Meanings
tiddlywink1
tiddlywink2
plural tiddlywinks
- UKarchaicobsoletetiddlywinksA small disc used in the game of tiddlywinks; (by extension) a similar disc or counter used in other games.
Synonyms: wink
present singular third person tiddlywinks · participle present tiddlywinking · participle past tiddlywinked · past tiddlywinked
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn unlicensed beerhouse or pawnshop.
nounA small disc used in the game of tiddlywinks; (by extension) a similar disc or counter used in other games.
Origin
tiddlywink · noun
Sense 1 (“unlicensed beerhouse or pawnshop”) and sense 2 (“alcoholic drink”) are possibly related to tiddly (“(noun) alcoholic beverage; (adjective) somewhat drunk”).
Full word history & related roots →tiddlywink · noun, verb
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.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Polish pchełka
- pchełkasmall disc used in the game of tiddlywinks; similar disc or counter used in other games
Cite this entry
tiddlywink. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tiddlywink
“tiddlywink.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tiddlywink. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tiddlywink,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tiddlywink.
Source: tiddlywink on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.