Meanings
plural handbaggers
- informalA person who collects handbags.
I can check up on relationships, fitness, horoscopes, the weather, careers - and when I've dipped into my chosen areas, I can then access a chat group to talk with fellow handbaggers about life.
2000, Steve Morris, Wired Words: Language is the New Identity, page 122 - derogatoryinformalA person who attends a music night with little understanding of the genre or subculture.
'As the music policy changed, the handbaggers dropped off and we started pulling in more of the proper soul fans,' said Karen.
1999, David Nowell, Too darn soulful: the story of Northern soul, page 287
Origin
From handbag + -er; in the sense of a person attending a music night, refers to the practice of dancing around handbags in a nightclub.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
handbagger. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/handbagger
“handbagger.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/handbagger. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “handbagger,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/handbagger.
Source: handbagger on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.