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ion; specifically, a ring or band inclosing the ankle or wrist, and fastened to a similar shackle on the other leg or arm, or to something else, by a chain or a strap; a gyve; a fetter. His shackles empty left; himself escaped clean. Spenser.

To fasten (an animal) by a rope binding the head to one of the fore legs; as, to hamshackle a horse or cow; hence, to bind or restrain; to curb.

inted; falling to pieces; out of repair. There came . . . my lord the cardinal, in his ramshackle coach. Thackeray.

To loose from shackles or bonds; to set free from restraint; to unfetter. Addison.

emulated their chief in the richness of their appointments. Prescott. I'll prove it in my shackles, with these hands Void of appoinment, that thou liest. Beau. & Fl.

A long bar or bolt of iron with sliding shackles, and a lock at the end, to confine the feet of prisoners or offenders, esp. on board of ships. Methought I lay Worse than the mutines in the bilboes. Shak.

An iron to fasten the legs of a prisoner; a shackle; a fetter. [Obs.] Away with him to prison! lay bolts enough upon him. Shak.

or by which anything is fastened or bound, as a cord, chain, etc.; a band; a ligament; a shackle or a manacle. Gnawing with my teeth my bonds in sunder, I gained my freedom. Shak.

Affecting like a canker. "Canrerous shackles." Thomson. Misdeem it not a cankerous change. Wordsworth.

A floating perforated box for living fish. [U. S.] Car coupling, or Car coupler, a shackle or other device for connecting the cars in a railway train. [U. S.] -- Dummy car (Railroad), a car containing its own steam power or locomotive. -- Freight car (Railrood), a car for the transportation of merchandise or other goo…

links of a chain. When perfect, the calicles show twelve septa. -- Chain coupling. (a) A shackle for uniting lengths of chain, or connecting a chain with an object. (b) (Railroad) Supplementary coupling together of cars with a chain. -- Chain gang, a gang of convicts chained together. -- Chain hook (Naut.), a hook,…

One who couples; that which couples, as a link, ring, or shackle, to connect cars. Coupler of an organ, a contrivance by which any two or more of the ranks of keys, or keys and pedals, are connected so as to act together when the organ is played.

, room, house, etc.; as, an empty chest, room, purse, or pitcher; an empty stomach; empty shackles.

A chain or shackle for the feet; a chain by which an animal is confined by the foot, either made fast or disabled from free and rapid motion; a bond; a shackle. [They] bound him with fetters of brass. Judg. xvi. 21.

A shackle; especially, one to confine the legs; a fetter. [Written also give.] Like a poor prisoner in his twisted gyves. Shak. With gyves upon his wrist. Hood.

To put a hamper or fetter on; to shackle; to insnare; to inveigle; hence, to impede in motion or progress; to embarrass; to encumber. "Hampered nerves." Blackmore. A lion hampered in a net. L'Estrange. They hamper and entangle our souls. Tillotson.

rash, manner. -- To have the heels of, to outrun. -- To lay by the heels, to fetter; to shackle; to imprison. Shak. Addison. -- To show the heels, to flee; to run from. -- To take to the heels, to flee; to betake to flight. -- To throw up another's heels, to trip him. Bunyan. -- To tread upon one's heels, to foll…

To shackle with irons; to fetter or handcuff. "Ironed like a malefactor." Sir W. Scott.

The shackle for joining a chain cable to an anchor.

To untie or unbind; to free from any fastening; to remove the shackles or fastenings of; to set free; to relieve. Canst thou . . . loose the bands of Orion Job. xxxviii. 31. Ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her; loose them, and bring them unto me. Matt. xxi. 2.