Tinkerbell
nounEtymology After a fairy in J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan (1902), in which the name is spelled Tinker Bell. She was described by Barrie as a fairy who mended pots and kettles, like an actual tinker, and her speech consists of the sounds of a tinkling bell.
1
Anything whose existence or power depends on the faith of believers.
- I characterize it as the "Tinkerbell Approach" to policy development: It might work if all the children would just believe hard enough and clap their hands1988, Caroline Arden, Getting the Donkey Out of the Ditch: The Democratic Party in Search of Itself, page 104:
- Sometimes I get the impression that the Tinkerbell theory is taking over: that the existence of God is dependent on our own existence and perceptions.1994, Alice Thomas Ellis, Cat Among the Pigeons: A Catholic Miscellany, page 57:
1 more example
- The New.net venture underlined an important principle: ICANN's authority over the DNS root is fundamentally subject to the "Tinkerbell" principle.2003, William Lehr, Lorenzo M. Pupillo, Cyber policy and economics in an internet age, page 92:
2
Derogatory, Offensive, Slang A homosexual or effeminate man.
- When he confronted his boss he screamed at him about being gay and fired him saying he didn't want "Tinkerbells" working for him.1986, United States. Congress. House. Committee on Government Operations. Intergovernmental Relations and Human Resources Subcommittee, Federal and Local Governments' Response to the AIDS Epidemic, page 287:
- Derived terms
- Tinkerbell line