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View synonyms for honky-tonk

honky-tonk

[ hong-kee-tongk, hawng-kee-tawngk ]

noun

  1. a cheap, noisy, and garish nightclub or dance hall.


adjective

  1. Also honk·y-tonk·y [] of, relating to, or characteristic of a honky-tonk:

    a honky-tonk atmosphere.

  2. characterized by or having a large number of honky-tonks:

    the honky-tonk part of town.

  3. Music. noting a style of ragtime piano-playing characterized by a strict two-four or four-four bass, either contrapuntal or chordal, and a melody embellished with chords and syncopated rhythms, typically performed on a piano whose strings have been muffled and given a tinny sound.

verb (used without object)

  1. to visit or frequent honky-tonks.

honky-tonk

/ ˈhɒŋkɪˌtɒŋk /

noun

  1. slang.
    1. a cheap disreputable nightclub, bar, etc
    2. ( as modifier )

      a honky-tonk district

  2. a style of ragtime piano-playing, esp on a tinny-sounding piano
  3. a type of country music, usually performed by a small band with electric and steel guitars
  4. ( as modifier )

    honky-tonk music



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Other Words From

  • honky-tonker noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of honky-tonk1

1890–95, Americanism; rhyming compound based on honk

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Word History and Origins

Origin of honky-tonk1

C19: rhyming compound based on honk

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Example Sentences

In 1988 he dethroned The Honky Tonk Man in only seconds at Summerslam at Madison Square Garden.

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