1901. West. Gaz., 5 Mar., 8. i. It is calculated to be nearly double that the traveller has to tin out.
Tin-bellies, subs. phr. (military).—The
1st and 2nd Life Guards:
from the cuirass.
Tinclad, subs. (American).—A
gunboat: spec. a musket-proof
gunboat such as were used during
the civil war on the western
rivers: the armour plating of
these was very light. Also
(general) = any ironclad; a tin-pot
(q.v.).
Tinge, subs. (drapers').—A commission
on the sale of out-of-date
stock: cf. Spiffings.
Tinger, subs. (provincial).—A
great lie (Halliwell).
Tingle-tangle, subs. phr. (old).—See
quot.
1640. Randolph, Amyntas. Now hang the hallowed bell about his neck, We call it a mellisonant tingle-tangle.
Tin-gloves, subs. phr. (Winchester).—See
quot.
c. 1840. Mansfield, School Life (1866), 54. Other ordeals . . . were not quite so harmless . . . a pair of tin gloves which Bully would furnish in the following manner. Taking a half-consumed stick from the fire, he would draw the 'red-hot end' down the back of Green's hand between each of the knuckles to the wrist, and having produced three lines of blisters, would make two or three transverse lines across. A scientifically fitted pair of gloves of this description was generally, if not pleasant wear, of great durability.
Tinkard, subs. (Old Cant).—A
begging tinker.
1575. Awdeley, Frat. Vacabondes. A tinkard leaveth his bag a-sweating at the ale-house, which they terme their bowsing inne, and in the meane season goeth abrode a begging.
Tinker, subs. (colloquial).—1.
An unskilful workman; a
botcher. Also (2) a makeshift;
a botch; a bungle. As verb = to
make barely or rudely serviceable:
e.g., to tinker up a
patient = to keep Death at arm's
length; to tinker a fence = to
stop a gap here and there; to
tinker a bill = to make it
temporarily workable.
1857. Hughes, Tom Brown's Schooldays, i. 1. They must speak their mind about it . . . and spend their time and money in having a tinker at it.
1885. Standard, 11 Nov. I should oppose any mere tinkering of its constitution which would retain the hereditary principles as its chief feature.
1890. Dilke, Problems of Greater Britain, vi. 6. The Victorian Act has been already tinkered several times, and is not likely to last long in its present form.
To swill like a tinker, verb. phr. (old).—To tipple without stint.
1694. Motteux, Rabelais, v. v. Eat and drink bravely . . . swill like tinkers.
See Lazy, quot. 1811.
Tinker's-budget (or -news),
subs. phr. (old).—Stale news;
piper's news (q.v.).
Tinker's Damn, subs. phr.
(common).—A small standard of
value: usually, in phrase, 'Not
worth a tinker's damn' (or
curse).
Tinkler, subs. (old).—1. A vagrant;
whence (2) a runaway.
[?] Sheriff-Muir [Child, Ballads, vii. 161]. For Huntly and Sinclair, they both play'd the tinkler.'
d.1796. Burns [Merry Muses (c. 1800), 122]. An' was nae Wattie a blinker? He maw'd frae the queen to the tinkler.
