hondel

See also: Hondel

English

Etymology

From Yiddish האַנדלען (handlen, “to trade”), from German handeln. Doublet of handle.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɒndəl/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Verb

hondel (third-person singular simple present hondels, present participle hondelling or hondeling, simple past and past participle hondelled or hondeled)

1. (intransitive) To bargain; to haggle.
   • 1977, Janet Kaplan and Judy Stacey Goldman, The Underground Jerusalem Guide, Keter Pub. House:

     It's the clanging of cash registers, the banging of beads, hawking, hondelling and the hooting of horns.

   • 2000, Paul Wilkes, And They Shall Be My People: An American Rabbi and His Congregation, Grove Press, page 135:

     Some might call it religious hondeling, but Rabbi Rosenbaum finds himself doing just that, and more often than he cares to admit.

   • 2002, Zalman Velvel, What is a Jew?‎^[1]:

     The Rabbi began to hondel with God, like Abraham, only in reverse. He asked for permission to make a 100 mistakes, then a thousand.

   • 2007, Don Winslow, The Winter of Frankie Machine, Vintage Books, page 53:

     And I'll turn the offer down because it's a boss's kid, which Vince will understand: then we'll get down to the real hondeling.

Anagrams

• Holden, held on, holden

Middle English

Noun

hondel (plural hondels)

1. handle (device designed to be gripped or held in the hand)

Descendants

• English: handle