hangskins

hangskins
hanɡ·skinz

noun

The tiny, annoying flaps of skin that peel away from the side of your fingernails or cuticles, commonly (and incorrectly) called hangnails.

Proof that language should make sense: it’s skin, not nail, that’s hanging.

Notes:

Coined by people tired of the misleading term hangnail.

Usually painful when you try to pull them off.

Often the gateway to bleeding fingers and regret.

Synonyms: hangnail (wrong), finger flap, cuticle shred.

“Dude, I got like three hangskins on my thumb from biting my nails all week.”

by BlackMambaZa September 21, 2025