What was meant in the movie Fort Apache when Henry Fonda said he would “travel by shank’s mare?”
James Andrews
Chickasaw, Alabama
A shank refers to the lower part of a person’s leg, from the knees to the ankle. So “traveling by shank’s mare” is a humorous way of referring to walking. Other similar expressions were “shank’s pony” and “horse with 10 toes.”
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