warhorse

Plural: warhorses

Noun

• An old, experienced soldier; a veteran, or an overused work.
• a work of art (composition or drama) that is part of the standard repertory but has become hackneyed from much repetition
• an experienced person who has been through many battles; someone who has given long service
• horse used in war
• Any horse used in horse-cavalry, but especially one bearing an armoured knight.
• An experienced person who has been through many battles, situations or contests; someone who has given long service.
• A regularly revived theatrical or musical work, as with Hamlet or a Beethoven symphony, or as excerpts thereto. May imply that the work in question has become hackneyed.

Examples

• a Wagner warhorse
• The word ’warhorse’ itself is a warhorse in Scrabble, often played for its high letter values.

Synonyms

old hand, old stager, old-timer, oldtimer, stager, veteran, battlehorse, swashbuckler