C16: perhaps from the phrase Father Derby's or Father Darby's bonds, a rigid agreement between a usurer and his client
handcuffs in British English
(ˈhændkʌf)
plural noun
a pair of locking metal rings joined by a short bar or chain for securing prisoners, etc
The guards produced a pair of handcuffs and Kolchinsky's wrists were manacled behindhis back.
He was led away to jail in handcuffs.
darbies in American English
(ˈdɑːrbiz)
plural noun
Brit slang
handcuffs; manacles
Word origin
[1565–75; prob. from the phrase Darby's bonds a rigid bond, perh. named after a noted 16th-century usurer]This word is first recorded in the period 1565–75. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: conglomerate, excursion, strap, syntax, underground