What does bandy mean?
Bandy functions primarily as a verb meaning to pass or toss something back and forth, most often applied to words, remarks, or accusations exchanged in argument or gossip. The classic constructions are 'to bandy words with someone' and 'to bandy accusations', giving the word a distinctly verbal, slightly combative flavor: it suggests a lively exchange in which blame or banter flies in both directions, rather than a calm discussion. A secondary sense survives chiefly in the compound adjective 'bandy-legged', describing legs that curve outward at the knees, a term common in descriptions of posture, sport, and historical portraiture. The word dates to the sixteenth century and its ultimate origin is uncertain, though it may be related to the idea of bending or striking something back and forth. Useful and expressive, bandy lends writing a touch of formality and wit, evoking tennis-like volleys of talk.
To toss or pass (words, remarks, accusations, or blows) back and forth between people.
"They spent the evening bandying old grievances across the dinner table."
Most natural in the set phrases 'bandy words' and 'bandy accusations'; otherwise somewhat formal.
Having legs that curve outward at the knees; bow-legged.
"The old jockey was famously bandy, his stance unmistakable at fifty paces."
Almost always used in the compound form 'bandy-legged'.
'Bandy words' has been the go-to phrase for a war of insults since Shakespeare's day — when you bandy, you're playing verbal ping-pong.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bandy
Bandy first appears in English in the sixteenth century. Its ultimate origin is uncertain: one long-standing suggestion derives it from Old French, possibly related to 'bander' (to bend or pull), which would connect it to the notion of striking or tossing something back and forth, but this link is not firmly established. It early developed both a verbal sense of passing things between people and an adjectival sense describing bowed legs, the latter surviving today mainly in 'bandy-legged'. No widely accepted foreign cognates are certain.
Related word forms
How bandy is actually used
The verbal sense usually appears in the fixed expressions 'bandy words' and 'bandy accusations', and carries a slightly formal or literary tone. The adjectival sense almost always appears as the compound 'bandy-legged' rather than alone.
Easily confused with bandy
Brandy is a distilled spirit made from wine, while bandy is a verb meaning to toss remarks or things back and forth — the words merely sound alike.