hickey

plural hickeys · alternative hicky · alternative hickie

1. slangA bruise-like mark made during petting by pressing the mouth to the skin on one’s partner’s body and sucking.First known use 1934

   But Louis Vuitton bras all over your breasts / Got me wanting to put hickeys all over your chest

   2003, “Stand Up”, in Chicken-n-Beer, performed by Ludacris ft. Shawnna

   1 more example

   When it comes to hickeys, the best I can tell you is that a lot of girls cover them with makeup or a turtleneck shirt. But let me close with a final thought. Never be ashamed of your hickeys. Show them off proudly as badges of love.

   2005, William Cane, The Art of Kissing, 2nd edition, St. Martin's Griffin, →ISBN, page 128

   Synonyms: love bite, knot

2. A similar mark made by the pressure of a musical instrument such as a violin or viola against the neck.
3. USdialectalA pimple.

   No, a pimple is not a small pimp. It is what they call a hickey in the country. Look up papules.

   1909, “Syphilo-dermo Urologic Maxims”, in American Journal of Dermatology and Genito-urinary Diseases, page 89

4. informalslangAn object whose name is unknown or cannot be recalled.First known use 1909

   Synonyms: Sorted by number of Google hits, widget, gizmo, thingy, gimmick, thingie, jigger, gismo

5. mediaA printing defect caused by foreign matter on the printing surface resulting in a ring where the ink is missing, appearing as a spot of ink surrounded by a halo, or as an unprinted spot within a solid printed area.
6. informalmediaA serif or other ornamentation on type.

   Years ago, there were internal company standards for dark center (ink color) hickeys and for white voids in solids/type.

   2008, American Printer, volume 125, page 63

   1 more example

   It is generally believed, by those who study such things, that serif typefaces are easier to read when reading a lot of words. The hickeys (serifs) on each letter tend to push our eye toward the next letter.

   2018, Paul W. Ross, Revival: The Handbook of Software for Engineers and Scientists

7. Local swelling in a tissue area, especially skin, often due to injury.First known use 1915
8. A tool for making smooth, semicircular bends in conduit and pipe.

   Synonyms: conduit bender

9. USslangbusinessAn unintended negative outcome or loss in regards to a deal or action.

   take a hickey

   1 more example

   Farmer Jones took a hickey on his soybean crop when the flood washed the seeds away.

plural Hickeys

1. A surname from Irish.