A Horse A Piece

Hey, Camp Folks!

We’re studying all those turns of phrase and old sayings that are woven so deeply into our language that we may not even realize that we’re using one when we do. These sort of sayings are more specifically referred to as idioms or adages.

Today’s featured saying is ‘A Horse Apiece’. What are the horses and the pieces being referenced here?

We’re based in northwestern Wisconsin here at Everything Summer Camp and, apparently, so is this adage. For whatever reason, its usage has remained primarily contained to the state of Wisconsin along with parts of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We’ll look into that more in just a little bit, but first—

What Does "A Horse A Piece" Mean?

What does this adage mean? It’s really just a way of saying that there’s essentially no difference between a couple of options.

If someone asked which of 2 routes to the airport was quicker and both routes were a five-minute drive, you could reply, ‘It’s a horse apiece’. A synonymous phrase is ‘Six of one and a half dozen of the other’ in other words, it's the same difference.

 Let’s start digging for the origin of today’s adage.

Origins of the Phrase "A Horse A Piece"

The likeliest origin of this phrase comes from old dice games (back sometime in the 1800s).

While there is an old dice game called ‘Horse’, the phrase ‘A Horse Apiece’ was used in a wide variety of games. It was used to refer to a situation when two players are throwing for the best two out of three. When the first two throws result in a tie, then it was said that you were to have a horse apiece. A predecessor to this phrase is an even more basic version of it: ‘a horse and a horse’.

These dice games and the phrases that come along with them used to be popular much more widespread than they are today. In keeping with the tradition of the phrase we thought it would be fun to list some of our favorite camp games to play best two out of three.

Our Favorite Camp Game to Play Best Two Out of Three

If you consider yourself competitive, chances are you don’t like to settle for only playing a game one time. 

Neither do we, so below we’ve decided to list some of the camp games we love to play using best two out of three rules.

Horseshoes

Horseshoes are the original backyard game to play with family and friends during cookouts and get-togethers. Our freestyle horseshoes set is perfect for summer camp because it’s lightweight, portable, and can be set up for both inside and outside use.

Eno TrailFlyer

Like a mix of cornhole and skee-ball there’s nothing better than geting your ENO TrailFlyer setup once you’ve made camp. 

Perfect for 1v1 or 2v2 games, the ENO TrailFlyer brings a lightweight, easy, and no knots version of your favorite backyard game wherever the trail takes you.

4-in-a-Row

This travel size classic 4-in-a-row game folds up into its own case, and fits easily into any backpack or bag. If you’re looking for a fun game to sit down and play once you reach the top of the mountain, you can’t go wrong with 4-in-a-row.

Bocce

A traditional bocce ball set is a bit too heavy to justify packing for camp or bringing on the hiking trail. 

Our backpack bocce ball set uses smaller balls that are lighter than standard bocce balls for a game of bocce that can transported almost anywhere! The backyard bocce set has everything you need to play including 8 low-density balls, 1 jack ball, a measuring tool, instructions and carrying pouch. 

Now bocce can be played anywhere, anytime.

Card Games

There are so many card games that are great for camp. Some of our every summer all-time favorites are:

• UNO
• Skip-Bo
• Phase 10
• Old Maid

One of the great pastimes of summer camp was becoming UNO cabin champion and then taking on the other best UNO players in other cabins.

Wisconsin's Unique Connection to the Idiom

So why is this phrase  originally about being tied in a best-of-three series so strongly associated with Wisconsinites in the current day? Oddly enough, the phrase seems to have simply died off in most other places and stuck in this particular part of the United States.

I would love to hear more people start using this phrase outside of Wisconsin—it’s a great way to quickly relay that there’s no difference between two possibilities.

As always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!

- John