Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

handbags

/hˈændbˌæɡz/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.18 in modern English

Syllables: hand-bags
IPA: /hˈændbˌæɡz/

15

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An insignificant fight or argument.

British usage; Slang

noun

plural of handbag

intj

Said jocularly in response to a particularly derogatory, bitchy or catty dialogue; calm down; cool it.

British usage; Slang

verb

third-person singular simple present indicative of handbag

Example Sentences

"2011, Daniel Sperling, Ant McPartlin: 'Pub scuffle was just handbags', Digital Spy "It was just a scuffle in a pub, a bit of… handbags. Nine times out of ten, people are nice to us.""
"!"
"Person A: Not another cheeseburger, Marcia?"
"Person B: What's it to you?"
"Person A: Well, you're fat enough as it is."
"Person B: You can talk!"

Etymology

From handbag + -s. In the sense of fight, a clipping of handbags at dawn or handbags at ten paces (1980s).

Word Breakdown

Suffix: handbag

Usage

British usage
Slang

Phrases

handbags at dawn the handbags come out

Frequently Paired Words

handbags at dawn the handbags come out

Synonyms

meow

Rhymes With

sandbags

Questions

How do you pronounce handbags?: The recorded pronunciation is /hˈændbˌæɡz/.
What does handbags mean?: An insignificant fight or argument.
Where does handbags come from?: From handbag + -s. In the sense of fight, a clipping of handbags at dawn or handbags at ten paces (1980s).

How to pronounce handbags

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “handbags”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/hˈændbˌæɡz/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “handbags”.
Repeat and practice — Say “handbags” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.