What do you mean by hanky panky

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Origin of hanky-panky —45; rhyming compound; compare initial h, p of higgledy-piggledy , hocus-pocus , hodgepodge , etc. Words related to hanky-panky amour , chicane , chicanery , dalliance , deception , devilry , dirty pool , double-dealing , fling , flirtation , fooling around , fraud , funny business , hokey-pokey , knavery , liaison , love affair , machinations , mischief , monkey business.

This expression originated around the s, and it initially had only the meaning in definition 2. Its first recorded use has no sexual connection which the phrase sometimes connotes today.

The first use was in the British humor magazine Punch, or the London Charivari in It is unclear exactly how it originated. It make have originated as a variation to the phrase hokey pokey. It also is possible that it became popular simply because it rhymed. In this dialogue, two employees are discussing their childhoods.