English▸ noun
1 a writer or journalist producing dull, unoriginal work:
a bunch of Hollywood hacks rewrite it five times
[as modifier] a hack scriptwriter.
▪ a person who does dull routine work.
2 a horse for ordinary riding.
▪ a good-quality lightweight riding horse, especially one used in the show ring.
▪ a ride on a horse.
▪ a horse rented out for riding.
▪ an inferior or worn-out horse.
▸ verb [no object] ride a horse for pleasure or exercise:
the two riders hacked along the trail through the woods
(as noun hacking) some gentle hacking in a scenic setting.
– ORIGIN Middle English (in hack2 (SENSE 2 OF THE noun)): abbreviation of hackney. hack2 (SENSE 1 OF THE noun) dates from the late 17th century.