handcuffs

Definition

A fastening consisting of two metal rings, designed to go around a person's wrists, and connected by a chain or hinge.

Etymology

1775, from hand + cuff (“end of shirtsleeve”). Possibly influenced by Old English handcops, from hand + cops (“fetter, chains”), but due to lack of continuity (centuries between Old English and modern term), generally analyzed as a re-invention.

Example Sentences

• "It was the sergeant who had spoken to me, and he was now looking round at the company, with his handcuffs invitingly extended towards them in his right hand, and his left on my shoulder."
• "Security is tight inside and outside the building, guarded by a bewildering collection of soldiers, policemen and gendarmes. Relatives watch as prisoners in handcuffs and leg irons shuffle past."
• "They complained that their rules of engagement were handcuffs that guaranteed counterproductivity."

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