colt's tooth

Preserved but no longer current.

Sense 1

Meaning · English

An old fellow who marries or keeps a young girl, is said to have a colt's tooth in his head.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Một người già lấy hoặc giữ một cô gái trẻ được nói là có răng ngựa con trong đầu

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Era: ca. 1811 (Georgian)

Where it’s used: Origin British & Irish English
Sources & notes

Historical definition reproduced from Grose’s Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1811 edition, public domain; Project Gutenberg #5402, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.

Sense 2

Meaning · English

Elderly persons of juvenile tastes are said to have a COLT’S TOOTH, i.e., a desire to shed their teeth once more, to see life over again.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Muốn trẻ lại

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)

Where it’s used: Origin British & Irish English
Sources & notes

Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “colt's tooth” mean?

An old fellow who marries or keeps a young girl, is said to have a colt's tooth in his head.

Is “colt's tooth” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.