sheepshank

[ sheep-shangk ]

/ ˈʃipˌʃæŋk /

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noun

a kind of knot, hitch, or bend made on a rope to shorten it temporarily.

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Origin of sheepshank

First recorded in 1635–45; short for sheepshank knot; literal sense unclear

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sheepshank in a sentence

If she got caught with a shank, they would up her custody level.
How a ‘Real Housewife’ Survives Prison: ‘I Don’t See [Teresa Giudice] Having a Cakewalk Here’|Michael Howard|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
You will find winding pasture for sheep and highland cattle.
Ester Elchies, The Estate Built By Whiskey||December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I had to pause for sheep crossing the road, which is a common occurrence when driving through the Highlands of Scotland.
A Whisky Connoisseur Remembers That First Sip of The Macallan||December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Farmers, fearing ISIS attacks, have left the city with their sheep.
Remembering Kobani Before The Siege|Mustafa Abdi, Movements.Org, Advancing Human Rights|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He notes that on Naxos sheep have very large gallbladders, but on Euboea they do not.
Why Aristotle Deserves A Posthumous Nobel|Nick Romeo|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A flock of weary sheep pattered along the road, barnward bound, heavy eyed and bleating softly.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
Harry took his bed into the spare-room, and Black Sheep lay down to die.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
The Griffin carried off one sheep a day from a German village, till a man came with a "falchion" and split the Griffin open.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
A little corral for the sheep, and a rough shed for the pony, and the home was complete: far the prettiest home they had ever had.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
And with these, and the society of Jane on board-wages, Black Sheep was left alone for a month.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling

British Dictionary definitions for sheepshank

sheepshank

/ (ˈʃiːpˌʃæŋk) /

noun

a knot consisting of two hitches at the ends of a bight made in a rope to shorten it temporarily

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012