horseplay

English

Alternative forms

• horse-play (rare)

Etymology

A compound of horse +‎ play, possibly from observation of boisterous horses playing, or from its attributive sense "strong, big or coarse".

Noun

horseplay (uncountable)

1. Rough or rowdy play that can often result in unintentional physical harm.

Synonyms

• roughhousing

Translations

rough or rowdy play

• Bulgarian: груба шега f (gruba šega), лудория (bg) f (ludorija)
• Finnish: hevosenleikki (fi)
• French: chahut (fr) m
• German: Unfug (de) m, Herumgealber n
• Irish: pleidhcíocht f
• Polish: harce m pl, swawola (pl) f
• Spanish: pelea (es) f, camorra (es) f
• Yoruba: erépá

Verb

horseplay (third-person singular simple present horseplays, present participle horseplaying, simple past and past participle horseplayed)

1. (intransitive) To engage in horseplay.
   • 2004, Kyle Longley, Senator Albert Gore, Sr.: Tennessee Maverick, page 136:

     [S]he arose at seven o'clock and spent the first hour preparing pancakes while Al and Albert horseplayed.

Synonyms

• play fight
• roughhouse

Translations

to engage in horseplay

• French: chahuter (fr)
• German: raufen (de)
• Spanish: pelear (es)
• Yoruba: ṣerépá