hand-me-down

/'hændmi'daun/
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Thân thiện
hand-me-down

My younger sister wears my hand-me-down sweater.

Definition

  1. Noun:

    • An item, especially a piece of clothing, that has been used by one person and then passed on to another, typically a younger sibling or relative. It often implies the item is no longer new and may show signs of wear.
    • By extension, any used or secondhand object passed from one person to another.

  2. Adjective:

    • Describing an item that has been passed on from one person to another after use. It often carries a connotation of being used, not new, and sometimes worn or outdated.
Examples of Usage

  • Noun:

    • As the youngest, I always wore my brother's hand-me-downs.
    • The bicycle was a hand-me-down from my cousin, but it still worked perfectly.

  • Adjective:

    • She wore a hand-me-down dress to the party.
    • We furnished the apartment with hand-me-down furniture from our families.
Advanced Usage
  • The term can be used metaphorically to describe ideas, traditions, or practices passed from one generation or group to another, often without critical examination.
    • That theory is just a philosophical hand-me-down from the last century.
  • It can sometimes carry a slightly negative connotation of being less desirable than something new, but it can also express practicality, frugality, or sentimental value.
Variants and Related Words
  • Hand down (phrasal verb): To pass something on to a successor or a younger person.
    • He handed down his watch to his grandson.
  • Secondhand (adjective): Previously owned or used by someone else.
  • Cast-off (noun/adjective): Something, especially clothing, that has been discarded or thrown away by its original owner.
Synonyms
  • Noun: Cast-off, used clothing, passed-down item.
  • Adjective: Secondhand, used, pre-owned, passed-down.
Related Phrases
  • Hand-me-down tradition: A custom or practice inherited from previous generations.
    • The recipe was a hand-me-down tradition in their family.
  • The hand-me-down effect: The process or result of items being successively passed along.
    • You can see the hand-me-down effect in the worn covers of these textbooks.
hand-me-down

My younger sister wears my hand-me-down sweater.

Noun
  1. outgrown garment passed down from one person to another
Adjective
  1. passed on from one person to another
    • not too proud to wear hand-me-down clothes

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