noun
pony
A literal translation used as a study aid.
She checks a pony when the Latin passage becomes difficult.
Etymology
The study aid is figuratively something a learner rides to get through a difficult text. Pony names a translation used to carry the reader past the original-language work.
More examples
- Try translating the passage yourself before consulting a pony.
- His pony gives a word-for-word English version of the Greek text.
- The teacher banned ponies during the translation exam.
Forms
pony · ponies
Similar words
- crib
- Often suggests an unauthorized aid rather than legitimate study.
- translation
- Any rendering into another language, not necessarily literal or instructional.