tink

present singular third person tinks · participle present tinking · participle past tinked · past tinked

1. To emit a high-pitched sharp or metallic noise.

   Jimmy heard the bells tink.

   Synonyms: tinkle

plural tinks

1. datedA sharp, quick sound; a tinkle.

present singular third person tinks · participle present tinking · participle past tinked · past tinked

1. slangtransitivebusinessTo unknit.

   Stanley knitted when he should have purled and swore, tinking the knitting back to fix the flaw.

   2012, Amy Lane, A Knitter in His Natural Habitat, page 48

   1 more example

   If the stitch you need to fix is on the last or previous row, a bit of unknitting, or “tinking” as it is known by some knitters, is all that is needed to get back to the point where you can mend your mistake.

   2006, Heather Dixon, Not Your Mama's Knitting, page 89

plural tinks

1. IrelandUKoffensiveA member of the travelling community. A gypsy.

   Her family had a name that marked them out as tinks, only they weren't tinks anymore.

   2014, Alastair Macleod, The Traveller's Tale, →ISBN

   2 more examples

   'Most have white eyes, which ain't natural in any beast, tame or wild, and they are considered unlucky - the tinks calls 'em moonpies, and most will avoid settling on farms where they are kept.

   2000, David Brian Plummer, Merle: The Start of Dynasty, →ISBN, page 11

   'Well, you should feel right at home,' Flannigan said. 'You love a bit of thieving, you and the rest of the fucken tinks you grew up with in the Emerald Toilet.'

   2015, Andrew O'Hagan, The Illuminations, →ISBN, page 47