Hock Is a Joint, a Wine and a Pawnshop
A hock is a joint in an animal's hind leg. Two other hocks name German wine and being in debt.
A hock is the joint in the hind leg of a horse or other quadruped, corresponding to the human ankle. Two other words share the spelling: *hock* as a name for German white wine, shortened from Hochheimer after the town of Hochheim, and *in hock*, meaning in debt or pawned, which is American slang of uncertain origin from the 1800s. The joint's position confuses people: a horse's hock is its ankle, and what looks like a backward knee is nothing of the kind.
- A hind leg joint. *The horse's hock.*
- German white wine. *A glass of hock.*
- In debt. *In hock.*
- A cut of pork. *A ham hock.*
- Old English — *hoh*, a heel. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | hock | A hock. |
| Plural | hocks | Hocks. |
| Compound | ham hock | A ham hock. |
| Idiom | in hock | In hock. |
| Old English | hoh | A heel. |
- The horse injured its hock.Anatomy.
- A bottle of hock.Wine.
- The watch is in hock.Pawn.
A horse's leg explained
- The hock corresponds to a human ankle, not a knee
- It bends backwards because that is how ankles work
- The stifle is the true knee, higher up and hidden by the body
- A horse stands on what corresponds to a single toe
- The hoof is a greatly enlarged toenail
Old English *hoh*, a heel. The wine is short for *Hochheimer*, from Hochheim in Germany.
Is a horse's hock its knee?
No. It corresponds to a human ankle. The true knee, called the stifle, sits higher up and close to the body.
Why is German wine called hock?
It is short for Hochheimer, wine from Hochheim, a name English applied to Rhine wines generally.