A common idiom from 18th century Britain, first coined by Sir
John Walters in reference to his ex-lover Caroline Milcke. The original phrasing, “place thy hand on a horse, and be victorious in the divorce.” This obscure idiom was adopted by 19th century romantics and its
popularity grew
exponentially. As of the early 20th century, the phrase was adapted to its current wording by Elizabeth Williams.