bandy
1 of 3verb
ban·dy ˈban-dē 
bandied; bandying
transitive verb
1
a
: to discuss lightly or banteringly
Names of potential running mates have been bandied about.
b
: exchange
bandy compliments
especially : to exchange (words) argumentatively
c
: to toss from side to side or pass about from one to another often in a careless or inappropriate manner
A gun is not a toy to be bandied about.
d
: to use in a glib or offhand manner —often used with about
bandy these statistics about with considerable bravado
Richard Pollak
Richard Pollak2
: to bat (something, such as a tennis ball) to and fro
3
archaic : to band together
intransitive verb
1
obsolete : contend
2
archaic : unite
bandy
2 of 3noun
sports : a game similar to hockey and believed to be its prototype
bandy
3 of 3adjective
1
of legs : bowed
2
: bowlegged
… stood beyond the bandy table … Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas bandy-legged
ˈban-dē-ˌlegd
adjective ˌban-dē-ˈle-gəd
-ˈlā-
Synonyms
Verb
- agitate
- argue
- bat (around or back and forth)
- canvass
- canvas
- debate
- discuss
- dispute
- hash (over or out)
- moot
- talk over
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb bandied around the idea of going out to dinner for their anniversary
Recent Examples on the Web al, 8 July 2022 The two intellectuals bandy descriptions back and forth, the sensuous detail and speakers’ enthusiasm giving the exchange an increasingly erotic edge. Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2022 But where other productions might center on male protagonists who bandy about business schemes while dancers adorn their laps or perform acrobatics overhead, P-Valley grounds its stories in the strippers’ lives. Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2020 Packages of anywhere from $500 billion to $1 trillion have been bandied about, with Democrats predicting massive cuts to payroll and services if the money is not forthcoming. Michael Braga, USA TODAY, 13 May 2020 The hypothetical Planet 9 has been bandied about for several years, first mentioned in 2014, but researchers have yet to find it. Fox News, 9 May 2020 That’s one reason why proposals more radical than anything on the Fed’s own radar have been bandied about with growing urgency by monetary policy wonks. Matthew Boesler, Bloomberg.com, 5 May 2020 These were all names bandied about in reports forecasting the inevitable trade. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Feb. 2020 Anecdotally, all kinds of cost-saving measures are being bandied about in athletic departments across the country. Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2020 Maeve Mcdermott, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2018 The flask was brought in a bandy portfolj, a briefcase that traditionally contains a flask of warm wine or coffee laced with alcohol. Simon Perry, PEOPLE.com, 30 Jan. 2018 During their royal tour of Sweden, the couple stopped by an ice rink to learn more about bandy hockey (the Swedish sport is like traditional hockey, but played with a curved stick and a ball). Elise Taylor, Vogue, 30 Jan. 2018 Simon Perry, PEOPLE.com, 30 Jan. 2018 Just turn to Kate Middleton and Prince William, who were photographed playing a little bandy hockey on Tuesday in Stockholm, Sweden. Peggy Truong, Cosmopolitan, 30 Jan. 2018 See More
Verb
Unemployment rates, while significantly lower than the alarming pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, remain a subject of concern, notably as economic experts bandy around the idea of a potential recession by 2023. al, 8 July 2022 The two intellectuals bandy descriptions back and forth, the sensuous detail and speakers’ enthusiasm giving the exchange an increasingly erotic edge. Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2022 But where other productions might center on male protagonists who bandy about business schemes while dancers adorn their laps or perform acrobatics overhead, P-Valley grounds its stories in the strippers’ lives. Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2020 Packages of anywhere from $500 billion to $1 trillion have been bandied about, with Democrats predicting massive cuts to payroll and services if the money is not forthcoming. Michael Braga, USA TODAY, 13 May 2020 The hypothetical Planet 9 has been bandied about for several years, first mentioned in 2014, but researchers have yet to find it. Fox News, 9 May 2020 That’s one reason why proposals more radical than anything on the Fed’s own radar have been bandied about with growing urgency by monetary policy wonks. Matthew Boesler, Bloomberg.com, 5 May 2020 These were all names bandied about in reports forecasting the inevitable trade. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Feb. 2020 Anecdotally, all kinds of cost-saving measures are being bandied about in athletic departments across the country. Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2020 Noun
So naturally, Duchess Kate, who played field hockey while attending school, had to give the sport a try during her first official visit to Sweden, picking up bandy sticks during a stop in Stockholm with Prince William on Tuesday. Maeve Mcdermott, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2018 The flask was brought in a bandy portfolj, a briefcase that traditionally contains a flask of warm wine or coffee laced with alcohol. Simon Perry, PEOPLE.com, 30 Jan. 2018 During their royal tour of Sweden, the couple stopped by an ice rink to learn more about bandy hockey (the Swedish sport is like traditional hockey, but played with a curved stick and a ball). Elise Taylor, Vogue, 30 Jan. 2018 Adjective
On the first day of their official visit to Sweden, Prince William and Kate Middleton met up with their hosts (and Swedish counterparts!), Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel after a morning spent watching (and playing a bit of) bandy hockey. Simon Perry, PEOPLE.com, 30 Jan. 2018 Just turn to Kate Middleton and Prince William, who were photographed playing a little bandy hockey on Tuesday in Stockholm, Sweden. Peggy Truong, Cosmopolitan, 30 Jan. 2018 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
probably borrowed from the base of French bander "to strike (a ball with a racket), stretch or draw back (a bow, spring, etc.)," going back to Old French, "to stretch, wrap with bandages," verbal derivative of bande "strip, band entry 1"
Note: The origin of the suffix -y, -ie is unclear. The noun bandie referring to a variation of tennis is of the same date and suggests a putative Middle French bandé or bandée, but no such word is attested.
Noun
earlier, "a variety of tennis," probably noun derivative of bandy entry 1
Note: See note at bandy entry 1.
Adjective
perhaps from bandy "curved stick used in the game of bandy," apparently a sense of bandy entry 2
First Known Use
Verb
1577, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2
Noun
1673, in the meaning defined above
Adjective
1681, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing bandy
Medical Definition
bandy
adjective
ban·dy ˈban-dē
1
of legs : bowed outward at or below the knee
2
: bowlegged
bandying 1 of 2
adjective
as in bantering
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- bantering
- joking
- mocking
- jesting
- ridiculing
- fooling
- rallying
- deriding
- derisive
- taunting
- jeering
- kidding
- quizzical
- quipping
- baiting
- razzing
- joshing
- ribbing
- funning
- heckling
- needling
- hassling
- sarcastic
- chaffing
- contemptuous
- scornful
- derisory
- disdainful
bandying
2 of 2verb
as in discussing
to talk about (an issue) usually from various points of view and for the purpose of arriving at a decision or opinion bandied around the idea of going out to dinner for their anniversary Synonyms & Similar Words
- discussing
- debating
- arguing
- disputing
- reviewing
- agitating
- canvassing
- mooting
- propounding
- talking over
- canvasing
- considering
- raising
- introducing
- broaching
- deliberating
- weighing
- hashing (over or out)
- batting (around or back and forth)
- stirring up
- forging
- hammering out
- talking out
- speaking (about)
- chewing over
- talking (about)
- wrestling (with)
- thrashing (out)