bandy

/ˈbændi/

Other forms: bandied; bandying; bandies; bandier; bandiest

Bandy is a verb that means to toss many ideas around without focusing on just one. If you've ever brainstormed, you know what this is like — you bandy about different ideas until you find one that works.

Bandy also means to exchange blows, like in a professional fight. As a skilled heavyweight boxer, you are known to bandy with your opponent for several minutes before you knock him out. Bandy comes from the Middle French word bander which means "to strike back and forth." These days it's also used as a more general term to describe tossing or hitting any ball back and forth.

Definitions of bandy

1. verb

   discuss lightly
   “We bandied around these difficult questions”

   synonyms: kick around

   type of:

   discuss, hash out, talk over

   speak with others about (something); talk (something) over in detail; have a discussion
2. verb

   toss or strike a ball back and forth
   types:

   shuttlecock

   send or toss to and fro, like a shuttlecock

   type of:

   play

   participate in games or sport
3. verb

   exchange blows
   type of:

   contend, fight, struggle

   be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
4. adjective

   (of legs) curved outward at the knees
   synonyms: bandy-legged, bowed, bowleg, bowlegged

   unfit

   not in good physical or mental condition; out of condition