honky-tonk


Also found in: Thesaurus, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

hon·ky-tonk

 (hông′kē-tôngk′, hŏng′kē-tŏngk′)
n.
A cheap, noisy bar or dance hall.
adj.
1. Of or relating to such a bar or dance hall; tawdry: a honky-tonk district; honky-tonk entertainers.
2. Of, relating to, or being a type of ragtime characteristically played on a tinny-sounding piano or in a honky-tonk.
intr.v. hon·ky-tonked, hon·ky-tonk·ing, hon·ky-tonks
To visit cheap, noisy bars or dance halls.
[Perhaps from honk.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

honky-tonk

(ˈhɒŋkɪˌtɒŋk)
n
1. slang
a. a cheap disreputable nightclub, bar, etc
b. (as modifier): a honky-tonk district.
2. (Jazz) a style of ragtime piano-playing, esp on a tinny-sounding piano
3. (Music, other) a type of country music, usually performed by a small band with electric and steel guitars
4. (Music, other) (as modifier): honky-tonk music.
[C19: rhyming compound based on honk]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

honk•y-tonk

(ˈhɒŋ kiˌtɒŋk, ˈhɔŋ kiˌtɔŋk)

n., adj., v. -tonked, -tonk•ing. n.
1. a cheap, noisy, garish nightclub or dance hall.
adj.
2. of or characteristic of a honky-tonk.
3. characterized by honky-tonks: the honky-tonk part of town.
4. of or pertaining to ragtime music played on a tinny-sounding upright piano.
v.i.
5. to visit honky-tonks.
Also, honk′y-tonk`y.
[1890–95, orig. uncertain]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

honky-tonk

- May come from the New England dialect word honk, "to idle about," and is a rhyming duplication.
See also related terms for idleness.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.honky-tonk - a cheap drinking and dancing establishmenthonky-tonk - a cheap drinking and dancing establishment
barrelhouse
bar, barroom, ginmill, saloon, taproom - a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter; "he drowned his sorrows in whiskey at the bar"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

honky-tonk

noun
Slang. A disreputable or run-down bar or restaurant:
Slang: dive, joint.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations

honky-tonk

[ˈhɒŋkɪˌtɒŋk] N
1. (US) (= club) → garito m
2. (Mus) → honky-tonk m
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

honky-tonk

n (US inf: = country-music bar) → Schuppen m (inf)
adj music, piano → schräg; honky-tonk bar → Schuppen m (inf)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Mentioned in ?
References in periodicals archive ?
He experienced his first success on the charts with "Room Full of Roses," and his other hits included "Stand By Me," ''Window Up Above" and the honky-tonk anthem "Don't the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time."
Country singer Mickey Gilley injured in car accident
HARVEST & HARMONY Date: Friday 22nd September 2017 Time: 4.00pm - 8.00pm Venue: Market Square, Lisburn Featuring toe tapping fun from The Blueridge Honky-Tonk and harvest themed activity from Kathleen's Attic.
LISBURN & CASTLEREAGH
The Broken Spoke: Austin's Legendary Honky-Tonk follows the history of a local Texas establishment first opened in 1964, a mile south of the Austin city limits, which became a mainstay of good food and country music.
The Broken Spoke: Austin's Legendary Honky-Tonk
Hays, Albert Brumley, Joe Thompson, Jimmie Rodgers, Johnny Gimble, Elvis Presley, honky-tonk, Appalachian music, and the relationship and influence of African Americans on country music.
Sing Me Back Home: Southern Roots and Country Music
Combining the best aspects of honky-tonk with a dash of '50s pop, South Texas Suite will thrill any country music purist.
Whitney Rose: South Texas Suite Six Shooter Records
Scaffolding blocks the eye at nearly every turn, and if that's not enough to discourage close scrutiny, the honky-tonk, tawdry streetscape does the rest.
The Garment District's Bustling Past and Uncertain Future
Emerging from Bakersfield's raucous honky-tonk scene of the post WWII-era, Haggard became a towering figure, producing 38 chart-topping records from 1966-88 with his longtime recording and touring band, the Strangers.
Country icon defined Bakersfield sound
Classic honky-tonk country is the backbone of Dale Watson's sound.
Music
Drawing inspiration from classic blues, soul, country, honky-tonk and rock 'n' roll, he continues to play an important recording, touring, and unofficial mentoring role in modern music.
Ringo hits 75 years
Concert Honky-Tonk Piano with Gary Landgren, 2 p.m.
Tuesday/17
Demonstrators went past the White House in Washington DC, along iconic Fifth Avenue in New York and through the middle of Nashville's honky-tonk district.
Thousands march over police killings; WORLD BULLETINS
Price, who had more than 100 titles on the Billboard country chart from 1952 to 1989, helped invent the genre's honky-tonk sound early in his career.
'Honky-tonk' country music icon Ray Price dies at 87

Dictionary browser ?
Full browser ?