knuckle duster
n.— «They call them statement rings, in the typically kooky parlance of the fashion business, as if the wearer’s hand had been asked to give a deposition. The term I personally prefer is knuckle-duster, slang that a friend came up with to describe what was once also known as a cocktail ring and worn primarily, it seemed, by women who had perhaps failed to score that more aggressive statement of arrival, a band on the left hand.» —“With One Hand Over the Top” by Guy Trebay New York Times Nov. 23, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Old. Elderly. Senior. Why are we so uncomfortable when we talk about reaching a certain point in life? An 82-year-old seeks a more positive term to describe how she feels about her age. And: a linguist helps solve a famous kidnapping case, using the...
Tracy in Beaufort, North Carolina, says her grandmother, aunts, and uncles used to try to calm down an upset or bossy person with Well, don’t get astorperious! You might debubiate! In the work of Zora Neale Hurston and in Harlem Renaissance...