Bandy/bandy-legged

Bandy was an early form of tennis, still prevalent in the 1500s, but now no longer known. The word derives from the French bander or bande meaning to side or to band with. In this early form of tennis, the ball was ‘bandied’ back and forth from one side of the net to the other. The expression bandying words with someone is derived from the same source, in the sense of tossing words back and forth. Bandy-legged also derives from the same source. The rackets used in this early form of tennis were curved just as bandy legs are.