hungry enough to eat a horse
So starved you could put away a ridiculous amount of food.
Also called I could eat a horse, hungry as a horse.
Updated September 24, 2026
hungry enough to eat a horse pronunciation
/HUNG-gree i-NUFF tuh eet uh HAWRS/
Meaning
Said when your stomach is empty and your manners are about to leave. You are not planning to cook a horse. You are saying supper better show up soon, and in a big pile. After haying, deer hunting, or a long shift, redneck talk reaches for the biggest animal in the pasture to measure how empty you feel. Close cousins: "I could eat a horse" and "hungry as a horse."
How folks use it
- “We skipped lunch in the field and came in hungry enough to eat a horse.”
- “Don't tease him with that bag of chips. He's hungry enough to eat a horse.”
Origin and etymology
English hyperbole tied to older sayings. John Ray's 1678 proverb book has "He is so hungry, he could eat a horse behind the saddle." Later talk shortened it to "I could eat a horse" and "hungry enough to eat a horse." Why a horse? Likely because a horse is huge and not everyday dinner, so claiming you could eat one means you are past picky.