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Jul 22, 2004
This week's theme
Animal terms

This week's words
running dog
Kilkenny cats
stool pigeon
charley horse
guinea pig

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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

charley horse

Pronunciation RealAudio

charley horse (CHAR-lee hors) noun

Cramp or stiffness in a muscle, especially in the leg, typically caused by overstrain or injury.

[Originally baseball slang, of unknown origin.]

"I swam a ton of laps Tuesday, but was forced to stop after I received a charley horse in my calf."
Alisha A. Pina; Work Pays Off, Just Not on Scale; The Providence Journal (Rhode Island); Jun 27, 2004.

"Coyotes winger Shane Doan has missed two games with a charley horse."
NHL Notebook; Vancouver Sun (Canada); Mar 16, 2004.

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