Definition

1. Noun:
   • A small square piece of cloth or thin paper used for wiping the eyes, nose, or face: A "hankie" is a portable cloth, often carried in a pocket or purse, for personal hygiene, such as drying tears or blowing the nose.
   • A decorative square of cloth used as an accessory: A "hankie" can also refer to a similar piece of cloth, often made of finer material like linen or silk, used as a fashion accessory, typically in a suit pocket.

Examples

• Noun:
  • She pulled a lace-edged hankie from her sleeve to dab her eyes.
  • He always carries a clean cotton hankie in his back pocket.
  • The gentleman's suit was completed with a neatly folded white hankie in the breast pocket.

Advanced Usage

• "to cry into one's hankie": to weep, often implying self-pity or sentimentality.

  • It was such a sad movie that I was crying into my hankie by the end.

• "hankie-pankie": (a playful variant spelling of "hanky-panky") mischievous or deceitful activity, often of a sexual nature.

  • The rumor suggested there was some hankie-pankie going on in the office after hours.

Variants and Related Words

• Handkerchief (n): The full, more formal term for "hankie." A "hankie" is an informal, diminutive form of "handkerchief."

  • He offered his silk handkerchief to the lady.

• Kleenex (n, trademark): A brand name often used generically to refer to a disposable paper tissue, which serves a similar function to a cloth hankie.

  • Do you have a Kleenex? I need to blow my nose.

Synonyms

• Tissue (n): A piece of soft, disposable paper used for wiping the nose or eyes.
• Kerchief (n): A square of cloth worn on the head or around the neck; historically related but not used for the same primary function.
• Mouchoir (n): A French term for handkerchief, sometimes used in English for stylistic effect.

Related Phrases

• Pocket square: A term for a decorative handkerchief worn in the breast pocket of a suit jacket.

  • His pocket square added a splash of color to his outfit.

• Nose rag: (Slang, informal) A somewhat crude or humorous synonym for a handkerchief.

  • He pulled out a crumpled nose rag from his jeans.

Noun

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