by-the-hour

Updated: May 24, 2025

But his horse turned in through the park gate and began the old familiar nocturnal round. And then the fare leaned back, entranced, and breathed deep the clean, wholesome odours of grass and leaf and bloom. And the wise beast in the shafts, knowing his ground, struck into his by-the-hour gait and kept to the right of the road. Habit also struggled successfully against Jerry's increasing torpor.

O. Henry - The Four Million

The cab driver, instead of lashing his animal into a foam, proceeded at a deliberate trot that suggested a by-the-hour arrangement. But I suspected Van Sweller's design; and when we lost sight of his cab I ordered my driver to proceed at once to . I found Van Sweller at a table under a palm, just glancing over the menu, with a hopeful waiter hovering at his elbow.

O. Henry - Rolling Stones