wheelhorses

/ˈwilˌhɔrsɪz/
noun
  1. The horses in a team that are harnessed closest to the wheels of a carriage or wagon, typically the strongest and most reliable.
    • The carriage driver carefully adjusted the harnesses of the wheelhorses before the long journey.
    • The farmer chose his strongest draft horses as wheelhorses for the heavy wagon.
    • In a six-horse team, the wheelhorses bear the most weight and provide stability.
  2. A person or thing that bears the main burden of a task or responsibility; a reliable workhorse.
    • In the office, he became the wheelhorse everyone depended on to meet tight deadlines.
    • The old pickup truck was the wheelhorse of the farm, used for every chore from hauling hay to carrying tools.
    • She was the wheelhorse of the committee, organizing every event and handling all the paperwork.
Antonyms
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