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Glite Dictionary
to shank the ball

to shank the ball

9.1
To hit a ball badly so it goes far off target
  • phrasal verb
  • Jargon
translation icon : golpear mal la bola
  • He tried to shank the ball but fortunately it still landed on the green.

Examples

  • If you shank the ball in soccer, you might miss an easy goal.

  • She accidentally shanked the ball, sending it far to the right of the target.

  • He shanked the ball on his first swing.

  • Don't shank the ball again!

  • During practice, he realized he was shanking the ball and adjusted his stance.

  • If you keep shanking the ball, you need to check your grip on the club.

  • She often found herself shanking the ball during crucial moments of the game.

Synonyms

to shank
vsto shank the ball
  • Jargon
18 8.7

To hit the ball with the club heel so it goes off course

is a general wrong hit not caused by the club heel
to mishit
vsto shank the ball
6.0

To strike a ball badly so it goes wrong

focuses on a wrong hit that makes the ball veer sharply

Surface Forms

shank the ball infinitive
shanked the ball past
shanked the ball past participle
shanking the ball present participle
shanks the ball third person singular

Morphology

shank + the + ball

The meaning is directly built from the verb 'shank' (to strike the ball with the club heel) applied to 'ball', so the action and its consequence (an incorrect, off-course hit) are compositional rather than idiomatic. Although golf-specific jargon, the relation between the constituent meanings and the MWE is literal and predictable for a learner who knows both words.

Etymology

Shank the ball comes from a simple image: someone hitting the ball with the wrong part of their foot or club, called the shank, which makes the ball fly off to the side. That's why shank the ball now means 'to hit the ball incorrectly'.