| Front | handsel \HAN-sul\ |
|---|---|
| Back | noun 1. A gift to express good wishes at the beginning of a new year or enterprise. 2. Money given by a buyer to a seller to bind a bargain. [From Old English handselen (giving into hand), from hand + selen (the action of giving, gift). Earliest documented use: 1450.] "Suddenly she thrusts something at him. A small paper packet tied with string. 'A handsel.' she says. 'For Miss Whyte.'" - Joan Thomas; Curiosity; McClelland & Stewart; 2010. "The School was handselled with two unique archival gifts." - Margaret A. Mackay; Hamish Scott Henderson; Folklore (London, UK); Oct 2002. |
Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.
Next card: Blench verb flinch
Previous card: Rugose roo-gohss adjective full wrinkles veinlets sunken spaces
Up to card list: Hard English Vocabulary