shin

Pluralshins

Formsshins, shinning, shinned

1. 1
   nouncountable

   The front part of your leg between the knee and the ankle.

   She banged her shin against the edge of the table.

   My shin still aches from the soccer match.

   Similartibia

   Note
2. 2
   nouncountable

   The twenty-first letter in Hebrew, Arabic, and several other Semitic alphabets.

   The word shalom starts with a shin.

   She practiced writing shin in her Hebrew workbook.

   Note
3. 3
   verbintransitive

   To climb up or down a pole, tree, or rope by gripping it with your arms and legs.

   Like a cat climbing a tree by hugging it tightly with all four legs.

   The sailors had to shin up the mast to fix the flag.

   He managed to shin down the rope to reach the ground.

   Similarshinny

   Note
4. 4
   verbtransitive

   To hit someone or something with the front of your lower leg.

   Try not to shin the ball when you kick it.

   He accidentally shinned his opponent during the tackle.

   Note
5. 5
   nouncountable

   A metal bar that joins the ends of two railway rails together.

   Like a small metal strip that links two pieces of track, the way a staple holds two papers together.

   Workers bolted a new shin between the two rails.

   A loose shin can make the track unsafe for trains.

   Similarfishplate

6. 6
   verbslangUSintransitive

   To rush around quickly borrowing money to make a payment.

   Like running from neighbor to neighbor asking to borrow money before a bill is due.

   He had to shin around all morning to scrape together the rent.

   When the bill came due, she would shin from friend to friend for cash.

   Similarscramble, scrounge

   Note

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