tendency of some horses, when impatient or nervous, and especially if being held back by their riders, to chew on the bit, often salivating excessively. This behavior is sometimes accompanied by head-tossing or pawing at the ground. Because this behavior was most often seen by the general public in horses who were anxious to begin a horse race in the days before the invention of the starting gate, the term has become popular in everyday speech to refer to a person who is anxious to get started or to do something. Because some impatient horses, when held back, would also occasionally rear, a related phrase, "raring to go," is also derived from observations of equine behavior.