Informal questionable behavior, as shady dealings or illicit sexual activity
Origin of hanky-panky
altered uncertain or unknown; perhaps after (sleight of) hand from hocus-pocushanky-panky
han·ky-pan·kyWebster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"hanky-panky." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/hanky-panky>.
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hanky-panky. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/hanky-panky
hanky-panky
noun
Slang- Devious or mischievous activity.
- Illicit sexual activity.
Origin of hanky-panky
Alteration of hokey-pokey alteration of hocus-pocusTHE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"hanky-panky." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/hanky-panky>.
APA Style
hanky-panky. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/hanky-panky
Noun
(uncountable)
- Mischievous behaviour, dishonest or shady activity.
- I think there was some hanky-panky with the last election.
- Sexual intercourse or other sexual activity, especially if illicit.
- A debaucherous act; a sexual act that is considered inappropriate.
Origin
Possibly a corruption of the Romani expression hakk'ni panki ("great trick", "big con" and hence "shady dealings").
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"hanky-panky." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/hanky-panky>.
APA Style
hanky-panky. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/hanky-panky
