hay is for horses

English

Alternative forms
  • hey is for horses
  • hay is for horses and cows

Etymology

From hay being homophonous with hey.

Phrase

hay is for horses

  1. (sarcastic) said as a retort to someone saying hey (any sense of the interjection), used to indicate that the speaker disapproves of the usage of the word "hey", perhaps due to a dislike of informal speech.

Usage notes

In British English, use of the word "Hey" is usually associated with an accusation. "Hey you, stop that" to someone fighting in the street, for example. It is not therefore used as an alternative to "hello" in normal speech.

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