to carry weight
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
In horse racing, to equalize the weight of two or more riders by adding to the lighter ones, till both (or all) the riders are made of uniform weight.
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 “to carry weight” mean?
In horse racing, to equalize the weight of two or more riders by adding to the lighter ones, till both (or all) the riders are made of uniform weight.
Is “to carry weight” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.