dangler

See also: Dangler

English edit

Etymology edit

From dangle +‎ -er.

Pronunciation edit

(UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdæŋɡlə(ɹ)/

Noun edit

dangler (plural danglers)

(now rare, archaic) One who dangles about others, especially after women.
- 1770, Frances Burney, Journals & Letters, Penguin 2001, 10 January:
  ‘You see,’ she cried, ‘what a Herd of Danglers flutter around you […].’
- 1783, Samuel Hoole, Aurelia; Or, the Contest:
  Such once was I, a dangler to the fair; / Still, as a glass, I praise their dress, their air […]
(informal) A large earring that hangs down.
- 1985, Susi Rogol, Create a Look with Jewelry, page 22:
  Long hair piled high on top of the head or cut to a short, curvy crop, needs the balance provided by large, dramatic earrings. Those with tresses frizzed into Pre-Raphaelite waves will like the look of huge hoops or ethnic danglers in wood […]
(grammar, informal) A dangling participle.
- 2014, Silvia M. Rogers, Mastering Scientific and Medical Writing: A Self-help Guide, page 43:
  Similarly, participles ending in “ing” often cause danglers in scientific writing: […]
(slang) A penis.
- 1986, Tim Winton, 'That Eye, the Sky' , Penguin Books Australia Ltd 1988 edition (Chapter 6, at p.52):
  "Why do I have to feed her? Why do I have to look after her? I'm a girl. Ort doesn't have to 'cause he's a boy, 'cause he's got a dangler and I haven't."
(slang, in the plural) The testicles.
- 2000 January 18, cormaic, “Wildlife Ponds”, in uk.rec.gardening‎^[1] (Usenet):
  Stupid kitten! First he thought he was a fish, now he thinks he's a mole. The vet says it's because he's missing one of his danglers.
a plotline that is metaphorically left to "dangle" or "hang"; in other words, the plotline is forgotten, phased out and eventually dropped, and thus a resolution is never achieved

Anagrams edit

Glander, Le Grand, Legrand, gnarled, rangled