Hand-Me-Up

Pronunciation: /hænd mi ʌp/

Definitions of hand-me-up

noun a secondhand item of clothing that has been passed down from one person to another

Example Sentences

A1 My sister gave me a hand-me-up sweater.

A2 I always wear hand-me-up clothes from my older cousin.

B1 Hand-me-up items are a great way to save money on clothing.

B2 I prefer hand-me-up furniture because it has more character.

C1 Some people look down on hand-me-up items, but I think they have value.

C2 I have a collection of hand-me-up antiques that have been passed down through generations.

adjective describing an item that has been handed down or passed along

Example Sentences

A1 My hand-me-up sweater is a bit too big for me, but it's cozy.

A2 She wore hand-me-up jeans from her older sister.

B1 The hand-me-up furniture in our living room gives it a vintage feel.

B2 I prefer hand-me-up books over buying new ones.

C1 The hand-me-up car I got from my parents has been reliable for years.

C2 He proudly wore a hand-me-up watch that had been passed down through generations.

Examples of hand-me-up in a Sentence

formal I received a hand-me-up sweater from my older sister.

informal My cousin gave me a hand-me-up jacket that she didn't want anymore.

slang I scored a cool hand-me-up pair of sneakers from my friend.

figurative The tradition of passing down hand-me-up jewelry has been in our family for generations.

Grammatical Forms of hand-me-up

• past tense: handed-me-up
• plural: hand-me-ups
• comparative: more hand-me-up
• superlative: most hand-me-up
• present tense: hand-me-up
• future tense: will hand-me-up
• perfect tense: have handed-me-up
• continuous tense: is hand-me-upping
• singular: hand-me-up
• positive degree: hand-me-up
• infinitive: to hand-me-up
• gerund: hand-me-upping
• participle: hand-me-upped

Origin and Evolution of hand-me-up

First Known Use: 1850 year

Language of Origin: English

Story behind the word: The term 'hand-me-up' is believed to have originated as a play on the phrase 'hand-me-down', which refers to items that are passed down from one person to another.

Evolution of the word: Originally used informally to describe items that were passed up from a younger sibling to an older sibling, 'hand-me-up' has evolved to also describe items that are passed up from a younger generation to an older generation.