hanky-pank

English

Etymology

Clipping of hanky-panky

Noun

hanky-pank (countable and uncountable, plural hanky-panks)

1. Synonym of hanky-panky
   • 1920, William Dunseath Eaton, Spirit Life: Or, Do We Die?, page 264:

     He was interested at once, and also at once made proclamation that all such performances were "hanky-pank," and that he could duplicate any of them.

   • 1972, Decisions and Orders of the National Labor Relations Board:

     In specific explanation of Kaplan's wire of 10:30, Long testified that Kaplan returned his call shortly before 10:30 and that, after reviewing the developments beginning with Babcock's wire to Kaplan the previous afternoon, he and Kaplan concluded that there was some “hanky-pank going on” looking toward “instigat[ion of] a suit,” and that because of these “fears, ' Attorney Kaplan, without either of them knowing that Babcock had canceled Robertson's contract, sent Babcock the previously quoted wire concerning the Union's purpose in picketing.

   • 1973, North western reporter. Second series. N.W. 2d. Cases argued and determined in the courts of Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin:

     Defendant attempted through cross-examination of Rossman and prosecutrix to discover the activities in the Rossman vehicle prior to prosecutrix leaving that vehicle. Defendant was not permitted to ask Rossman whether any “hanky-pank” had gone on in the Rossman vehicle.

   • 2000, Mitchell Rosnov, Black Magic, →ISBN, page 108:

     After two years of hanky pank she got the mumps.

2. (slang) A carnival game which guarantees a winner.
   • 1981, California Legislature. Joint Committee on Fairs Allocation and Classification, Meeting, California State Legislature, Joint Committee on Fairs Allocation and Classification:

     That means if you book a couple of games of hanky pank, I'll allow you to book an alibi with them so if the kids win something we will rip off dad, that seems fair.

   • 2003, Bret Witter, Carnival Undercover, page 88:

     The carny's goal is to get you to keep playing the game, and plunking down cash, until you get enough credits to trade up to a better prize. For this reason, hanky-panks are commonly referred to as trade-ups. The classic hanky-pank is Duck Pond (sometimes played as Fish Pond).

   • 2008, Darryl Wimberley, Kaleidoscope, page 96:

     Not everything was a flattie. "This here 'Fish the Bottle' is hanky-pank," Tommy noted, which in the carney's twisted lingo meant it was honest.

   • 2012, Dean Koontz, Twilight Eyes, →ISBN:

     They had closed up their hanky-panks, grab-joints, pitch-and-dunks, pokerino parlours, had turned off the lights and killed the music and folded up the gaudy glamour.

3. A nonce word.
   • 1906, The Postal Record - Volume 19, page 210:

     ... him that that was none of his dad-blamed hanky-pank business, although I ached to tell him that and several other things.

   • 1911, The Motor Car Journal - Volume 13, page 613:

     Look here," said Jones ; " I don't want to be rude, but none of your hanky-pank."

   • 1909 -, Donald Grayson -, Bob Steele's Motor Cycle: Or, True to His Friends, page 13:

     “What's Chub trying to invent now?” queried Bob, as he and Susie started around the house on the trail of Perkins. “I think it's smokeless powder,” replied Susie. “Great hanky-pank!” gasped Bob.

Verb

hanky-pank (third-person singular simple present hanky-panks, present participle hanky-panking, simple past and past participle hanky-panked)

1. To engage in hanky-panky.
   • 1970, Borden Deal -, Interstate, page 362:

     He knew why he was so deeply angry: this situation had corrupted a fine young engineer, had lost him to the profession, while he, Drew, had hanky-panked with the enemy in the deluded belief that the conflict was not real.

   • 1990 -, Ellen Goodman, Making Sense, →ISBN, page 41:

     A man who hated communism and never "hanky-panked" with his secretary despite her "God- given beauty."

   • 1995, United States Congress Senate Select Committee on Ethics, Documents Related to the Investigation of Senator Robert Packwood:

     A person in innocent until proven guilty, if you hanky-panked 20 years ago with an office-staff member, or even tried to and was rejected , you are part, of an unusual group of phylum humn being.

   • 2005, Marc Estrin, The Education of Arnold Hitler, page 251:

     Professors don't hanky-pank students.