Meaning of shanks' mare | Babel Free

Definitions

One's own feet used for walking; to "travel by shanks' mare" or "ride [on] shanks' mare" is to walk to your destination.

US, countable, idiomatic, uncountable

Equivalents

Examples

“A public exhibition of the velocipede [a predecessor of the bicycle] ... will never come⟳ into general use⟳ in competition with Shank's mare.”

““Well! Well! Here's Aunt Cannie. Waiting for your car?” “No suh, Mr. Henry. Shank's mare is plenty good fer me. I been ridin' dis ol' mare for more'n a hund'ed years.””

“Once they take⟳ to Shanks' mare, they are all equal.”

“The last⟳ thing we'd want⟳ to be seen doing...is using shanks mare, even though the day is holding up well.”

CEFR level