Hickey

A hickey, hickie or love bite in British English, is a bruise or bruise-like mark caused by the kissing or sucking of the skin, usually on the neck or arm. While biting might be part of giving a hickey, sucking is sufficient to burst small superficial blood vessels under the skin.

For other uses, see Hickey (disambiguation).
"Love bite" redirects here. For the British film, see Love Bite.
Hickey
Other namesKiss mark, love bite, bug bite
Hickeys on the neck.
Pronunciation
  • Hick-ee

The origin of the word is from its earlier meaning of "pimple, skin lesion" (c. 1915); perhaps a sense extension and spelling variation from the earlier word meaning "small gadget, device; any unspecified object" which has an unknown origin (1909).[1]

Hickeys typically last from 5 to 12 days and may be treated in the same way as other bruises.[2] Ways to reduce the appearance of hickeys include icing recent hickeys to reduce swelling, rubbing them with a chilled spoon to remove the bruise, and applying a warm compress to older hickeys to dilate vessels and promote blood flow.[3] They can be covered with a concealer or powder corresponding to the sufferer's skin tone, or a fake tan. Alternatively, articles of clothing such as scarves, snoods, turtle necks, or sleeves may be used to conceal hickeys.

References
  1. "hickie - Origin and meaning of hickie by Online Etymology Dictionary". www.etymonline.com.
  2. "How Long Do Hickeys Last". ownarticles.com. April 15, 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-05-20.
  3. Amar, Charu (2009-11-06). "Ouch! That's a lovebite!". Man-Woman Relationships. The Times of India. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
Classification
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