hamstring

Everyday

1. One of the strong tendons or muscles at the back of the thigh, above the knee. tree →
2. (verb) To stop someone or something from working well: the team was hamstrung by injuries. tree →
3. (verb, old) To cut an animal's hamstring so it cannot run. tree →

In the lessons

In PE and sports lessons the hamstrings are stretched in warm-ups; a «hamstring injury» or «pulled hamstring» is common in football, rugby and running. In news it describes plans that are held back by lack of money or rules. Phrases: pull a hamstring, hamstring stretch, hamstrung by.

Examples

• Stretch your hamstrings before you run. tree →
• The striker pulled a hamstring and was off for a month. tree →
• Touch your toes to feel your hamstrings stretch. tree →
• The project was hamstrung by a lack of money. tree →
• Hamstring injuries are common in sprinters. tree →
• The physio taped up her sore hamstring. tree →

Note

Past tense: hamstrung (also hamstringed, rarer). One word: ham + string. «Ham» is an old word for the back of the knee. In science, the hamstrings bend the knee, the opposite of the quadriceps.