peg leg

American  

noun

1. an artificial leg, especially a wooden one.

2. a person with an artificial leg.

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peg leg British  

noun

1. an artificial leg, esp one made of wood

2. a person with an artificial leg

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Other Word Forms

• peglegged adjective

Etymology

Origin of peg leg

First recorded in 1760–70

Example Sentences

“How about a peg leg instead?”

From Literature

Even as Penelope dragged and cajoled them up the aisle, the eyes of the Incorrigibles remained riveted on this inexplicable bird, with its canine howls and bright green plumage, miniature peg leg, and rakish three-cornered hat.

From Literature

It’s Eghbal — or “Peg Leg,” a nickname in honor of his prosthetic leg that squeaked whenever he moved.

From Los Angeles Times

Perhaps inevitably, the moral drama is somewhat hemmed in by its central mystery: Either Rashad is Peg Leg or he isn’t.

From Los Angeles Times

Redd’s father took him to see traveling minstrel shows when he was a boy, and he was particularly struck by the one-legged tap dancer Peg Leg Bates moving to the rhythm of a trap drummer.

From New York Times