bandy

[ban-dee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bandy ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), ban·died, ban·dy·ing.

to pass from one to another or back and forth; give and take; trade; exchange: to bandy blows; to bandy words.

to throw or strike to and fro or from side to side, as a ball in tennis.

to circulate freely: to bandy gossip.

adjective

(of legs) having a bend or crook outward; bowed: a new method for correcting bandy legs.

noun, plural ban·dies.

an early form of tennis.

Chiefly British. (formerly) hockey or shinny.

Obsolete. a hockey or shinny stick.

Origin of bandy

1570–80; perhaps < Spanish bandear to conduct, bandy, orig. help, serve as member of a band of men. See band¹

Related formsban·di·ness, noun

Synonyms for bandy

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bandy ON THESAURUS.COM

1. reciprocate, interchange, swap, barter.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for bandied

contend, squabble, disagree, quibble, dispute, quarrel, switch, lob, thrust, force, shove, fling, fire, hurl, deliver, drive, send, flip, start, lift

Examples from the Web for bandied

Contemporary Examples of bandied

The term “reform” is bandied about by many, but few have submitted any viable, concrete proposals.
Up to Speed: All You Need to Know About the Thai Coup
Lennox Samuels
May 27, 2014
The definition of “substantial burden” has been bandied about for years by courts, with very different results.
How Anti-Gay Will Mississippi’s ‘New’ Religious Freedom Bill Be?
Jay Michaelson
March 11, 2014
Newspapers howled, Congress investigated, and the “I” word, impeachment, was bandied about.
The Taxonomy of Scandals: Is Obama Nearing a Breaking Point?
Lloyd Green
May 27, 2013
But no one went through with the arson threats that were bandied about back then, says Cummins.
Cleveland Wants to Burn Down Ariel Castro’s House. Should It Be?
Christine Pelisek
May 13, 2013
Fewer than 24 hours before voting begins, confusion reigns and contradictory information is bandied about.
Could Hugo Chávez Really Lose Venezuela’s Election?
Boris Muñoz
October 6, 2012

Historical Examples of bandied

All the secrets and signs were bandied about and laughed at among the boys.
In School and Out
Oliver Optic
They are quarrelling about the qualification, and angry words were bandied about.
The Greville Memoirs (Second Part)
Charles C. F. Greville
He bandied epithets with some of his hearers who interrupted him.
McClure's Magazine, Vol. XXXI, No. 3, July 1908.
Various
Recriminations were bandied between the noblesse and the Tiers tat.
The Story of Paris
Thomas Okey
So the gospel and its Founder were bandied from tongue to tongue as a theme for unholy mirth.
Amos Huntingdon
T.P. Wilson

British Dictionary definitions for bandied

bandy

adjective -dier or -diest

Also: bandy-legged having legs curved outwards at the knees

(of legs) curved outwards at the knees

knock someone bandy Australian informal to amaze or astound

verb -dies, -dying or -died (tr)

to exchange (words) in a heated or hostile manner

to give and receive (blows)

(often foll by about) to circulate (a name, rumour, etc)

to throw or strike to and fro; toss about

noun plural -dies

an early form of hockey, often played on ice

a stick, curved at one end, used in the game of bandy

an old form of tennis

Word Origin for bandy

C16: probably from Old French bander to hit the ball back and forth at tennis

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bandied

bandy

1570s, "to strike back and forth," from Middle French bander, from root of band (n.2). The sense apparently evolved from "join together to oppose," to opposition itself, to "exchanging blows," then metaphorically, to volleying in tennis. Bandy (n.) was a 17c. Irish game, precursor of field hockey, played with curved a stick (also called a bandy), hence bandy-legged (1680s).