hanky-panky

Also han·ky pank
Or han·key-pan·key

[hang-kee-pang-kee]

noun

Informal.

1. unethical behavior; deceit.

   When the bank teller bought an expensive car and house, they suspected there might be some hanky-panky going on.

2. illicit sexual relations.

hanky-panky

/ ˈhæŋkɪˈpæŋkɪ /

noun

1. dubious or suspicious behaviour

2. foolish behaviour or talk

3. illicit sexual relations

Word History and Origins

Origin of hanky-panky¹

1835–45; rhyming compound; compare initial h, p of higgledy-piggledy, hocus-pocus, hodgepodge ( def. ), etc.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hanky-panky¹

C19: variant of _hocus-pocus

Example Sentences

Technically, she was indicted for bank fraud relating to alleged hanky-panky on a mortgage application.

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Their hanky-panky is foiled, but the attempted assignation seems completely random.

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For instance, he has denied that he sexually assaulted E. Jean Carroll but then blamed her for the attack, saying, "What kind of a woman meets somebody and brings them up and within minutes you're playing hanky-panky in a dressing room?"

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"What kind of a woman meets somebody and brings them up and within minutes you're playing hanky-panky in a dressing room?"

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There is a lot of hanky-panky going on among the main characters — the ship is filled with extras who have no influence on the story — and a little romance and a lot of relationship issues, which means you do not have to wait long for a sex scene.

Read more on Los Angeles Times