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 let out for hire.
▪ 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
(hacking as noun) some gentle hacking in a scenic setting.
– ORIGIN late 16th century (in hack (sense 2 of the noun)2): abbreviation of hackney. hack (sense 1 of the noun)2 dates from the late 17th century.