verb
shinny
SHIN-ee/ˈʃɪni/
Climb by gripping with the arms and legs.
A young man shinnies up a wooden pole, gripping with arms and legs.
Etymology
The earlier verb shin named climbing that uses the shins and ankles for purchase. Shinny keeps that body-part image: the climber grips with the legs as well as the arms.
More examples
- She shinnies up the rope to reach the platform.
- We watched a worker shinny down the pole.
- He shinnied up the tree trunk to retrieve his kite.
Forms
shinny · shinnies · shinnied · shinnying
shin noun — The front of the lower leg.