# shanks' nag

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. Transportation by foot. To "take a shanks' nag" means using one's own legs to walk.

## Etymology
Traced back to shanks-nag, 1758; The expression -- believed to be Scottish in origin (i.e. shanks-naig 1774), refers to the use of shank to refer to the part of the human leg between the knee and ankle.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/shanks-nag