What does shanked mean?
Shanked has several related uses. As an adjective, it describes a person or animal with a thin, weak, or malformed leg, a usage especially associated with horses. As the past tense of the informal verb shank, it means to cheat or swindle someone: a broker or scammer may be said to have shanked investors. In golf, shanked can describe a ball that was struck badly with the heel of the club, often traveling in an unexpected direction. The word is therefore both literal and figurative: it can describe a physical weakness, financial deception, or an awkward sporting error. It is more specialized and conversational than the general word cheated, and its sporting use is familiar mainly to golfers.
Having a thin, weak, or malformed leg, especially in a horse.
"The shanked mare could not sustain a fast pace."
Most commonly used of horses, but it can be applied to other animals.
The past tense and past participle of shank: to cheat or swindle someone, or to strike a golf ball badly with the heel of the club.
"The golfer shanked the ball into the rough."
The cheating sense is informal; the golf sense describes an unintentional poor strike with the club's heel.
In golf, a shank is the sound of a shot made with the club's heel—and a warning that the ball may be headed somewhere unintended.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does shanked come from?
The word comes from shank, whose oldest English form referred to the leg or shin and which survives in several Germanic languages in related senses. The verb meaning to cheat developed from the idea of treating someone unfairly or swindling them. The golf sense, meaning to strike a ball with the heel of the club, is also derived from the club's lower part or heel.
Related word forms
How shanked is actually used
The adjective is especially associated with horses. The verb is informal and can sound accusatory when it means cheated or swindled; in golf, it refers to a poor shot caused by striking the ball with the club's heel.
Easily confused with shanked
Shanked can mean cheated or swindled, whereas spanked means punished, usually by hitting.