shank's mare

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 16, 2008 is: shank's mare • \SHANKS-MAIR\  • noun : one's own legs Examples: We were determined to see the ruins, and when we found out the shuttle bus wasn't running that day, we traveled by shank's mare. Did you know? "A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!" Many travelers in centuries past would have agreed with King Richard's famous lines from Shakespeare's Richard III -- when you needed to travel any distance in the days before automobiles, you definitely wanted a horse. When one wasn't available, you had to rely on your built-in transportation equipment, your feet and legs. The word "shank" has been used to mean "the lower leg" since before the 12th century, and "shank's mare" first appeared in writing in the late 1700s. Another vivid expression connecting people and horses was "horse with ten toes," but that one is now relegated to history. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.