— honky-tonker , n.
/hong"kee tongk', hawng"kee tawngk'/ , n.
1. a cheap, noisy, and garish nightclub or dance hall.
adj.
2. Also, honky-tonky /hong"kee tong'kee, hawng"kee tawng'-/ .
3. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a honky-tonk: a honky-tonk atmosphere.
4. characterized by or having a large number of honky-tonks: the honky-tonk part of town.
5. Music. noting a style of ragtime piano-playing characterized by a strict two-four or four-four bass, either contrapuntal or chordal, and a melody embellished with chords and syncopated rhythms, typically performed on a piano whose strings have been muffled and given a tinny sound.
v.i.
6. to visit or frequent honky-tonks.
[ 1890-95, Amer.; rhyming compound based on HONK ]