hanky
22
7.7
- noun
- /ˈhæŋki/
- Informal
:
pañuelo
- The clown pulled a bright red hanky from his sleeve as part of his routine.
You kind of like, didn't you know, you, you don't you don't you mop that up and then the, the, the hanky, the handkerchief, you see?
- You kind of like, didn't you know, you, you don't you don't you mop that up and then the, the, the hanky, the handkerchief, you see?
- Because if you sit back, yeah, at the burnabout and then they and then you start seeing those white hankies and all of that, you'll see ski in there.
- You've done the swabs, you've done the hanky.
- Well, when you equate modern romance to dropping the digital hanky, I was like, yes, that is Jane Austen meets Tinder.
Examples
-
Maybe a hanky or a tissue?
-
That hanky reminds me of the first day I met you.
-
Crisp white hanky in his breast pocket.
Fiction book (1993) -
"When May Anna came out to us, she was pale, dabbing at her eyes with her hanky.
Fiction book (1990) -
The driver recoiled, rushed a hanky to his nose, and tried to compose himself to make a call for assistance.
Fiction book (2000) -
She reached into her bag and pulled out a clean hanky to wipe her eyes.
-
When he sneezed, he quickly grabbed a hanky from his pocket.
Synonyms
90
2.2
A small square cloth for wiping your nose or face and for decoration
1
9.9
A rude word for a piece of cloth or paper used to wipe your nose
1
9.3
A small square cloth for wiping your nose or eyes
1
4.4
A small cloth kept in a pocket to wipe your nose or hands
Compounds
How Absorbent
Surface Forms
Morphology
hanky = handkerchief (transparent) = handkerchief + y
A familiar clipping/diminutive formation from 'handkerchief' (handkerchief → hanky), so the meaning is directly derived.
Etymology
Hanky is a short, informal form of handkerchief, which comes from hand and kerchief meaning 'cover' or 'cloth'. So a hanky is simply a small cloth you keep in your hand or pocket to wipe your nose or eyes.