Meanings
verbhang a leg (third-person singular simple present hangs a leg, present participle hanging a leg, simple past and past participle hung a leg)
present singular third person hangs a leg · participle present hanging a leg · participle past hung a leg · past hung a leg
- idiomaticTo hesitate; to hang back.
You have your hands on thousands, you fools, and you hang a leg! You'd be as rich as kings if you could find it, and you know it's here, and you stand there skulking.
1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC
Cite this entry
APA
hang a leg. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hang%20a%20leg
MLA
“hang a leg.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hang%20a%20leg. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hang a leg,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hang%20a%20leg.
Source: hang a leg on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.