handbags

British

/ ˈhændˌbæɡz /

plural noun

facetious an incident in which people, esp sportsmen, fight or threaten to fight, but without real intent to inflict harm (esp in the phrases handbags at dawn, handbags at twenty paces, etc)

"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

Example Sentences

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handbags

“Clothing and handbags are art to me,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

In the dining room, vintage Doyle Lane ceramic beads dangle from a Mission-style wooden clock while designer handbags are draped over chairs and hat racks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

Displayed alongside them is a cornucopia of other fakes: "Chanel" handbags, "Prada" t-shirts and "Rolex" watches lining the racks.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

"Those who can spot good quality will get the best products," she said, standing guard over a large pile of handbags.

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

Even the lonely four-toothed widower who repaired our handbags in the market could not be persuaded to propose.

From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023