shanks' nag
Transportation by foot. To "take a shanks' nag" means using one's own legs to walk.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“My car broke down, so I took shanks' nag home.”
“I save money on my commute by using shanks' nag every morning.”
“Do you prefer taking the train or relying on shanks' nag?”
“Since the bus stopped running early, we had to rely on shanks' nag to get back to the hotel.”
“The elevator is out of order, so you will have to use shanks' nag to reach the fifth floor today.”
“If we want to see the hidden waterfall in the forest, shanks' nag is our only option for transport.”
“Finding the city center inaccessible by vehicle, the weary travelers resigned themselves to shanks' nag, traversing the cobblestone streets on foot.”
first recorded 18th c. disputed origin
The expression is traced back to 1758 as *shanks-nag* and is believed to be Scottish in origin, appearing as *shanks-naig* in 1774. It refers to the use of *shank* to denote the part of the human leg between the knee and the ankle. The term implies that in the absence of a literal horse, one’s own limbs must suffice for the journey.
Last updated August 10, 2026