shin
/ʃɪn/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.69 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The front part of the leg below the knee; the front edge of the shin bone: Shinbone on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
verb
To climb up or lower oneself down a mast, tree, rope, or the like, by embracing it alternately with the arms and legs, without help of steps, spurs, or the like.
verb
To strike with the shin.
verb
To run about borrowing money hastily and temporarily, as when trying to make a payment.
American usage; Slang
Example Sentences
- "Soccer players have to wear protective gear so they don't injure their shins."
- "to shin up a mast"
- ""The minute the door is shut he shins down a water-pipe, hops on his motor-cycle, and is off at full speed.""
- "The warning signs had been there as Peter Cech had already had to palm away a stinging shot from Ronald Zubar but immediately afterwards the Blues goalkeeper could only watch in horror as defender Boswinga shinned the ball into his own net from Hunt's corner."
- "The Senator was shinning around, to get gold for the rascally bank-rags which he was obliged to take."
Etymology
From Middle English schyne, from Old English scinu, from Proto-West Germanic *skinu, from Proto-Germanic *skinō. Cognate with West Frisian skine, Dutch scheen, German Schiene. Not related to skin.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: schyne, scinu, *skinu, *skinō, abhainn