What is hanky panky?

Answer

Trickery - double dealing. Also, more recently, sexual shenanigans

Origin

This is one of those nonsense terms that was just made up as having an attractive alliteration or rhyme, like 'the mutt's nuts' etc. The words themselves have no inherent meaning.

The term is first recorded in the first edition of 'Punch, or the London Charivari', Vol 1, Sept, 1841:

"Only a little hanky-panky, my lud. The people likes it; they loves to be cheated before their faces. One, two, three-presto-begone. I'll show your ludship as pretty a trick of putting a piece of money in your eye and taking it out of your elbow, as you ever beheld."

The second meaning has been with us since the middle of the 20th century, as here from George Bernhard Shaw's Geneva, 1939:

She: No hanky panky. I am respectable; and I mean to keep respectable.
He: I pledge you my word that my intentions are completely honorable.

First answer by Sjain. Last edit by Sjain. Contributor trust: 17 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 13 [recommend question]

Research your answer:

Can you answer other questions about idioms and slang?

Answers.com > Wiki Answers > Categories > Literature and Language > English Language > Literary Devices and Figures of Speech > Idioms and Slang > What is hanky panky?

Our contributors said this page should be displayed for the questions below. (Where do these come from

)

If any of these are not a genuine rephrasing of the question, please help out and edit these alternates.

Where is Hanky? Whats hanky panky? What is hanky-panky? Who is mister Hanky? What does hanky mean? What is a hanky panky? How do you hanky panky? What does hanky panky mea? What does hanky panky mean? In South Park what was Mr Hanky?