Animals

Straight from the horse's mouth

Directly from the person who knows the facts best.

Examples

  • I heard it straight from the horse's mouth – the manager told me herself.
  • Is that just a rumour, or did you get it straight from the horse's mouth?

How to use it

Informal. Usually with "hear" or "get". The "horse" is the original source of the information.

Where it comes from

Often traced to horse racing and trading, where a horse's teeth were the most reliable guide to its age.