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