The AI-powered English dictionary
third-person singular simple present tinks, present participle tinking, simple past and past participle tinked
To emit a high-pitched sharp or metallic noise. examples
plural tinks
(dated) A sharp, quick sound; a tinkle. examples
(knitting, slang, transitive) To unknit. quotations
Stanley knitted when he should have purled and swore, tinking the knitting back to fix the flaw.
2012, Amy Lane, A Knitter in His Natural Habitat, page 48
If the stitch you need to fix is on the last or previous row, a bit of unknitting, or “tinking” as it is known by some knitters, is all that is needed to get back to the point where you can mend your mistake.
2006, Heather Dixon, Not Your Mama's Knitting, page 89
(chiefly British and Ireland, offensive) A member of the travelling community. A gypsy. quotations examples
'Most have white eyes, which ain't natural in any beast, tame or wild, and they are considered unlucky - the tinks calls 'em moonpies, and most will avoid settling on farms where they are kept.
2000, David Brian Plummer, Merle: The Start of Dynasty, page 11
Her family had a name that marked them out as tinks, only they weren't tinks anymore.
2014, Alastair Macleod, The Traveller's Tale
'Well, you should feel right at home,' Flannigan said. 'You love a bit of thieving, you and the rest of the fucken tinks you grew up with in the Emerald Toilet.'
2015, Andrew O'Hagan, The Illuminations, page 47