hankey

Thân thiện

A clown pulls a colorful hankey from his pocket.

Definition

Noun: A small, typically square piece of cloth or soft paper used for personal hygiene purposes, such as wiping the eyes or blowing the nose. It can also refer to a similar piece of fabric used as an accessory in a costume or for decorative purposes.

Usage

This word is an informal, chiefly British variant of "handkerchief." It is used to refer to the physical item carried on one's person. * Always use it as a countable noun (e.g., a hankey, two hankeys). * It is often associated with a cloth item, though it can also refer to disposable paper versions.

Examples

• She pulled a clean hankey from her pocket to dry her tears.
• He always carries a folded hankey in his blazer.
• The clown's costume included a large, polka-dotted hankey in the breast pocket.

Advanced Usage

• "To cry into one's hankey": An idiom meaning to weep, often implying self-pity or sentimental sadness.
  • After the sad movie, she was ready to cry into her hankey.

Variants and Related Words

• Handkerchief (n.): The standard, more formal term for the same item.
• Kerbchief / Kerchief (n.): A more archaic term for a piece of cloth worn over the head or around the neck.
• Pocket square (n.): A decorative handkerchief worn in the breast pocket of a suit jacket.
• Tissue (n.): A disposable piece of soft paper used for the same purposes as a handkerchief.

Synonyms

• Mouchoir (n., from French): A handkerchief.
• Neckerchief (n.): A cloth worn around the neck.
• Wipe (n., informal): A piece of material used for cleaning.

Phrasal Verbs / Common Phrases

• To lose one's hankey: To misplace one's handkerchief.
  • He was sneezing but couldn't find his hankey anywhere.

Related Idioms

• To throw in the hankey/towel: (A variant of "throw in the towel") To give up or admit defeat. (Note: "Towel" is the standard word in this idiom; "hankey" is a humorous or erroneous substitution).
  • After failing the test three times, he was ready to throw in the hankey.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a square piece of cloth used for wiping the eyes or nose or as a costume accessory

Từ đồng nghĩa

• handkerchief
• hankie
• hanky