shank-nag

9.9

An old horse that is weak and not fit for regular work

noun

Archaic

: caballo viejo

After years of faithful service, his shank-nag could no longer keep up with the younger horses.

Examples

Even though it was just a shank-nag, he loved his old horse dearly.
That old shank-nag can barely walk.
The children laughed as the shank-nag trotted slowly down the lane.
I saw a shank-nag at the farm yesterday.
After years of faithful service, his shank-nag could no longer keep up with the younger horses.
Even though it was just a shank-nag, he loved his old horse dearly.
That old shank-nag can barely walk.

Synonyms

nag

vsshank-nag

8 6.3

An old horse that is tired from hard work

is mainly defined as an animal past its prime and unfit

plug

vsshank-nag

Archaic

1 9.9

An old worn-out horse used for work

is seen as too old or unfit for regular work

jade

vsshank-nag

Archaic

1 9.9

An old weak horse that people make work too hard

is worn out to the point of being unfit for work

Antonyms

saddle horse

1 4.2

A horse kept for riding rather than for work

How Old

shank-nag

Archaic

9.9

foal

14 1.0

Surface Forms

shank-nag singular

shank-nags plural

Morphology

shank-nag = shank + nag (semi-transparent) = shank + nag

The components 'shank' and 'nag' make clear this refers to a horse and suggest a derogatory physical quality, but the compound is colloquial/idiomatic and its exact nuance (old/worn-out) is not fully predictable by the parts alone.

Etymology

Shank-nag comes from shank 'lower part of the leg' and nag 'old horse'. So a shank-nag is easy to picture as a thin-legged, worn-out horse, which is why the word means a horse that is past its prime and not fit for regular work.