the horse, or one of the horses, harnessed nearest the front wheels of a vehicle
2. US
a person who works especially hard and steadily in any enterprise
wheel horse in American English
noun
1. Also called: wheeler
a horse, or one of the horses, harnessed behind others and nearest the front wheelsof a vehicle
2. (chiefly in the South Atlantic states)
the left-hand horse of a pair hitched to a wagon or plow
3. (chiefly in South Midland and Southern US)
a reliable, diligent, and strong worker
Also: wheel-horse
Word origin
[1700–10]This word is first recorded in the period 1700–10. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: cirrus, emphatic, hump, marquise, sliding scale