Ham·string, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Hamstrung; p. pr. & vb. n. Hamstringing. See String.] To lame or disable by cutting the tendons of the ham or knee; to hough; hence, to cripple; to incapacitate; to disable.
So have they hamstrung the valor of the subject by seeking to effeminate us all at home. --Milton.
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hamstring
n : one of the tendons at the back of the knee [syn: hamstring
tendon]
v 1: make ineffective or powerless; "The teachers were hamstrung
by the overly rigid schedules"
2: cripple by cutting the hamstring
[also: hamstrung]