# shanks' mare

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/shanks-mare
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

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

## Examples

- My car is broken, so I am traveling by shanks' mare today.
- Since the bus stopped running late at night, we decided to ride shanks' mare back to the hotel.
- With the mountain roads impassable due to the heavy snow, the travelers were forced to rely on shanks' mare to reach the village.

## Origin

The phrase is believed to be Scottish in origin, recorded as *shanks-naig* in 1774. It derives from the use of *shank* to denote the human leg between the knee and the ankle, suggesting that one’s own limbs serve as a functional, if uninspired, substitute for a horse. A popular but likely erroneous theory associates the expression with a horse-drawn lawn mower manufactured by Shanks & Company Ltd., a firm founded in 1853. The narrative suggests the name refers to the human operator who was required to walk behind the machine to guide the animal. This explanation suffers from a chronological inconvenience, as references to the phrase in Scottish literature pre-date the existence of the company and its mechanical mower by several decades. (disputed)

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.