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noun
1.
a mender of pots, kettles, pans, etc., usually an itinerant.
2.
an unskillful or clumsy worker; bungler.
3.
a person skilled in various minor kinds of mechanical work; jack-of-all-trades.
4.
an act or instance of tinkering: Let me have a tinker at that motor.
5.
EXPANDScot., Irish English.
a.
a gypsy.
b.
any itinerant worker.
c.
a wanderer.
d.
a beggar.
verb (used without object)
7.
to busy oneself with a thing without useful results: Stop tinkering with that clock and take it to the repair shop.
8.
to work unskillfully or clumsily at anything.
9.
to do the work of a tinker.
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Tinkerer
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
verb (used with object)
10.
to mend as a tinker.
11.
to repair in an unskillful, clumsy, or makeshift way.
Origin:
1225–75; Middle English tinkere (noun), syncopated variant of tinekere worker in tin
1225–75; Middle English tinkere (noun), syncopated variant of tinekere worker in tin
Related forms
tin·ker·er, noun
un·tin·kered, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Link To tinkerer
Collins
World English Dictionary
| tinker (ˈtɪŋkə) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | (esp formerly) a travelling mender of pots and pans |
| 2. | a clumsy worker |
| 3. | the act of tinkering |
| 4. | (Scot), (Irish) another name for Gypsy |
| 5. | informal (Brit) a mischievous child |
| 6. | any of several small mackerels that occur off the North American coast of the Atlantic |
| —vb (foll by with) | |
| 7. | to play, fiddle, or meddle (with machinery, etc), esp while undertaking repairs |
| 8. | to mend (pots and pans) as a tinker |
| [C13 tinkere, perhaps from tink tinkle, of imitative origin] | |
| 'tinkerer | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
tinker
"mender of kettles, pots, pans, etc.," 1252 (as a surname), of uncertain origin. Some connect the word with the sound made by light hammering on metal. The verb meaning "to keep busy in a useless way" is first found 1658. Tinker's damn "something slight and worthless" is from 1824, preserving tinkers'
EXPANDreputation for free and casual use of profanity.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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