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Discussion Groups / British English / March 2005shanks pony
I have just had a Chinese student use the above phrase in the context: "It is a long way, will we have to use shanks pony" Apparently it means to walk, travel by foot but I have never heard of it before. Anyone any idea where it comes from??? Thanks > I have just had a Chinese student use the above phrase in the context: > "It is a long way, will we have to use shanks pony" > Apparently it means to walk, travel by foot but I have never heard of it before. Anyone any idea where it comes from??? According to OED, "shank" is a word for the lower part of the leg - a use that's still in use in the butchery trade. It has citations of the phrase "shanksnaig" for walking from 1744 ("naig" here means nag i.e. horse) and "Shanks's pony" from 1898. The latter form is still in fairly common use. -- Mike Stevens narrowboat Felis Catus II Web site www.mike-stevens.co.uk No man is an island. So is Man. > > I have just had a Chinese student use the above phrase in the > > context: > > "It is a long way, will we have to use shanks pony" > > Apparently it means to walk, travel by foot but I have never heard > > of it > before. Anyone any idea where it comes from??? > According to OED, "shank" is a word for the lower part of the leg - > a use that's still in use in the butchery trade. It has citations of > the phrase "shanksnaig" for walking from 1744 ("naig" here means nag > i.e. horse) and "Shanks's pony" from 1898. The latter form is still > in fairly common use. And we must not forget Edward I, "Longshanks".  Signaturehttp://www.dacha.freeuk.com/colour/4r-0.htm As Tuesday's Sword of Iron Mars the Redden Earth, Twin Sacraments - of Fire and Blood - dishonour Birth. | I have just had a Chinese student use the above phrase in the context: | | "It is a long way, will we have to use shanks pony" | | Apparently it means to walk, travel by foot but I have never heard of it before. Anyone any idea where it comes from??? Many times in Yorkshire. SignatureDave F >> I have just had a Chinese student use the above phrase in the >> context: [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Many times in Yorkshire. In London too when I was a lad. >>> I have just had a Chinese student use the above phrase in the >>> context: [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > In London too when I was a lad. "Before the civil wars"? SignatureJohn Briggs On Thursday, in article <PuLVd.1120$077.831@newsfe4-gui.ntli.net> > >>> I have just had a Chinese student use the above phrase in the > >>> context: [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > "Before the civil wars"? Which one(s)? Cromwell's, or Stephen's? SignatureBrian {Hamilton Kelly} bhk@dsl.co.uk "Je n'ai fait celle-ci plus longue que parce que je n'ai pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte." Blaise Pascal, /Lettres Provinciales/, 1657 >>>> I have just had a Chinese student use the above phrase in the >>>> context: [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > "Before the civil wars"? Between them. >>> I have just had a Chinese student use the above phrase in the >>> context: [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > >In London too when I was a lad. Me too - in the suburbs of London from my Australian parents. SignaturePeter Duncanson UK (posting from u.c.l.e) > -=-=-=-=-=- > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Apparently it means to walk, travel by foot but I have never heard of it > before. Anyone any idea where it comes from??? It's a well-known English idiom meaning to walk (I've always heard it pronounced as "shanks's pony"). But I wouldn't use it as being necessitated by distance, but rather by the lack of any alternative transport. "It's a long way so we'll have to walk" doesn't make so much sense, so I wonder whether the student really understood its meaning. "There are no buses on Sunday so we'll have to use shanks's pony" would be a more likely usage. Cheers Tony SignatureTony Mountifield Work: tony@softins.co.uk - http://www.softins.co.uk Play: tony@mountifield.org - http://tony.mountifield.org I wrote: > > I have just had a Chinese student use the above phrase in the context: > > [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > "There are no buses on Sunday so we'll have to use shanks's pony" > would be a more likely usage. OK, I've just re-read the original sentence and noticed it said "will we" rather than "we will" (I was misled by the lack of a question mark). So it sounds like the original sentence does make sense as a plaintive "It's a long way, do we have to *walk*?" Cheers Tony SignatureTony Mountifield Work: tony@softins.co.uk - http://www.softins.co.uk Play: tony@mountifield.org - http://tony.mountifield.org At 08:17:45 on Fri, 4 Mar 2005, Tony Mountifield <tony@softins.clara.co.uk> wrote in <d095j9$6jv$1@softins.clara.co.uk>: >It's a well-known English idiom meaning to walk (I've always heard it >pronounced as "shanks's pony"). > >But I wouldn't use it as being necessitated by distance, but rather by >the lack of any alternative transport. We would sail up the avenue, but we haven't got a yacht. We would drive up the avenue, but the horse we had was shot. We would ride on a trolley car but we haven't got the fare - So we'll walk up the avenue - Yes, we'll walk up the avenue - Yes, we'll walk up the avenue till we're there! SignatureMolly Mockford They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety - Benjamin Franklin (My Reply-To address *is* valid, though may not remain so for ever.) |We would sail up the avenue, but we haven't got a yacht. |We would drive up the avenue, but the horse we had was shot. |We would ride on a trolley car but we haven't got the fare - |So we'll walk up the avenue - |Yes, we'll walk up the avenue - |Yes, we'll walk up the avenue till we're there! STROLLING (Flanagan & Allen) Strolling, just strolling, In the cool of the evening air, I don't envy the rich in their automobiles, For a motor car is phoney. I'd rather have Shanks's pony, When I'm strolling, just strolling, With the light of the moon above, Ev'ry night I go out strolling, And I know my luck is rolling, When I'm strolling with the one I love. SignatureHoward Coakley e-mail... howard<dot}coakleyatcoakley<dot].codotuk ICQ:4502837. (Try ICQ at www.icq.com) >STROLLING (Flanagan & Allen) > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >And I know my luck is rolling, >When I'm strolling with the one I love. Interestingly, the original meaning of "stroll" was as in "strolling players" i.e intinerant. The German "strolch", a vagrant, also gave rise to the Italian "astrologo" - an astrologer. The above meaning of "stroll" has now taken over to the degree that it's very hard to discard the mental image of "strolling players" idly sauntering about. SignaturePhil C. fOn Tue, 15 Mar 2005 11:59:48 +0000, Phil C. <philstoxicwaste@fsmail.net> wrote: > The German "strolch", a vagrant, also gave >rise to the Italian "astrologo" - an astrologer. That should have been "came from" rather than "gave rise to". IIRC "flu" also came to us from astrology. SignaturePhil C. > Interestingly, the original meaning of "stroll" was as in "strolling > players" i.e intinerant. The German "strolch", a vagrant, also gave > rise to the Italian "astrologo" - an astrologer. "Stroll" is a contraction of "St. Rollox", an area of Glasgow which contained the Caledonian Railway's workshops. The leisurely pace of life enjoyed in the district by the well-paid, highly intellectual workers gave rise to the verb. Paul Burke >> Interestingly, the original meaning of "stroll" was as in "strolling >> players" i.e intinerant. The German "strolch", a vagrant, also gave [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >enjoyed in the district by the well-paid, highly intellectual workers >gave rise to the verb. I'd have thought St. Rollox was Glasgow rhyming slang or the first line of a limerick. If the latter then I suspect Pollux gets a mention as well. I see that Pollux was worshipped as a guardian of seamen. (Yes, really.) Hmmm... SignaturePhil C. At 13:44:57 on Tue, 15 Mar 2005, Paul Burke <paul@scazon.com> wrote in <39o7nbF6197foU1@individual.net>: >"St. Rollox", No doubt the patron saint of present-day spammers. SignatureMolly Mockford They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety - Benjamin Franklin (My Reply-To address *is* valid, though may not remain so for ever.) |
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