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backhander

noun

Etymology

From backhand + -er (patient suffix) or -er (agent noun suffix).

  1. inherited from *handuz✻
  2. inherited from *handu✻
  3. inherited from hand
  4. inherited from hond
  5. formed as backhand — “back + hand”
  6. formed as backhander — “backhand + -er”

Definitions

  1. A glass of wine given out of turn, the bottle having been handed backwards.

  2. A blow with the back of the hand.

  3. A bribe, a secret payment.

  4. ›+ 3 more definitions

    1. A shot played backhand, a backhand stroke.

    2. A player who plays a backhand shot.

      • She's a terrific backhander.

    3. A surfer who approaches a swell with the wave behind them ("on their backhand") rather…

      A surfer who approaches a swell with the wave behind them ("on their backhand") rather than facing the wave ("on their forehand").

      • The morning brought an increased swell; long, perfect, down-the-line, 6-8' freight trains — a forehander's dream and a backhander's nightmare

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for backhander. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA