road apple

noun

, Slang.

1. a piece of horse manure on or at the side of a road.

Word History and Origins

Origin of road apple¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Athletes of Indigenous descent have been playing hockey, or versions of it, for more than 300 years — starting with Micmac Indians in Nova Scotia, Canada playing “ricket” with a frozen road apple in the late 1600s.

From Seattle Times

A road apple refers to the patties of manure that horses leave along rural roads.

From Slate

The road apple is the quintessential Hip motif.

From Slate

I don’t know how many kids have ever used a road apple as a hockey puck, but we all believe there was some golden time when hockey was played with nothing else.

From Slate

He’s 4-20 against Big Ten teams, a road apple you can’t polish.

From Chicago Tribune