a preliminary canter
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Something which precedes the real business in hand. The reference is to the "trial trip" of horses before the race begins.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “a preliminary canter” mean?
Something which precedes the real business in hand. The reference is to the "trial trip" of horses before the race begins.
Is “a preliminary canter” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.