Is the phrase "straight from the horse's mouth" offensive, or likely to be perceived as offensive when said about someone who is present? For instance, after having confirmed some piece of information from someone, you tell them: "ah, I have now heard it straight from the horse's mouth!". I ask this because it is generally considered offensive to compare people to animals, though in some cultures more so than others.
Learn English – Is the Expression “straight from the horse’s mouth” Offensive
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Best Answer
I fail to see how it could be the slightest bit offensive, since, if properly used, it is anonymous, and the horse you got the info from is never identified.
The idiom originated with horse race betting where a bit of insider information that was "straight from the horse's mouth" was ostensibly from the horse itself, and thus, by implication, from someone very close to the horse -- jockey, horse trainer, stable boy, etc. It would obviously be very poor form to identify your source in such a case, and so the source remains anonymous.