Honky tonk

A honky tonk is a type of bar with musical entertainment common in the Southwestern and Southern United States, also called

A honky tonk is a type of bar with musical entertainment common in the Southwestern and Southern United States, also called honkatonks, honkey-tonks, tonks or tunks. The term has also been attached to various styles of 20th-century American music.

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) states that the origin of the word honky tonk is unknown. However, the earliest source explaining the derivation of the term (spelled honkatonk) was an article published by the New York Sun in 1900 and widely reprinted in other newspapers. It states uncategorically that the term came from the sound of geese which led an unsuspecting group of cowboys to the flock instead of to the variety show they expected. Also, the OED states that the first use in print was in 1894 in the Daily Ardmorite (Oklahoma) newspaper where it was honk-a-tonk. However, honkatonk has been cited from at least 1892 in the Galveston Daily News (Texas) where it referred to an adult establishment in Ft. Worth.