tiddlywink meaning (archaic): definition, etymology

tiddlywink

noun

UK /ˈtɪdəlɪwɪŋk/ · US /ˈtɪdliˌwɪŋk/

Etymology Sense 1 (“unlicensed beerhouse or pawnshop”) and sense 2 (“alcoholic drink”) are possibly related to tiddly (“(noun) alcoholic beverage; (adjective) somewhat drunk”).

1

UK, Archaic, Dialectal, Obsolete, Slang An unlicensed beerhouse or pawnshop.

2

Cockney, UK, Archaic, Obsolete, Slang An alcoholic drink.

3

Games UK, Archaic, Obsolete A game played using dominoes.

tiddlywink

verb

Etymology 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.

1

UK, Archaic, Obsolete Especially of something disc-shaped: to flip over like a disc used in the game of tiddlywinks.

2

UK, Archaic, Obsolete To play tiddlywinks.

Derived terms: tiddlywinker, tiddlywinking

tiddlywink

noun

Etymology 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.

1

UK, Archaic, Obsolete A small disc used in the game of tiddlywinks; (by extension) a similar disc or counter used in other games.