English · Idiom Historical

Gonnella's Horse

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

Gonnella, the domestic jester of the Duke of Ferrara, rode on a horse all skin and bone. The jests of Gonnella are in print.

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.

Topics: Horses Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “Gonnella's Horse” mean?

Gonnella, the domestic jester of the Duke of Ferrara, rode on a horse all skin and bone. The jests of Gonnella are in print.

Is “Gonnella's Horse” formal or informal?

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

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