English Reference
Idiom idiom

horse pill


A medicinal pill which is very large in size and is therefore difficult for a person to swallow.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

This horse pill is too big to swallow.

CONTEXTUAL

The doctor prescribed a new vitamin, but it is such a horse pill that I struggle to get it down.

COMPLEX

Despite his best efforts to drink plenty of water, he found the massive horse pill impossible to swallow without gagging.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    beat a dead horse

    To persist or continue far beyond any purpose, interest or reason.

  2. 02

    change horses in midstream

    To change one's plan or approach when an effort is already underway or at another inopportune time.

  3. 03

    charley horse

    A muscle cramp, usually a strong one, in the thigh, leg, arm, or core.

  4. 04

    close the stable door after the horse has bolted

    To attempt to prevent a problem that has already occurred; to design and implement a preventive mechanism that is too late (after the first failure instead of before).

  5. 05

    dark horse

    Someone who possesses talents or favorable characteristics that are not known or expected by others.

  6. 06

    drive a coach and horses through

    To spoil, break or render ineffective (a rule, plan or agreement).

  7. 07

    enough to choke a horse

    An excessive quantity.

  8. 08

    flog a dead horse

    To attempt to get more out of something that cannot give more; to attempt to arouse fresh interest in something that is either hopeless or already settled.

Last updated August 10, 2026