That’s probably true, but then why is a race won “by a nose” referring to the horse’s nose and not the jockey’s nose?
That’s probably true, but then why is a race won “by a nose” referring to the horse’s nose and not the jockey’s nose?
A horse race is a horse and Jockey pair. The pair reaches the finish when the first part of the horse,s nose (not leg) and not the jockey or equipment breaks the finish line. If the jockey reaches his whip forward to break the finish line, that does not count.
Not that it matters, but the same is true when humans run the 100 meter race. The body, not the arms or legs of the human counts when breaking the finish line.