bink

plural binks

1. Northern EnglandScotlandUKdialectalA bench.

   Sitting here in the park bink, Alane - yet no aa that alane.

   1987, Alexander Scott, Voices of Our Kind: An Anthology of Modern Scottish Poetry, page 64

   2 more examples

   He bouns him to the house, An' sits him doon upo' the bink, An' plaits a theet, or mends a mink, To sair an aifter use .

   1877, William Alexander, “Domestic Industries and Out-door Labour”, in Notes and Sketches Illustrative of Northern Rural Life in the Eighteenth Century, page 144

   In comes the tod (fox) whiskin, whiskin, an he sits doon o' the green bink.

   1885, “The Lion, The Leper, and the Tod”, in The Folk-lore Journal - Volume 3, page 269

2. Northern EnglandScotlandUKdialectalA table or similar surface for laying out items.

   In front of the entrance to Alexander's booth there used to stand "a stane bink" which was employed "for outsetting of stands affore the buith."

   1891, Alexander Maxwell, Old Dundee, page 193

   2 more examples

   According to the most painstaking among our etymologist, the name was first conferred upon one who, in his attendance upon weddings and other convivial occasions, rendered himself so agreeable to the company by his skill in whistling, that he was allowed to sit at the bink, or board , and partake of the good things free of all expense; an honour , in the early ages of our history , which was only conferred on the highest degree of merit.

   1832, “Whistle-binkie: a Collection of Comic and Sentimental Songs”, in Literary Gazette and Journal of Belles Lettres, Arts, and Sciences, page 501

   His wife may ay sit foremost doun, At either buird or bink, Gang foremost in at door or yett, And ay the first guid-day wald get, With all men honourit and weel-tret As ony heart wald think.

   1908, Frederick William Watkeys, Old Edinburgh, page 234

3. Northern EnglandScotlandUKdialectalA sideboard or shelf unit for holding dishes.

   We have it in a manuscript; the good-man keeps it, as we think, Behind a dish, upon the bink.

   1684, John Colvil., “Mock Poem”, in The Teares of the Muses

   2 more examples

   The bink took the place of the modern dresser , and on it were arranged the bowls and tinnies for family use, while underneath were placed the pails, pots, and other cooking utensils.

   1911, Old-lore Miscellany of Orkney, Shetland, Caithness, and Sutherland,- Volume 4

   His wife on the one side, in her pearlings and pudding sleeves, put the last finishing touch to her holiday's apparel, while she contemplated a very handsome and good-humored face in a broken mirror, raised upon the bink (the shelves on which the plates are disposed ) for her special accommodation.

   1999, Sir Walter Scott, Rob Roy. A legend of Montrose. The bridge of Lammermoor. The monastery, page 375

4. Northern EnglandScotlandUKdialectalA mountain ledge.

   Without a stick a man would climb down sideways from bink to bink.

   1902, Claude Ernest Benson ·, Crag and Hound in Lakeland, page 18

   3 more examples

   Up thro' the cleughs, where bink on bink was set, Scrambling wi' hands and feet she taks the gate,

   1842, Alexander Ross, Helenore; or, The fortunate shepherdess, page 17

   We peer over the edge—it is far more pleasant to kneel down on one knee and steady oneself with one hand, besides being safer, in the event of the edge being rotten or should a wind be blowing—we peer over the edge, and see the fox run lightly along a slightly projecting crag, from which with a sidelong scramble up a rough rock face, it reaching a narrow grassy "bink" ledge, and there it is binked as safe as the Church of England ( just about ) .

   1902, Claude Ernest Benson, Crag and Hound in Lakeland, page 240

   There was a man did that up on that bink, a hundred years or more ago, two hundred more like, for there was no gun in Nardale then.

   1911, Abraham Wren Rumney, The Dalesman, page 127

5. Northern EnglandScotlandUKdialectalA long cut in peat moss, marking a section from which blocks of peat are cut.

   Och, an' I ken folk mysel' that found an iron pot o' doubloons in the peat bink; but aul ' Tchonie, he just takes what he will be needin', and he takes it at night when the folks are abed.

   2022, John Sillars, The McBrides: A Romance of Arran

   2 more examples

   They carry on the section, or the bink as they term it, of a convenient depth for easier cutting, frequently using the moss of least value above, and leaving that which is of much greater value.

   1811, William Aiton, A Treatise on the Origin, Qualities, and Cultivation of Moss-earth, page 145

   We go on in this manner until the bink is out, that is, taken out down to the level of last year's hole. Bink after bink is excavated until the whole block that was turred is removed, and now as the most valuable part is under our feet we have to commence to "sink."

   1892, “Peat, Its Use and Value for Fuel”, in Report of the Bureau of Mines - Volumes 1-4, page 188

6. Northern EnglandScotlandUKdialectalA hive.

   Just that –no that I'm sure that there are ony honey-bees in Arthur's seat, but there's plenty of bum-bees, and aiblins a wasp bink. "

   1856, Archibald Boyd, The Crown Ward - Volume 3, page 143

   2 more examples

   This splendid attire, however, saves them not from being rudely handled; and we remember the day when an artificial bink, that is , a little box made of clay , with a piece of glass at one end , and a sprinkling of sugar at the other , contained as many captives in proportion to its size as the black hole at Calcutta .

   1840, James Duncan, The Natural History of Bees, page 240

   On 19th July I examined old hive, turned it completely up on its side: combs nearly black, two at one side as musty as an old wasp's bink: decided to clear them out on Monday.

   1890, Bee-keepers' Record, page 147

present singular third person binks · participle present binking · participle past binked · past binked

1. Northern EnglandScotlandUKdialectalTo shelter or become trapped on a ledge or crag.

   The hounds drove him into Dead Crag, where he binked.

   1903 January 10, West Cumberland Times, page 2

   3 more examples

   On June 2nd, the last day of this season, Bowman spent six hours extricating as many hounds who had got themselves binked on Catle Crag in Mardale.

   1902, A. G. Bradley, “Fox-hunting in the Lake Country”, in Macmillan's Magazine, volume 86, page 196

   We peer over the edge—it is far more pleasant to kneel down on one knee and steady oneself with one hand, besides being safer, in the event of the edge being rotten or should a wind be blowing—we peer over the edge, and see the fox run lightly along a slightly projecting crag, from which with a sidelong scramble up a rough rock face, it reaching a narrow grassy "bink" ledge, and there it is binked as safe as the Church of England (just about).

   1902, Claude Ernest Benson, Crag and Hound in Lakeland, page 240

   A fox gets 'binked,' as they call it, or banked, and some one must go up on an almost inaccessible crag to put in the terrier; and a man must know the country, and the probable run of every fox that gets up in front of the hounds .

   1903, Hardwicke Drummond Rawnsley, Lake Country Sketches, page 196

2. Northern EnglandScotlandUKdialectalTo cut a bink in peat moss.

   On June last he caused his servants cast a number of "peittis for elding unto his hous in the mosse of belonging to him heritablie, and they having binked the same and left thame in the mosse , " returned home to their master's house at night .

   1900, The Register of the Privy Council of Scotland - Volume 2, page 516

plural binks

1. Northern EnglandScotlandUKdialectalA pacifier.

   Of course, we create the problem to begin with by offering a bink to newborn babies.

   2018, Justin Lind-Ayres, Is That Poop on My Arm?: Parenting While Christian, page 86

   2 more examples

   Even though we don't agree with the practice of the use of the bink in our house, Gideon was an exception.

   2011, Harrison Briner, Loni Briner, 13 Days With Gideon, page 18

   I am now eighteen months old and some say it is time to take away my bink. I say for now , let it stay! I have my fun toys and my little red wagon; that is true; but taking bink away now will only make me sad and blue .

   2018, Maureen Sky, Kennedy and Her Bink

plural binks

1. Northern EnglandScotlandUKdialectalA musical, percussive noise; plink.

   The knob turned—.bink, bink, bink, on the treble keys .

   1930, Richard Connell, “Pardon this Intrusion”, in Collier's, volume 86, page 12

   3 more examples

   I was looking at the rack to wee what cam I could pop in when I heard this "bink! " sound , and I looked up and saw big loops of the rope falling toward me.

   2000, Accidents in North American Mountaineering, page 49

   It was, I think, an Austin Avenger, and it made the most delicate and musical yet important noise,'bink-a-bink-a-bink-a', as he tilted the lever to navigate us round the busy seaside town.

   2013, Richard Hammond, On the Road: Growing up in Eight Journeys - My Early Years

   You will know where it is immediately by the constant "bink, bink, bink, bink” sound that casts such a trance like spell over the players.

   2021, Mr. Lucky, Loser: Thoughts and War Stories from Years of Casino Battles, page 12

present singular third person binks · participle present binking · participle past binked · past binked

1. Northern EnglandScotlandUKdialectalTo make a bink noise.

   My tinny typing binked.

   2001, Geoff Cochrane, Acetylene, page 13

   3 more examples

   From the palm of her hand, Farah's iPhone binked and chirped once every minute or so with calls or text messages, but she was ignoring them.

   2011, Rod Kierkegaard, Vicki Keire, The Department of Magic

   The system "binked" acknowledgement.

   2011, Jody Lynn Nye, View from the Imperium - Volume 1

   Some of the men at Cochiti made fine drums, big ones that boomed and smaller ones that "binked" with different pitches .

   2014, Carol Paradise Decker, Pecos Pueblo People Through the Ages: Stories of Time and Place, page 160

2. Northern EnglandScotlandUKdialectalTo poke lightly.

   Carmen gave her a toothy grin and binked her on the nose with a forefinger.

   2014, Hannah Alexander, Collateral Damage, page 188

   2 more examples

   It didn't hurt, not at all, but at that moment, as that ballpoint binked my chest, something binked inside my head.

   2005, David Gessner, Sick of Nature, page 89

   As we went to reengage, Mrs. Shore jumped in and got binked with an accidental elbow .

   2024, Juan Vidal, A Second Chance on Earth

3. Northern EnglandScotlandUKdialectalcard gamesTo win, especially a substantial amount due to luck.