wheelhorse

Noun

wheelhorse (plural wheelhorses)

1. (US, dated) One of a team of horses which is nearest to the wheels of a carriage, as opposed to a leader or forward horse.
   • The off wheel-horſe a grey, named Single Peeper, ſold for 50 [guineas] […] The near wheel-horſe cheſnut, named Chance.1750 October, “A Description, with the Form, of the Four Wheel Carriage, which was Drawn at Newmarket, 19 Miles in 54 Minutes. […] Invented by Mr J. Wright in Long Acre.”, in Sylvanus Urban...
   • The driver […] neither knew any thing, said any thing, or did any thing but watch a dozen equine ears, and keep six reins taut in his hands, and coax the off wheel[-]horse with the belly of his whip-lash every two minutes, invariably accompanying the stroke with a tremendous solitary cluck.1869 September, E. P. Willard, “A Night and a Day on the Sierra Nevada”, in The Western Monthly, volume II, number 9, Chicago, Ill.: Reed, Browne & Co., publishers, No. 18 Tribune Building, →OCLC...

   Synonyms:

   wheeler

2. (US, figuratively) A person who labors heavily for a particular cause, without being concerned about recognition.
   • [F]rom his [Benjamin Ruggles'] well-known habits of industry and constant devotion to the interests of his constituents, he was called "The Wheelhorse of the Senate."1866, Charles Lanman, “Ruggles, Benjamin”, in Dictionary of the United States Congress, Compiled as a Manual of Reference for the Legislator and Statesman, 3rd rev. edition, [Washington, D.C.]...
   • A medical journal, it seems to the writer, should be a medium for the propagation of useful knowledge, the instruction of the profession in the best and most scientific methods of fighting disease; and who is so well qualified for the work as the old wheelhorses, the men who have grown gray in the...1905 December, E. E. Lusk, “Homeopathy ‘is Not Built that Way’”, in H. C. Allen, editor, The Medical Advance and Journal of Homeopathics: A Monthly Journal of Hahnemannian Homeopathy, volume XLIII...
3. (historical, obsolete) A foot-propelled vehicle; a bicycle.
   • In 1830 a bold and vigorous attempt was made to utilize the wheel-horse. A French post-office official, M. Dreuze by name, brought forward an improvement on the old two-wheel velocipede, which bid fair to be successful. […] A number of the country letter-carriers were mounted on the wheel-horse...1869, Velox [pseudonym], “The Velocipede of the Past”, in Velocipedes, Bicycles, and Tricycles: How to Make and How to Use Them. With a Sketch of their History, Invention, and Progress, London...
   • As in most other accomplishments, practice alone can make a skilful rider of velocipedes. The tyro can, however, profit by the experience of others, and I give a few rules for his guidance, as well as directions for his practice. The first point is to gain confidence in, and familiarity with, his...1869, Velox [pseudonym], “The Art of Velocipede Management”, in Velocipedes, Bicycles, and Tricycles: How to Make and How to Use Them. With a Sketch of their History, Invention, and Progress, London...