hanger

Pronunciation 1

• (UK) IPA^(key): /hæŋə(ɹ)/
• Rhymes: -æŋə(ɹ)
• Homophone: hangar

Noun 1

hanger (plural hangers)

1. One who hangs, or causes to be hanged; a hangman.
2. That by which a thing is suspended. Especially:
   1. A strap hung to the girdle, by which a dagger or sword is suspended.
   2. A bridle iron.
   3. A clothes hanger.
3. That which hangs or is suspended, as a sword worn at the side; especially, in the 18th century, a short, curved sword.
   • 1819, Washington Irving, The Sketch Book, Rip Van Winkle:

     He was a stout old gentleman, with a weather-beaten countenance; he wore a laced doublet, broad belt and hanger, high-crowned hat and feather, red stockings, and high-heeled shoes, with roses in them.

4. (Britain) A steep, wooded slope.
   • 1789, Gilbert White, The Natural History of Selborne, Page 187:

     About the tenth of July in the same Summer a pair of sparrow-hawks bred in an old crow's nest on a low beech in the same hanger; and as their brood, which was numerous, began to grow up, became so daring and ravenous, that they were a terror to all the dames in the village that had chickens or ducklings under their care.

   • 1896, A. E. Housman, A Shropshire Lad, On Wenlock Edge the wood's in trouble:

     'Twould blow like this through holt and hanger

5. (baseball, slang) A hanging pitch; a pitch (typically a breaking ball or slider) that is poorly executed hence easy to hit.

Derived terms

• byhanger
• onhanger

Usage notes

Not to be confused with hangar (a garage-like building for airplanes).

Translations

Noun 2

hanger (plural hangers)

1. (slang) Hunger and anger, especially when the anger is induced by the hunger.
   • 2015, Amanda Salis, “The science behind being "Hangry"”, in CNN "The conversation"‎:

     The physiology of hanger. The carbohydrates, proteins and fats in everything you eat are digested into simple sugars (such as glucose), amino acids and free fatty acids. These nutrients pass into your bloodstream from where they are distributed to your organs and tissues and used for energy....

Related term

• hangry