handsel
First sale gift
Handsel is an old word for a gift given at the beginning of something—a new year, a new venture, a first sale.
It carries the sense of inaugurating good fortune: The merchant considered his first customer's purchase a handsel for the day.
The word survives mainly in Scottish tradition, where Handsel Monday (the first Monday after New Year) was once a day for gift-giving.
As a verb, to handsel is to give such a gift or to use something for the first time.
Gift or current moment
- tokenRepresentative placeholder
- offeringSomething presented or given
- bestowalAct of granting something
- gratuityPayment beyond the bill
favor · keepsake · memento · remembrance · souvenir · tip · bonus · reward
Unmarried young woman
- debutFirst public appearance
- christeningCeremony naming a child
- premiereFirst public performance
- openingGap or start
commencement · initiation · launch · inauguration · threshold · onset · outset
Wealth or destiny
- auspiciousIndicating future success
- propitiousFavorable for success
- omenProphetic indicator
- blessingPrayer seeking divine favor
windfall · charmed · favorable · lucky · talisman · amulet · prosperity · providence
Habitual group practice
- ceremonyFormal event marking occasions
- ritualCeremonial set of actions
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- superstitionBaseless belief in omens
observance · practice · scottish · first-footing · yuletide · festive · seasonal · heritage
present
Gift or current moment
- tokenRepresentative placeholder
- offeringSomething presented or given
- bestowalAct of granting something
gratuity · favor · keepsake · memento · remembrance · souvenir · tip · bonus · reward · earnest
maiden
Unmarried young woman
- debutFirst public appearance
- christeningCeremony naming a child
- premiereFirst public performance
opening · commencement · initiation · launch · inauguration · threshold · onset · outset
fortune
Wealth or destiny
- auspiciousIndicating future success
- propitiousFavorable for success
- omenProphetic indicator
blessing · windfall · charmed · favorable · lucky · talisman · amulet · prosperity · providence · serendipity
custom
Habitual group practice
- ceremonyFormal event marking occasions
- ritualCeremonial set of actions
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
superstition · observance · practice · scottish · first-footing · yuletide · festive · seasonal · heritage · rites
handselparting gift
Present given at departure
sendoff · retirement gift · final payment · severance · golden handshake
- secret handshakeMembers-only coded greeting
- firm handshakeTight palm-to-palm greeting
- handshake dealUnwritten mutual commitment
- golden handshakeLucrative payment upon departure
- warm handshake
- limp handshakeSlack-gripped greeting