Meaning

• A bruise-like mark made during petting by pressing the mouth to the skin on one’s partner’s body and sucking.

• An object whose name is unknown or cannot be recalled.

• A 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.

• A serif or other ornamentation on type.

• Local swelling in a tissue area, especially skin, often due to injury.

• A tool for making smooth, semicircular bends in conduit and pipe.

• An unintended negative outcome or loss in regards to a deal or action, often preceded by the words "taking a ..." or "took a ... ".

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