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   shank

   /ʃaŋk/

   noun

   • 1. a person's leg, especially the part from the knee to the ankle: "the old man's thin, bony shanks showed through his trousers"
   • ▪ the lower part of an animal's foreleg: "many fast animals have long shanks or calves"
   • ▪ the shank of an animal's leg as a cut of meat: "meals like ham hocks and lamb shanks are cooked with reasonably priced cuts of meat"
   • 2. a long, narrow part of a tool connecting the handle to the operational end: "gouges vary in the amount of curve or sweep on the cutting edge and the form of the shank"
   • ▪ the cylindrical part of a bit by which it is held in a drill.
   • ▪ the long stem of a key, spoon, anchor, etc.: "all Roman lever keys have a tubular shank"
   • ▪ the straight part of a fish hook.
   • 3. a part or appendage by which something is attached to something else, especially a wire loop attached to the back of a button.
   • ▪ the band of a ring rather than the setting or gemstone.
   • 4. the narrow middle of the sole of a shoe: "a rigid leather boot with a full shank"
   • 5. a makeshift knife fashioned from a sharp item such as broken glass or a razor: informal US "he used a shank to threaten a guard and steal his uniform"
   • 6. an act of striking the ball with the heel of the club: "he hit a shank with his tee shot and took double bogey"
   • ▪ a mishit shot, typically one that is struck with the frame of the racket: "one of the worst shots the great man has ever played—a forehand shank from on top of the net"

   verb

   • 1. strike (the ball) with the heel of the club: "I shanked a shot and hit a person on a shoulder"
   • ▪ mishit (a shot), typically by striking it with the frame of the racket: "he missed an easy smash then shanked a backhand volley"
   • 2. slash or stab (someone), especially with a makeshift knife: informal US "I got shanked with a broken bottle"

   Word Origin Old Englishsceanca, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch schenk ‘leg bone’ and German Schenkel ‘thigh’. The use of the verb as a golfing term dates from the 1920s.

   Derivatives

   • 1. shanked adjective

   Scrabble Points: 12

   • S

     1

   • H

     4

   • A

     1

   • N

     1

   • K

     5

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