honky-tonk
/ˈhɒŋkiˌtɒŋk/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: 2.38 in modern English
23
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A bar or nightclub that caters to Southern patrons and provides country music for entertainment.
American usage; Countable; Uncountable
noun
A style of country music emphasizing traditional country instruments (e.g., guitar, steel guitar and fiddle); a rough, nasal vocal style; and tragic themes such as heartbreak, infidelity and alcoholism often associated with patrons of honky-tonks.
Uncountable
adj
Of a sound, having a timbre or tone that is tinny or nasal, said especially of a honky-tonk piano.
Example Sentences
- "But I made a vow to the moon and stars / That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars / And kill that man who gave me that awful name"
- "Talking 'bout in Mexico (Mexico) / In a honky-tonk down in Mexico"
- "New honky-tonks have been popping up across the nation, even in blue states."
- "There is a method for creating the 'Honky-Tonk' effect via tuning. However, there is no agreement about exactly how it should be accomplished. One point of agreement is that the effect is created by shifting the pitch of one string per note in the entire tri-chord section by 2-5 Hz, which causes a very noticeable 'twanging' sound."
- "In the Lost and Found (honky Bach): The beginning of the song, which seems to be played on a tiny toy-piano delivering a piercing honky-tonk sound, surprised everybody and made critics cringe (Pitchfork hated it), although it gives an upbeat feeling to the song which progressively evolves into a bigger and more symphonic sound in the middle, then crashes into a guitar loop (‘the roost’) which serves as a transition for the next song."
- "The freebie piano bundle features Yamaha, Steinway and Baldwin pianos, with an additional prepared piano sample library, an intimate piano sample pack, and a honky-tonk piano instrument library."
Etymology
Usage
- American usage
- Countable
- Uncountable
- Dated
Inflected Forms
honky-tonks (plural)
honky tonk (alternative)
honkytonk (alternative)
honk-a-tonk (alternative)
honkatonk (alternative)
more honky-tonk (comparative)
most honky-tonk (superlative)