as in skullduggery
the use of clever underhanded actions to achieve an end
had to resort to a certain amount of hanky-panky to sneak away from the house without his dog seeing him
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Recent Examples of hanky-panky
But there was no hanky-panky, and in fact the two couples had dinner together every week for two years after Dirty Dancing wrapped.
—
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024
On my ride with Boaz and Javadi, a Waymo operator suddenly joined us on the audio system, not to inform us that hanky-panky is prohibited, but to say that two passengers did not have their seat belts fastened.
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2024
Any outlier hanky-panky effort by Republicans would be enjoined by the courts based upon solid precedent.
—Jerry Goldfeder, New York Daily News, 24 July 2024
No hanky-panky, no name calling, no twisting of truths, no bull.
—Patrick Wallis, Baltimore Sun, 24 May 2024
Our inescapable conclusion is that the target of this pitch is being snowed by an acquaintance hoping to climb out of the friend zone for a bout of hanky-panky before moving on.
—Tom Zoellner, SPIN, 21 Feb. 2024
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024
On my ride with Boaz and Javadi, a Waymo operator suddenly joined us on the audio system, not to inform us that hanky-panky is prohibited, but to say that two passengers did not have their seat belts fastened.
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2024
Any outlier hanky-panky effort by Republicans would be enjoined by the courts based upon solid precedent.
—Jerry Goldfeder, New York Daily News, 24 July 2024
No hanky-panky, no name calling, no twisting of truths, no bull.
—Patrick Wallis, Baltimore Sun, 24 May 2024
Our inescapable conclusion is that the target of this pitch is being snowed by an acquaintance hoping to climb out of the friend zone for a bout of hanky-panky before moving on.
—Tom Zoellner, SPIN, 21 Feb. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hanky-panky
Noun
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If the princess world is all sort of deception, this is no artifice at all.Simon Thompson, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
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So, in the spirit of humoring that little Gremlin, here’s a rundown of some of Pattinson’s most memorable deceptions and dubious claims.Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 4 Dec. 2024
Noun
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This content, much of it clearly generated by AI rather than intended to deceive—a medium of crude self-expression, not sophisticated subterfuge—may have been the technology’s biggest impact on the 2024 presidential election.Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 10 Dec. 2024
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But as the film goes on, those idiosyncrasies reveal themselves to be more like a blend of subterfuge and pleasure, another way for Macrinus to hide his intentions behind a veil.Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024
Noun
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There are many reasons beyond cheating and skulduggery that someone might root or modify their Android device.Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 30 July 2024
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And so the tale of how the Giants established themselves at the Polo Grounds is told, accurately enough, as a piece of complicated capitalist skulduggery in which the team’s desperate owner bought a controlling interest in the Baltimore Orioles and then dragged its stars north.Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Noun
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The eternal fight for liberty — slaves into gladiators, gladiators into free men — calls for courage and purpose beyond Lucius’s nightmarish expectations, uncovering the treachery and chicanery of Roman politics.Armond White, National Review, 6 Dec. 2024
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After eight episodes of legal and emotional chicanery, a jury finds Rusty Sabich not guilty of murdering his lover, Carolyn Polhemus.Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 25 July 2024
Noun
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The eternal fight for liberty — slaves into gladiators, gladiators into free men — calls for courage and purpose beyond Lucius’s nightmarish expectations, uncovering the treachery and chicanery of Roman politics.Armond White, National Review, 6 Dec. 2024
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Hosted by Alan Cumming, the game of treachery and deceit returns to Peacock on Thursday, January 9th.Anne Easton, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Elegant and the users are never cognizant of the under-the-hood trickery.Lance Eliot, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
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Defenses continue to watch film on Darnold, but O'Connell could draw up some trickery by adding Jones to the mix.Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2024
Noun
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After some gamesmanship from Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins, the NBA retroactively upgraded Draymond Green’s take foul on Zach Edey from Friday night’s game to a Flagrant 1.Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 17 Nov. 2024
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Receiver Puka Nacua participated in two jog-throughs this week and is listed as questionable for Thursday night, but that seems like pure gamesmanship.Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Little is known about the gray industrial design, which has been shrouded in secrecy.Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 12 Dec. 2024
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Team selection processes have been shrouded in secrecy by national team management, but Team USA aims to build momentum for the 2026 Winter Olympics.Giovanni Malloy, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Hanky-panky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hanky-panky. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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