Honky-tonk definition
Designating or of a style of piano music having a bouncy rhythm and a tinkling sound.
adjective
To visit cheap, noisy bars or dance halls.
verb
Of, relating to, or being a type of ragtime characteristically played on a tinny-sounding piano or in a honky-tonk.
adjective
(slang) A bar, esp. one where country music is played.
noun
A style of country music emphasizing traditional country instruments (e.g., guitar, steel guitar and fiddle); a rough, nasal vocal style; and tragic themes such as heartbreak, infidelity and alcoholism.
noun
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Of or relating to such a bar or dance hall; tawdry.
A honky-tonk district; honky-tonk entertainers.
adjective
A cheap, noisy bar or dance hall.
noun
(slang, former) A cheap, disreputable, noisy cabaret or nightclub.
noun
(slang) Of or like a honky-tonk; specif., cheap, loud, low-class, etc.
adjective
(slang) To make the rounds of honky-tonks.
verb
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(dated) A cheap nightclub.
Gimme, gimme, gimme a honky-tonk girl. The Rolling Stones, "Honky-tonk Woman".
noun
Alternative Forms
Alternative Form of honky-tonk -
honkatonk
Other Word Forms
Noun
Singular:
honky-tonk
Plural:
honky-tonksOrigin of honky-tonk
- Perhaps from honk
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- From honk-a-tonk (“a cheap nightclub”), possibly imitative
From Wiktionary