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Chink
Definitions
- 1 Chinese, or perceived to be Chinese. derogatory, ethnic, offensive, slur
- 2 East Asian. derogatory, ethnic, offensive, slur
- 1 A narrow opening such as a fissure or crack.
"What a pity they didn’t stop up the chinks and the crannies though, and thrust in a little lint here and there."
- 2 A slight sound as of metal objects touching each other; a clink. countable
"She swallow, set the cup down like she want to break it, and the ice-blocks jump, make a chink sound."
- 3 Alternative form of kink (“gasp for breath”). alt-of, alternative
- 4 Alternative letter-case form of Chink. alt-of
- 5 A person of perceived Chinese ethnicity or descent. derogatory, ethnic, offensive, slur
"Then her eyes, always alert for the affairs of her kitchen, fell on some action of the Chinese cook which aroused her violent disapproval. She turned on him with a torrent of abuse. The Chink was not backward to defend himself, and a very lively quarrel ensued."
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- 6 a short light metallic sound wordnet
- 7 A narrow opening such as a fissure or crack.; A narrow beam or patch of light admitted by such an opening.
"I noticed a chink of light under the door."
- 8 Ready money, especially in the form of coins. archaic, colloquial, dated, uncountable
"to leave his chink to better hands"
- 9 A person of perceived East Asian descent. broadly, derogatory, ethnic, offensive, slur
- 10 a narrow opening as e.g. between planks in a wall wordnet
- 11 A chip or dent in something metallic.
"The warrior saw a chink in her enemy's armor, and aimed her spear accordingly."
- 12 A meal of Chinese food. ethnic, offensive, slur
"Let's order some Chink. Where's that menu? I think we've got the stuff we usually order circled. I'm starved!"
- 13 (ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Chinese descent wordnet
- 14 A vulnerability or flaw in a protection system or in any otherwise formidable system. figuratively
"The chink in the theory is that the invaders have superior muskets."
- 1 To fill an opening such as the space between logs in a log house with chinking; to caulk. transitive
"to chink a wall"
- 2 To make a slight sound like that of metal objects touching. intransitive
"The coins were chinking in his pocket."
- 3 Alternative form of kink (“gasp for breath”). alt-of, alternative
- 4 make cracks or chinks in wordnet
- 5 To crack; to open. intransitive
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- 6 To cause to make a sharp metallic sound, as coins, small pieces of metal, etc., by bringing them into collision with each other. transitive
"He chinks his purse"
- 7 fill the chinks of, as with caulking wordnet
- 8 To cause to open in cracks or fissures. transitive
- 9 make or emit a high sound wordnet
Etymology
Of uncertain origin, but apparently an extension, with diminutive -k (see more at -ock), of Middle English chine (or, if already suffixed in Middle English, *chinek), from Old English ċine (“a crack, chine, chink”), equivalent to chine + -k.
Of uncertain origin, but apparently an extension, with diminutive -k (see more at -ock), of Middle English chine (or, if already suffixed in Middle English, *chinek), from Old English ċine (“a crack, chine, chink”), equivalent to chine + -k.
Onomatopoeic.
Onomatopoeic.
There are several possible origins of the term: * From the Chinese courtesy ching-ching, a reduplication of Mandarin 請 /请 (qǐng, “please”). Compare chin-chin, Italian cincin, Portuguese tchim-tchim, tim-tim, Spanish chinchín, French tchin-tchin. * From the alteration of China. * From the alteration of Qing (also spelled Ch'ing). See also Hokkien 親家 /亲家 (chhin-ke, “any relative by marriage (to a Chinese family)”).
There are several possible origins of the term: * From the Chinese courtesy ching-ching, a reduplication of Mandarin 請 /请 (qǐng, “please”). Compare chin-chin, Italian cincin, Portuguese tchim-tchim, tim-tim, Spanish chinchín, French tchin-tchin. * From the alteration of China. * From the alteration of Qing (also spelled Ch'ing). See also Hokkien 親家 /亲家 (chhin-ke, “any relative by marriage (to a Chinese family)”).
See also for "chink"
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