Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a man.

1850		W.K. Northall Life and Recollections of Yankee Hill 103: Men of blood, and friends of General Washington, and that old hoss, General Jackson, I want your attention.
c.1858		J.H. Green Reformed Gambler 119: Wonder if we can’t get some old hoss to give us a preach? That coon over there with a white neckerchief, looks like one o’ them gospel-shop men.
1874		‘Old Calabar’ Won in a Canter I 29: ‘This old hoss ain’t a-going to trust hisself along with cussed Britishers’.
1895		J. London ‘And ’Frisco Kid Came Back’ in High School Aegis X (4 Nov.) 2–4: De ole hoss, he sez he had enuff fer ter take care ’v me too.
1905		Marvel III:60 11: Is the old hoss in?
1912		Van Loan ‘The Comeback’ in Ten-Thousand-Dollar Arm 214: I’d give a nice piece of money to know that you could pitch like that old horse.

2. salt beef.

1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. (2nd edn).
1873		W.H. Thomes Slaver’s Adventures 155: I’ll give up eating old hoss and ministers’ faces, and have a farm and lots of pigs.
1889		Chambers’s Journal 3 Aug. 495: Mr. Clark Russell declares that salt-horse works out of the pores, and contributes to that mahogany complexion common to sailors [F&H].
1895		C. Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 54: Old Horse, salt junk or beef.
1896		‘Frederick Benton Williams’ (H.E. Hamblen) On Many Seas 168: ‘Old horse, old horse, what brought you here?’ / ‘After hauling stone this many a year, / From Dublin town to Ballyhack, /’'Twas there, kind sir, I broke me back. / Me master, when he heard the news, / Said, "Salt him down for sailors' use"’ .

3. a term of address, usu. between men .

1837		A. Greene Glance at N.Y. I ii: How are you, old hoss?
1842		Whip & Satirist of NY & Brooklyn (NY) 8 Jan. n.p.: He quit out on the whole play about $2,500. Learn you better next time old horse.
1849		G.G. Foster N.Y. in Slices 92: Come, ain’t you going to treat, old hoss!
1857		T.H. Gladstone Englishman in Kansas 43: Step up this way, old hoss, and liquor.
1862		‘Artemus Ward’ Artemus Ward, His Book 43: Sez I, ‘William, how goze it, Old Sweetness?’ ‘Pretty ruff, old hoss,’ he replied.
1873		J. O’Connor Wanderings of a Vagabond 268: ‘Yaas, Govey, stash it, ole hoss, yer too long-winded,’ drawled a gentleman of the ‘Mose’ order.
1884		(con. c.1840) ‘Mark Twain’ Huckleberry Finn 135: All right – come olong, old hoss [F&H].
1884		Leicester Chron. 19 July 12/1: [I’m] not so green, old hoss.
1884		Ally Sloper’s Half Holiday 31 May 35/2: Ally, ole hoss, you bin a-foolin’ round this claim fur might near a year.
1893		P.H. Emerson Signor Lippo 46: Well, old hoss, how are you.
1901		Boy’s Own Paper 8 June 562: You’re on the wrong tack, old hoss.
1914		S. Lewis Our Mr Wrenn (1936) 63: I t’ink it’s Bill now, all right, Wrennie, old hoss.
1920		Marvel 8 May 13: Say old hoss, we will decide on leabing dis island!
1925		Dos Passos Manhattan Transfer 381: All right Jonah old horse, have it your own way.
1939		M. Gross ‘On Broadway’ 6 July [synd. col.] Well, Walter, ol’ hoss.
1944		S. Horler Lady with the Limp 95: Still smoking that strike-me-dead muck then, old horse?
1961		M. Terry Old Liberty (1962) 222: Goodbye, Bo. I’ll be seeing you, old hoss.
1978		S. King Stand (1990) 1264: I ain’t going to blow the whistle on you, old hoss.
2001		S. King Dreamcatcher 690: Don’t worry, old hoss, go on about your business, they dead.