without turning a hair
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Without indicating any sign of distress or agitation. The phrase is from the stable; for when horses sweat they show it by a roughening of the hair.
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 “without turning a hair” mean?
Without indicating any sign of distress or agitation. The phrase is from the stable; for when horses sweat they show it by a roughening of the hair.
Is “without turning a hair” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.