shank
shank / shangk/ • n. 1. (often shanks) a person's leg, esp. the part from the knee to the ankle: the old man's thin, bony shanks showed through his trousers. ∎ the lower part of an animal's foreleg. ∎ this part of an animal's leg as a cut of meat.2. the shaft or stem of a tool or implement, in particular: ∎ a long narrow part of a tool connecting the handle to the operational end. ∎ the cylindrical part of a bit by which it is held in a drill. ∎ the long stem of a key, spoon, anchor, etc. ∎ the straight part of a nail or fishhook.3. a part or appendage by which something is attached to something else, esp. a wire loop attached to the back of a button. ∎ the band of a ring rather than the setting or gemstone.4. the narrow middle of the sole of a shoe.5. inf. a dagger made by a prison inmate from available materials.• v. [tr.] Golf strike (the ball) with the heel of the club: I shanked a shot and hit a person on a shoulder.DERIVATIVES: shanked adj. [usu. in comb.] a long-shanked hook.