Nearby Words

handcuff

[hand-kuhf] Origin

hand·cuff

[hand-kuhf]
noun
1.
a ring-shaped metal device that can be locked around a person's wrist, usually one of a pair connected by a short chain or linked bar; shackle: The police put handcuffs on the suspect.
verb (used with object)
2.
to put handcuffs on.
3.
to restrain or thwart (someone) by or as if by handcuffing: The amendments handcuffed the committee and prevented further action.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Handcuff is one of our favorite verbs.
So is lollygag. Does it mean:
to spend time idly; loaf.
to bark; yelp.

Origin:
1635–45; hand + cuff1

un·hand·cuff, verb (used with object)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To handcuff
Collins
World English Dictionary
handcuff (ˈhændˌkʌf)
 
vb
1.  (tr) to put handcuffs on (a person); manacle
 
n
2.  (plural) a pair of locking metal rings joined by a short bar or chain for securing prisoners, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

handcuff
1775, from hand + cuff. The verb is first attested 1720. O.E. had hondcops "a pair of hand cuffs," but the modern word is a re-invention.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature