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noun
(in the US) a Chinese association or secret society, frequently associated with organized crime.
as modifier ‘the tong wars in Chinatown’- ‘The struggle for control of these illicit businesses also gave rise to frequent intrigues, violence, and political corruption and to sensational press coverage of the so-called tong wars.’
- ‘I guess what I'm saying is we can complain all we want about the tong culture and how the rule of law can be a joke in this country, but we have to start somewhere if we want to fix things.’
Origin
Late 19th century from Chinese (Cantonese) t'ōng, literally ‘meeting place’.
verb
[with object]1Curl (hair) using tongs.
‘hair has been tonged at the ends for this great look’- ‘The stylist suggests tonging the front section into a large wave before pinning it to the head.’
crimp, wave, tong2Collect (oysters) using oyster tongs.
- ‘Hank still finds time to tong oysters in winter’
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