[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference thebay::joyoflex

Title:The Joy of Lex
Notice:A Notes File even your grammar could love
Moderator:THEBAY::SYSTEM
Created:Fri Feb 28 1986
Last Modified:Mon Jun 02 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1192
Total number of notes:42769

845.0. "shank's mare" by SUBWAY::KABEL (doryphore) Fri Nov 30 1990 23:38

    Can anyone help me with the etymology of the term "shank's mare?"
    
    I've seen it a number of times, most recently in Steven Jay Gould's
    column in _Natural History_, and have always understood it to mean
    to travel by foot, or under one's own power.
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
845.1(-: RTFM :-)NEMAIL::KALIKOWDAy CISCo, Let's went! Too RISCo!!Sat Dec 01 1990 17:206
    I always interpreted the etymology from the words themselves; i.e.,
    when you had to travel somewhere and the usual horseoid conveyance
    (e.g., a mare) was not available, you got there under the power of your
    own shanks -- producing "We got there by shank's mare."
    
    (-: Covers the ground, eh?  :-)
845.2JUMBLY::DUNNMon Dec 03 1990 15:214
     aka shanks's pony across here in the yookay.  No idea of the origin,
     but I'll ask my mum, who's a mine of info on such things...

     Peter 
845.3NUTMEG::GODINNaturally I'm unbiased!Tue Dec 04 1990 21:2714
    I have no clue as to the origin, but I'll never forget the first time
    _I_ ever heard the term (in this case "Shank's pony").  I was an 8-10
    year old deeply enamoured with horses but with pitifully few
    opportunities to actually ride one.  When my mother told me we would
    have to take "Shank's ponies" to our destination, I was elated!  I was
    sure that Shank had a pony ride service just a bit further along the
    way.
    
    Imagine my disappointment, after walking all the way there, to discover
    that there were no ponies.  I wasn't going to get to ride.  I was
    convinced she had only said that to torture me!
    
    Karen
        
845.4AUSSIE::WHORLOWVenturer Scouts: feral Cub ScoutsMon Dec 10 1990 00:548
    G'day,
    
     _Actually_, Shank owned the ponies that were kept in Hobson's stable.
    
    You either took Hobson's choice, or Shank's pony....
    
         ;-)
    derek