bandy

American  

[ban-dee] / ˈbæn di /

verb (used with object)

bandied, bandying

1. to pass from one to another or back and forth; give and take; trade; exchange.

   to bandy blows; to bandy words.

   Synonyms:

   barter, swap, interchange, reciprocate

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

3. to circulate freely.

   to bandy gossip.

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adjective

1. (of legs) having a bend or crook outward; bowed.

   a new method for correcting bandy legs.

noun

plural

bandies

1. an early form of tennis.

2. Chiefly British. (formerly) hockey or shinny.

3. Obsolete. a hockey or shinny stick.

bandy British  

/ ˈbændɪ /

adjective

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

2. (of legs) curved outwards at the knees

3. informal to amaze or astound

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verb

1. to exchange (words) in a heated or hostile manner

2. to give and receive (blows)

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

4. to throw or strike to and fro; toss about

noun

1. an early form of hockey, often played on ice

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

3. an old form of tennis

Other Word Forms

• bandiness noun

Etymology

Origin of bandy

1570–80; perhaps < Spanish bandear to conduct, bandy, originally help, serve as member of a band of men. See band ¹

Example Sentences

So they bandied together, booked Barcelona and have forbidden access to all independent media to ensure their privacy.

From BBC

"When you get Don Revie's name being bandied around you think, 'We'll have a bit of that - someone at the top who knows what they're doing and who is a winner.'"

From BBC

Sir George is frequently bandied about as the so-called fifth Beatle.

From Salon

Other ideas being bandied about by automobile aficionados: requiring residents to put standard tags on one car before getting historic tags for another, to show drivers have a legal everyday ride.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’s unclear which of the housing policy ideas bandied about in 2025 will make it into that plan.

From Barron's