Tiddlywink
/ˈtɪdəlɪwɪŋk/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An unlicensed beerhouse or pawnshop. UK, archaic, dialectal, obsolete, slang
- 2 A small disc used in the game of tiddlywinks; (by extension) a similar disc or counter used in other games. UK, archaic, obsolete
- 3 An alcoholic drink. Cockney, UK, archaic, obsolete, slang
- 4 A game played using dominoes. UK, archaic, obsolete
Verb
- 1 Especially of something disc-shaped: to flip over like a disc used in the game of tiddlywinks. UK, archaic, intransitive, obsolete
- 2 To play tiddlywinks. UK, archaic, intransitive, obsolete
Etymology
Etymology 1
Sense 1 (“unlicensed beerhouse or pawnshop”) and sense 2 (“alcoholic drink”) are possibly related to tiddly (“(noun) alcoholic beverage; (adjective) somewhat drunk”).
Etymology 2
The noun is possibly derived from tiddly (“(informal) little, tiny”) + wink (“blinking of one eye”), perhaps borrowed from etymology 1. The game, now called tiddlywinks, was patented by a British bank clerk, Joseph Assheton Fincher (1863–1900), on 19 October 1889, and the name Tiddledy-Winks trademarked by him the same year. The verb is derived from the noun.