Etymology Imitative. Originally US. Attested since the 1930s.
1
Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports, Tennis A soft drop shot.
But what I saw is she still has that sense of, ‘Okay, I need to hit a dink shot, I need to come with power now, I need to change up my serve not for a flat one, but a big kick.’2018 February 12, Ava Wallace, “New mother Serena Williams returns to tennis, with a little rust and plenty to learn”, in Washington Post:
2
A soft drop shot played at or near the non-volley zone.
The forward passed to Fernandes and, as Pau López advanced, the Portuguese fashioned a sand‑wedge dink over the goalkeeper.2021 April 29, Jamie Jackson, “Edinson Cavani and Bruno Fernandes help Manchester United hit Roma for six”, in The Guardian:
dink
verb
Etymology Imitative. Originally US. Attested since the 1930s.
1
Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports, Tennis To play a soft drop shot.
2
To play a soft drop shot at or near the non-volley zone.
The forward dinked the ball over the goalkeeper to score his first goal of the season.
But the visitors started the game in stunning fashion when Morten Gamst Pedersen dinked forward a clever looping pass and Kalinic beat the offside trap, surged into the box and beautifully placed the ball past goalkeeper Scott Carson.2010 December 28, Kevin Darlin, “West Brom 1 - 3 Blackburn”, in BBC:
1 more example
A dinked pass intended for De Bruyne from the impressive Oscar Bobb then deflected off Jackson and looped into the net early in the second half before Foden smashed in his second.2024 January 7, Gary Rose, “Manchester City 5-0 Huddersfield Town”, in BBC Sport:
Etymology Origin unknown. Attested since the 1930s.
1
Australia, Colloquial To carry someone on a pushbike: behind, on the crossbar or on the handlebar.
I didn't like them at all ; only the lame one who used to let me dink him home on his bicycle.1947, John Lehmann, editor, The Penguin New Writing, number 30, page 103:
All these floated along with the immense tide of population, whom mere curiosity had drawn together; and where the mechanic in his leathern apron, elbowed the dink and dainty dame, his city mistress[…]1821, Walter Scott, Kenilworth, page 249:
dink
noun
Etymology Uncertain. Either: * A rhythmatic reduplicative of Chink, a derogatory term for a Chinese person. Attested from Australia since the 1960s (consult the American Heritage Dictionary). * or, clipping of dinky dau/dow, a corrupted borrowing from Vietnamese điên cái đầu (“[you make my] head goes crazy”).
Our job was to go out on night patrols and stay behind to zap any dinks we caught sneaking back to their holes at dawn.1989, Craig Roberts, Charles W. Sasser, The Walking Dead: A Marine's Story of Vietnam, page 197:
ABRAMS: [...] The term 'dink' or 'slope' or that sort of thing starts out calling the enemy that, and he's Vietnamese, the same as these, so then the next thing is all Vietnamese, call them that. It's just a bad thing. And I'm sure a great many who use it don't use it intentionally to offend, but there's no question but what it does. [...]2004 [1970], Lewis Sorley, editor, Vietnam Chronicles: The Abrams Tapes, 1968-1972, Texas Tech University Press, page 355:
The hair on my legs is softer than the hair around my dink, but it still grosses me out.2004, Brian Francis, Fruit: A Novel about a Boy and his Nipples, page 2:
[…]he was a dink, and all the money, fame, and power in the world wouldn't change that one simple fact.1997, Chris Gudgeon, You’re Not as Good as You Think, page 13: