Dictionary definition: WHITE HORSE

WHITE HORSE
1850 N & Q 1st ser. 1451 [Midlands] It is believed a sign of ‘bad luck’ to meet a white horse, unless the person spits at it.

1861 N & Q 2nd ser. XII 490–1. Grey horses at a wedding lucky. This probably is simply because white is considered the wedding colour.

1861 C. C. ROBINSON Dialect of Leeds 316. ‘Good luck for a grey horse!’—A common expression of children, accompanied by the act of spitting over their little finger, at the sight of a grey horse, an action supposed to bring good luck, and … they congregate at places where a long line of road is before the eye, and at the first glimpse of such an animal perform this ...

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