See Also:

leg(1) (iou)



leg noun. ME.

I.
Each of the limbs of support and locomotion in an animal body; esp. either of the two lower limbs of the human body. Also, the part of this from the hip to the ankle, or (spec. in Anatomy) from the knee to the ankle. ME.
C. Stead His legs were shaking, and he stumbled at every step. A. Hardy A terrestrial animal..larger than an elephant would have..legs so thick..it could not walk. I. McEwan Mary was..scratching the calf and ankle of one leg.
b. (A part of) a leg of an animal or bird used as food. LME.
D. Leavitt I bought a leg of lamb to freeze.
c. leg up, leg-up, a lift by the leg to help a person climb up or get over an obstacle; a help in a difficulty, an aid to progress. Orig. & esp. in give a person a leg up. colloq. M19.
An obeisance made by drawing back one leg and bending the other; a bow, a scrape. Freq. in make a leg. Now arch. or joc. L16.
= BLACKLEG noun 2. arch. slang. E19.
Cricket. The side of the pitch on which the batsman stands, esp. the part which lies behind or roughly in line with him or her (also leg side). Also, (the area occupied by) a fielder who plays on this side of the pitch. E19.
Times His attempt to sweep to leg at a straight enough ball.
A woman. slang (chiefly US). derog. M20.
II. A thing resembling a leg or acting as a support.
An artificial leg. Also peg leg, wooden leg, etc. LME.
Chiefly Heraldry. A representation or figure of a leg, esp. bent at the knee. LME.
A part of a garment which covers a leg. LME.
Dickens Put my hunk of bread-and-butter down the leg of my trousers.
a. The stem of an earthenware or glass vessel. Only in L15.
b. Each of the comparatively long and slender supports of a piece of furniture etc. E17.
M. Bradbury A number of tables with gunmetal legs and bright yellow tops.
c. Each of the columns extending below the main deck of an oil rig, used to float and stabilize the vessel or to rest it on the seabed. M20.
Esp. Shipbuilding & Mining. A bar, pole, etc., used as a support or prop. L15.
Nautical. Any of various short ropes which branch out into two or more parts. E17.
a. Either of the sides of a triangle, viewed as standing on a base; either of the two parts on each side of the vertex of a curve. M17.
b. Each of the branches of a forked, jointed, or curved object. L17.
Croquet It cannot effect the stroke..on account of the leg of a hoop intervening.
c. A strand of the network connecting the patterns in lace. Usu. in pl. M19.
d. Mining. Either of the two nearly vertical lateral prolongations of the saddle of a quartz reef. L19.
e. Broadcasting. A supplementary network attached to a main network and providing coverage for a particular region; a group of stations in a network. US. M20.
a. Nautical. A run made on a single tack. M19.
H. Allen Captain Bittern..fetched a tremendous leg away across the Atlantic.
b. gen. A part of, or stage in, a journey, race, competition, etc. E20.
Sunday Graphic Mrs. Morrow-Tait..arrives at Malta from Marseilles..on the second leg of her round-the-world tour.
c. Stock Exchange. A stage or period of an account or market. L20.
Times Equities ended the first leg of the two week account on a..firm note.
Phrases: abdominal leg Entomology = PROLEG. a bone in one's leg: see BONE noun. an arm and a leg: see ARM noun1. cost an arm and a leg: see COST verb 1. change leg (of a horse) change step. dance a person off his or her legs, run a person off his or her legs, walk a person off his or her legs cause a person to dance, run, walk, etc., to exhaustion. false leg Entomology = PROLEG. feel one's legs: see FEEL verb. get one's leg over slang engage in sexual intercourse. hang a leg: see HANG verb. Harry long legs: see HARRY noun2. have legs US colloq. (of a book, film, play, etc.) have lasting popularity. have no legs colloq. have insufficient momentum to reach a desired point. have the legs of travel faster than. heave up the leg = lift the leg below. keep one's legs: see KEEP verb. lay one's leg over slang = get one's leg over above. leg before wicket Cricket illegal obstruction of the ball by the batsman with a part of the body other than the hand, for which he or she can be given out. legs eleven joc. eleven orig. & esp. in the game of bingo. leg up: see sense 1c above. lift the leg, lift up the leg slang (esp. of a dog) urinate. long leg Cricket (the position of) a fielder on the leg side at a long distance from the wicket. middle leg: see MIDDLE adjective. no leg to stand on, not a leg to stand on no support whatever. on one's hind legs: see HIND adjective. on one's last legs at the end of one's life or resources. on one's legs (a) standing; (of a public speaker etc.) standing up and orating; (b) well enough to stand or walk; (c) fig. prosperous, established. pull a person's leg colloq. tease a person, deceive a person playfully or humorously. red leg: see RED adjective. run a person off his or her legs: see dance a person off his or her legs above. SEA legs. shake a leg (a) make a start; hurry up; (b) begin dancing. shake a loose leg lead an irregular life. short leg Cricket (the position of) a fielder on the leg side at a short distance from the wicket. show a leg get out of bed; make one's appearance. square leg Cricket (the position of) a fielder on the leg side about square with the wicket (short square leg: see SHORT adjective). straight leg: see STRAIGHT adjective1 & adverb1. stretch one's legs (a) increase one's stride, walk fast; (b) exercise the legs by walking. take to one's legs run (away). talk the hind legs off a DONKEY. walk a person off his or her legs: see dance a person off his or her legs above. walking leg: see WALKING verbal noun. walking on two legs, walking with two legs: see WALKING noun. white leg: see WHITE adjective. with one's tail between one's legs: see TAIL noun1.
Comb.: leg bail (a) [BAIL noun1] give leg bail (joc.), run away; (b) [BAIL noun2] Cricket the bail nearest the batsman; leg-bone the shin-bone, the tibia; leg break Cricket a ball which deviates from the leg side after bouncing; such a deviation; leg-bye: see BYE noun 3; leg-cutter Cricket a fast leg break; leg drive (a) Rowing drive imparted by movement of the rower's legs; (b) Cricket a drive to the leg side; leg glance: see GLANCE noun1 2b; leg-guard a protection for the leg; Cricket a covering for the knee, shin, and ankle, worn as a protection against injury from the ball; leg-harness armour for the leg; leg-iron a shackle or fetter for the leg; leg man, leg woman an assistant who does leg work; leg-of-mutton adjective resembling a leg of mutton, esp. in shape; leg-of-mutton sail, a triangular mainsail; leg-of-mutton sleeve, a sleeve very full on the arm but close-fitting at the wrist; leg-over slang sexual intercourse; leg-pad Cricket a leg-guard; leg-pull a playful or humorous deception; leg-puller a person given to leg-pulling; leg-pulling the action or an act of deceiving a person playfully or humorously; leg-rest a support for the leg of a seated invalid; leg-ring an aluminium strip secured round a bird's leg to identify it; leg-room space for the legs, spec. in a car; leg-rope verb & noun (Austral. & NZ) (a) verb intrans. & trans. catch (an animal) by the leg with a noosed rope; (b) noun a noosed rope used for catching animals; leg-show colloq. a theatrical production in which dancing girls display their legs; leg side: see sense A.4 above; leg slip Cricket (a fielder in) a position to stop a ball glancing off the bat to the leg side behind the wicket; leg spin Cricket a type of spin which causes the ball to turn from the leg side after bouncing; leg-spinner Cricket a ball bowled with a leg spin; a leg spin bowler; leg stump Cricket = leg bail (b) above; leg theory Cricket a theory that favours bowling to leg with a concentration of fielders on the leg side; leg trap Cricket a group of fielders stationed for catches near the wicket on the leg side; leg-up: see sense 1c above; leg warmer either of a pair of tubular (usu. knitted) garments, orig. worn by dancers at rehearsal, covering the leg from ankle to thigh, but often worn gathered from the ankle to below the knee (usu. in pl.); leg woman: see leg man above; leg work work which involves running errands, going from place to place gathering information, etc.; leg-worm = Guinea worm s.v. GUINEA 1.
leglet noun (a) a little leg; (b) an ornament or band worn round the leg: E19.