hutong

Etymology

Borrowed from Mandarin 衚衕, 胡同 (hútòng, “narrow street”), from Mongolian худаг (hudag) [Mongolian needed].

Noun

hutong (plural hutongs or hutong)

1. A narrow street or alley, most commonly in Beijing, China.
   • 2007 October 16, Brice J. Bay, “Thanks, but I’ll Have the Bat on a Stick Instead”, in New York Times‎:

     In Beijing, near the Forbidden City, a winding maze of hutongs, or narrow alleyways, is home to one of the world’s most exotic markets.

   • 2009, January 19, “Andrew Jacobs”, in Finding Treasures in a City’s Disappearing Past‎:

     Today, just 1,300 hutong remain, and many more neighborhoods, like the colorful Qianmen district just south of Tiananmen Square, are scheduled for renewal.

Anagrams

• hognut, hotgun, nought