Phrase guide

horses for courses

phrase · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈhɔː(ɹ)sɪz fə ˈkɔːsɪz/
  • General-American: /ˈhɔɹsəz fɚ ˈkɔɹsəz/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

phrase

Meaning 1

Different people are suited for different jobs or situations; what is fitting in one case may not be fitting in another.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

An allusion to the fact that a racehorse performs best on a racecourse to which it is specifically suited.

Across languages

Translations

4 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Japanese: 適材適所 class yojijukugo (tekizaitekisho) — different people are suited for different jobs or situations
  • Serbo-Croatian: imati konja za trku — different people are suited for different jobs or situations
  • Walloon: a tchaeke marixhå s’ clå — different people are suited for different jobs or situations
  • Walloon: a tchaeke mônî si stî — different people are suited for different jobs or situations