hobble

Meanings

Plural: hobbles

Noun

• a shackle for the ankles or feet
• the uneven manner of walking that results from an injured leg
• One of the short straps tied between the legs of unfenced horses, allowing them to wander short distances but preventing them from running off.
• An unsteady, off-balance step.
• A difficult situation; a scrape.
• An odd job; a piece of casual work.

Verb

• walk impeded by some physical limitation or injury
  • "The old woman hobbles down to the store every day"
• hamper the action or progress of
  • "The chairman was hobbled by the all-powerful dean"
• strap the foreleg and hind leg together on each side (of a horse) in order to keep the legs on the same side moving in unison
  • "hobble race horses"
• To fetter by tying the legs; to restrict (a horse) with hobbles.
• To walk lame, or unevenly.
• To move roughly or irregularly.
• To disable; to impede.

Synonyms

fetter, gimp, hirple, hitch, hopple, limp, tether