1863. Sporting Life, 29 Apr., p. 4, col. 3. Copers and Chaunters are now in full feather.
1864. London Review, 18 June, p. 643. Amongst the mysteries of horse-flesh is the noble science of coping, and its practitioners the horse-copers.
1874. G. A. Lawrence, Hagarene, ch. ii. He had lived somewhat precariously by his wits; eking out the scanty allowance wrung from his miserly old sire, by betting and horse-coping on a small scale.
1884. Daily News, 23 Aug., p. 4, c. 7. The most accomplished gipsy copers, if they are not belied, are not satisfied with merely doing up an unsound horse and selling him as a sound one, but frequently steal outright the subject of their scientific and often lucrative experiments.
1888. Rolf Boldrewood, Robbery Under Arms, ch. i. Poaching must be something like cattle and horse-duffing.
1889. Answers, 27 July, p. 141, c. 1. Allow me to expose some more tricks of horse copers.
1893. National Observer, 5 Aug., p. 291, col. 1. A veracious horse-coper is a monster which the world ne’er saw.
Horse-collar, subs. (venery).—1. The female pudendum. For synonyms, see Monosyllable.
2. (tailors’).—An extremely long and wide collar.
3. (old).—A halter. To die in a horse’s nightcap = to be hanged. See Ladder.