the.com/shoulder
The only joint that traded stability for the freedom to throw a punch.
means The joint connecting the arm to the trunk, made of the bones, muscles, and ligaments around it — also the act of taking on a burden or pushing through.
from From Old English 'sculdor,' a word shared across the West Germanic family (compare Dutch 'schouder' and German 'Schulter'). Its deeper roots are murky — etymologists can't trace it confidently past Germanic — though some have linked it, uncertainly, to a sense of 'shovel' or 'shield-shaped flat surface,' fitting the broad blade of the shoulder bone. The figurative uses — to 'shoulder' a load, to give someone the 'cold shoulder' — grew from the body part that has always done our heavy lifting.
- range
- Most mobile joint in the human body
- dislocations
- The most frequently dislocated major joint
- muscle crew
- Four rotator cuff muscles, one fragile alliance
- throwing arm
- Humans throw far better than any other primate
- the ball
- Held in a socket too shallow to be safe
shoulder of mutton sail — a four-sided sail configuration used on traditional sailing vessels since the 18th century
shoulder season — travel periods like april-may or september-october between peak and off-season at tourist destinations
hard shoulder — emergency lane on uk motorways and european highways for vehicle breakdowns