chink
See also: Chink
English
Pronunciation
- (UK, US) IPA(key): /t͡ʃɪŋk/
Audio (UK) (file) - Rhymes: -ɪŋk
Etymology 1
Of uncertain origin, but apparently an extension (with formative -k) of Middle English chine, from Old English ċine (“a crack, chine, chink”), equivalent to chine + -k.
Alternatively, the -k may represent an earlier unrecorded diminutive, perhaps from Middle English *chinek, making it equivalent to chine + -ock (diminutive ending).
Noun
chink (plural chinks)
- A narrow opening such as a fissure or crack.
- 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 2, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, OCLC 57395299, page 10:
- What a pity they didn’t stop up the chinks and the crannies though, and thrust in a little lint here and there.
- 1898, J. Meade Falkner, chapter 4, in Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934:
- Yet I did not give way, but settled to wait for the dawn, which must, I knew, be now at hand; for then I thought enough light would come through the chinks of the tomb above to show me how to set to work.
- 1834–1838 (date written), Thomas Babington Macaulay, “(please specify the page)”, in Lays of Ancient Rome, London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, […], published 1842, OCLC 6479273:
- Through one cloudless chink, in a black, stormy sky, / Shines out the dewy morning star.
-
- A chip or dent in something metallic.
- The warrior saw a chink in her enemy's armor, and aimed her spear accordingly.
- (figuratively) A vulnerability or flaw in a protection system or in any otherwise formidable system.
- The chink in the theory is that the invaders have superior muskets.
- 2011 January 30, Kevin Darling, “Arsenal 2 - 1 Huddersfield”, in BBC:
- The first chink in Arsenal's relaxed afternoon occurred when key midfielder Samir Nasri pulled up with a hamstring injury and was replaced.
Derived terms
- chink in the armor
- chink in the armour
Translations
narrow opening
|
chip or dent in something metallic
|
Verb
chink (third-person singular simple present chinks, present participle chinking, simple past and past participle chinked)
- (transitive) To fill an opening such as the space between logs in a log house with chinking; to caulk.
- to chink a wall
- (intransitive) To crack; to open.
- (transitive) To cause to open in cracks or fissures.
Derived terms
- chink up
Translations
to fill an opening
|
Etymology 2
Onomatopoeic.
Noun
chink (countable and uncountable, plural chinks)
- (countable) A slight sound as of metal objects touching each other; a clink.
- 2020, Abi Daré, The Girl With The Louding Voice, Sceptre, page 138:
- She swallow, set the cup down like she want to break it, and the ice-blocks jump, make a chink sound.
-
- (uncountable, colloquial, now rare) Ready money, especially in the form of coins.
- 1834, David Crockett, A Narrative of the Life of, Nebraska 1987, pp. 47-8:
- I thought that if all the hills about there were pure chink, and all belonged to me, I would give them if I could just talk to her when I wanted to […]
- 1727, William Somerville, Occasional Poems, "The Fortune-Hunter":
- to leave his chink to better hands
- 1855, Henry Augustus Wise, Tales for the Marines (page 121)
- At the same time, mind, I must have a bit of a frolic occasionally, for that's all the pleasure I has, when I gets a little chink in my becket; and ye know, too, that I don t care much for that stuff, for a dollar goes with me as fur as a gold ounce does with you, when ye put on your grand airs, and shower it about like a nabob.
- 1834, David Crockett, A Narrative of the Life of, Nebraska 1987, pp. 47-8:
Derived terms
- chink-a-chink
Translations
slight sound
|
ready money, especially in the form of coins
|
Verb
chink (third-person singular simple present chinks, present participle chinking, simple past and past participle chinked)
- (intransitive) To make a slight sound like that of metal objects touching.
- The coins were chinking in his pocket.
- (transitive) To cause to make a sharp metallic sound, as coins, small pieces of metal, etc., by bringing them into collision with each other.
- 1728, [Alexander Pope], “Book the First”, in The Dunciad. An Heroic Poem. […], Dublin; London: […] A. Dodd, OCLC 1033416756, page 2:
- He chinks his purse
Translations
to make a slight sound like that of metal objects touching
|
Noun
chink (plural chinks)
- Alternative form of kink (“gasp for breath”)
Verb
chink (third-person singular simple present chinks, present participle chinking, simple past and past participle chinked)
- Alternative form of kink (“gasp for breath”)
Noun
chink (plural chinks)
- Alternative letter-case form of Chink
Anagrams
- Hinck, Kinch