shanks' mare

Alternative forms

 * shanks's mare, shank's mare, shanks mare

Etymology
The expression -- believed to be Scottish in origin -- derives from shanks' nag (shanks-naig 1774), referring to the use of shank to refer to the part of the human leg between the knee and ankle. One theory cites "shank's mare" derived from a horse-drawn lawn mower, manufactured by Shanks & Company Ltd. (founded 1853) which required that the human operator walk behind the device to guide the horse; however, references to the phrase in Scottish literature pre-date the existence of the Shanks lawn mower.

Noun

 * 1)  One's own legs used for walking; to "travel by shanks' mare" or "ride [on] shanks' mare" is to walk to your destination.
 * 2) * 1942. Transit Journal, McGraw Hill, page 173:
 * Once they take to Shanks' mare, they are all equal.
 * 1) * 1869. The Dubuque Daily Herald, Dubuque, Iowa, May 1869:
 * A public exhibition of the velocipede [a predecessor of the bicycle] ... will never come into general use in competition with Shank's mare.
 * 1) * 2003. John O'Flaherty, Rafferty, p. 77:
 * The last thing we'd want to be seen doing...is using shanks mare, even though the day is holding up well.
 * The last thing we'd want to be seen doing...is using shanks mare, even though the day is holding up well.

Related terms

 * ,, and variants (Scottish)
 * and variants (UK, Australian)

Translations

 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin:
 * German:
 * Icelandic: fara á tveimur jafnfljótum,
 * Irish: crágáil, dul ann de shiúl cos
 * Polish:
 * Russian:, на Пешка́русе
 * Scots: shank's meir, Tamson's meir
 * Spanish: ir en el coche de San Fernando, un ratito a pie y otro caminando
 * Swedish: