horse trade
Bargain with concessions
A horse trade is a negotiation marked by shrewd bargaining, with each side trying to get the better deal.
The term comes from the reputation of horse dealers for sharp practices—concealing a horse's flaws, inflating its virtues.
Now applied to any hard-nosed exchange: The budget bill was pure horse trade between the two parties.
To horse-trade is to engage in such bargaining.
Negotiating a lower price
- bargainingNegotiating mutually acceptable terms
- barterDirect goods-for-goods exchange
- swapExchange one for another
- exchangeMutual giving and receiving
quid pro quo · wheeling and dealing · dicker · back-and-forth · concession · give-and-take · broker · mediate
Exchange of goods/money
- tradeExchange of commodities
- barterDirect goods-for-goods exchange
- swapExchange one for another
- exchangeMutual giving and receiving
merchandise · dealership · auction · marketplace · dealer · buyer · seller · valuation
Advocating to decision-makers
- caucusParty selection meeting
- bipartisanshipCooperation between political rivals
- logrollingTrading political support mutually
- pork barrelSelf-serving political spending
backroom deal · coalition · earmark · amendment · legislative · patronage · spoils system · brokered convention
Accepting things as they are
- expediencyPrioritizing practicality over ethics
- practicalityQuality of being useful
- shrewdnessKeen practical judgment
- calculatedFigured out mathematically
utilitarian · transactional · opportunism · ends justify means · hardnosed · worldly · unsentimental · Machiavellian
haggling
Negotiating a lower price
- bargainingNegotiating mutually acceptable terms
- barterDirect goods-for-goods exchange
- swapExchange one for another
exchange · quid pro quo · wheeling and dealing · dicker · back-and-forth · concession · give-and-take · broker · mediate · intermediary
transaction
Exchange of goods/money
exchange · merchandise · dealership · auction · marketplace · dealer · buyer · seller · valuation · appraisal
lobbying
Advocating to decision-makers
- caucusParty selection meeting
- bipartisanshipCooperation between political rivals
- logrollingTrading political support mutually
pork barrel · backroom deal · coalition · earmark · amendment · legislative · patronage · spoils system · brokered convention · kingmaker
realism
Accepting things as they are
- expediencyPrioritizing practicality over ethics
- practicalityQuality of being useful
- shrewdnessKeen practical judgment
calculated · utilitarian · transactional · opportunism · ends justify means · hardnosed · worldly · unsentimental · Machiavellian · strategic
- Indigenous Tradebartering, trade networks, trade goods, salt trade, regional trade
- livestock tradecattle market, cattle trade, poultry market, livestock auctions, livestock auction
- horse historychariot racing, cavalry charges, jousting, palfrey, coursers
- Silk Roadsilk, silk road, Silk Road, caravans, merchants
- horse salesbill of sale, purchase price, buyer rights, title transfer, private sale
- VijayanagaraVijayanagara Empire, underground temple, granary, watchtower
horse tradefirm stance
Unwavering commitment to opinion
stand firm · hold the line · take it or leave it · ultimatum · stand one's ground
horse tradeprincipled stand
Position held despite pressure
non-negotiable · unconditional · inviolable · sacrosanct · dealbreaker
horse, trader, trading, horses, traded, horseshoe, traders, horsey, horsing