"Shackling". Feminine singular noun . From the transitive verb "to unshackle". An instrument used to cut the legs of cattle by means of a very sharp steel blade in the shape of a crescent placed at the end of a long and thick rod. In colonial times, in the Río de la Plata, it was used to cut off the legs of bighorn cattle, and thus slaughter them for later consumption or sale of their meat. The "shank" is the lower back of the animal's leg, just below the knee (slug). Its main function is to support the weight of the body and allow movement. In the butcher shops of Argentina this cut (the shank) is known as osobuco. In accordance with the RAE .
