An explanation of Grumio’s line, “The oats have eaten the horses” in Act 3, Scene 2 of myShakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.
Petruchio
Grumio, my horse.
Grumio (Petruchio’s servant)
Ay, sir, they be ready. The oats have eaten the horses.
It’s unclear what Grumio means. Perhaps, in his typical sarcastic manner, he’s contributing to the ridiculousness of the scene by reversing “horses” and “oats.”
