Shank

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Dr. Goodword
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Shank

Postby Dr. Goodword » Thu May 07, 2015 10:15 pm

• shank •

Pronunciation: shængk • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: 1. The part of the leg between the knee and the ankle. 2. The shaft, the part between two other things as 'lamb shank' (between the leg and knee) or the 'shank of an anchor' (between the ring and the crown). 3. The latter part (shank of the year) or early part or prime (shank of the evening) of a period of time. 4. (Verb, transitive) To mis-hit a ball, as to hit a baseball between the barrel and the handle.

Notes: Today's word has more meanings than are included in the Meaning above. It is seldom used these days in the first meaning, but the remaining meanings are roughly captured in the second. The first meaning, however, is used in two expressions that I favor, but are fast fading from view: the shank of the evening "the early part of the evening", and shanks' mare "on foot", as "I got there on shanks' mare". These phrases may be bit outdated, but I still hear them from time to time in the Poirot and Miss Marple TV series.

In Play: The first meaning of today's Good Word is seldom used these days, but does pop up occasionally in sentences like this: "Paul forsook garters for socks that went all the way up to the top of his shanks." This word is encountered in its third meaning(s): "Randolph spent all the money in his budget in the shank of the year, since he knew the company might cut that budget next year." When used with parts of the day, this word has just the opposite meaning: "Gladys Friday always arrives at work at some point in the shank of the morning."

Word History: Today's word was in Old English sceanca "leg, shank, shinbone". It developed from Proto-Germanic skanka-, which also became Modern German Schenkel "limb, thigh" and Schinken "ham", Dutch schenkel "shank", Danish and Norwegian skinke "ham", and Swedish skank "shank" and skinka "ham". Proto-Germanic got its word from the Proto-Indo-European root (s)keng- "crooked, lame". The PIE word also evolved into Sanskrit khañjati "limps" and Greek skazein "to limp". As you can see the PIE word had its greatest influence on the Germanic languages.
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call_copse
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Re: Shank

Postby call_copse » Fri May 08, 2015 6:38 am

Shank's pony is the common UK variant in my experience (rather than the example, using mare). Asked how one got to the office after bad snowfall, one might reply 'why, Shank's pony'.

Another common usage seems to be a verb, meaning to stab, perhaps with an improvised weapon. Mainly in prison dramas rather than real life though! Not much call for such talk in the leafy suburbs of Hampshire, fortunately.
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Re: Shank

Postby LukeJavan8 » Fri May 08, 2015 11:52 am

The only place I see it is at the market: shank of meat
for soup.
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Re: Shank

Postby Perry Lassiter » Fri May 08, 2015 8:50 pm

Missput? Shank is between leg and knee? But knee is part of leg where shank joins thigh?
pl

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Slava
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Re: Shank

Postby Slava » Fri May 08, 2015 9:02 pm

I, too, am a wee bit confusticated on this one. Beginning of the evening, or the end, or even the high-point thereof. Clear as mud to me.

I also saw an etymology that proposes the original word meant something along the lines of bending, which the part of the leg between the knee and ankle is most emphatically not meant to do. Ever seen one of those clips of horrendous football injuries? Yow! I guess if your shank does bend you will most likely end up with a limp.
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