handcuffs

hand-cuffs · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    A pair of lockable metal rings connected by a chain, used by police to secure a prisoner's wrists.

  2. 2.

    (verb) To put handcuffs on someone.

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    golden handcuffs — financial incentives to keep an employee from leaving

Related words

See also: arrest, restraint, shackles
Synonyms: cuffs, manacles, shackles

Etymology

Compound of hand + cuff (a band around the wrist), from the 17th century.