shanks' pony

alternative Shanks's pony · alternative shanks's pony · alternative shank's pony · alternative shanks pony

1. CommonwealthidiomaticuncountableOne's feet or legs, regarded as a means of transport.

   1999, Richard Thompson, Walking the Long Miles Home, (Mock Tudor), And the rhythm in my shoes keeps the blues all away / When you ride Shanks's Pony you don′t have to pay

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   When we pointed out that we cared nothing, absolutely nothing, for convention, and would go in quest of the gods “on Shanks′ pony,” Anqui utterly mistook our meaning and had a pony in waiting for us when the hour came for leaving! This we dismissed after attempting to make clear our meaning.

   1930, G. E. O. Knight, Intimate Glimpses of Mysterious Tibet and Neighbouring Countries, published 1992, page 56

   1989, Charles Hyatt, When Me Was a Boy, Institute of Jamaica Publications, page 43, After all, mos′ everybody had to walk because yuh doan only get to meet people but ‘shanks pony’ was the cheapes′ form of transportation.

   That was the end of the vehicle track: from then on it was shanks′s pony.

   1993, John Marsden, Tomorrow, When the War Began, page 18

   Young Jim shook his head. ‘The nearest station′s about fifty miles from there. We′ll hail a lift if we′re lucky. Otherwise it′s shanks′s pony.’

   1994, Jackie French, Somewhere around the Corner, HarperCollins Australia, published 2010, unnumbered page

   He pointed toward a groaning tram packed with malnourished workmen, rickets, and penury. Preferred shank’s pony, drizzle or no drizzle.

   2004, David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas, London: Sceptre (Hodder and Stoughton), →ISBN