chink

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /t͡ʃɪŋk/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪŋk

Of uncertain origin, but apparently an extension (with diminutive -k) of Middle English chine, from Old English ċine (“a crack, chine, chink”), equivalent to chine +‎ -k.

Alternatively, the -k may represent an earlier unrecorded diminutive, perhaps from Middle English *chinek, making it equivalent to chine +‎ -ock (diminutive ending).

chink (plural chinks)

1. A narrow opening such as a fissure or crack.
   • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 2, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 10:

     What a pity they didn’t stop up the chinks and the crannies though, and thrust in a little lint here and there.

   • [1898], J[ohn] Meade Falkner, Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934, →OCLC:

     Yet I did not give way, but settled to wait for the dawn, which must, I knew, be now at hand; for then I thought enough light would come through the chinks of the tomb above to show me how to set to work.

   • 1834–1838 (date written), Thomas Babington Macaulay, “(please specify the page)”, in Lays of Ancient Rome, London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, […], published 1842, →OCLC:

     Through one cloudless chink, in a black, stormy sky, / Shines out the dewy morning star.

   1. A narrow beam or patch of light admitted by such an opening.

      I noticed a chink of light under the door.

      • 2023 March 22, Mel Holley, “Network News: RMT to ballot Network Rail members on improved offer”, in RAIL, number 979, page 12:

        A chink of light offering a possible settlement to one part of the rail dispute comes as the RMT is to ballot its members at Network Rail on whether to accept an improved offer.

2. A chip or dent in something metallic.

   The warrior saw a chink in her enemy's armor, and aimed her spear accordingly.

3. (figuratively) A vulnerability or flaw in a protection system or in any otherwise formidable system.

   The chink in the theory is that the invaders have superior muskets.

   • 2011 January 30, Kevin Darling, “Arsenal 2 - 1 Huddersfield”, in BBC‎^[1]:

     The first chink in Arsenal's relaxed afternoon occurred when key midfielder Samir Nasri pulled up with a hamstring injury and was replaced.

chink (third-person singular simple present chinks, present participle chinking, simple past and past participle chinked)

1. (transitive) To fill an opening such as the space between logs in a log house with chinking; to caulk.

   to chink a wall

2. (intransitive) To crack; to open.
3. (transitive) To cause to open in cracks or fissures.

• chink up

Onomatopoeic.

chink (countable and uncountable, plural chinks)

1. (countable) A slight sound as of metal objects touching each other; a clink.
   • 2020, Abi Daré, The Girl With The Louding Voice, Sceptre, page 138:

     She swallow, set the cup down like she want to break it, and the ice-blocks jump, make a chink sound.

2. (uncountable, colloquial, dated, now rare) Ready money, especially in the form of coins.
   • 1727, William Somerville, Occasional Poems, "The Fortune-Hunter":

     to leave his chink to better hands

   • 1834, David Crockett, A Narrative of the Life of, Nebraska, published 1987, pages 47–8:

     I thought that if all the hills about there were pure chink, and all belonged to me, I would give them if I could just talk to her when I wanted to […]

   • 1855, Henry Augustus Wise, Tales for the Marines, page 121:

     At the same time, mind, I must have a bit of a frolic occasionally, for that's all the pleasure I has, when I gets a little chink in my becket; and ye know, too, that I don t care much for that stuff, for a dollar goes with me as fur as a gold ounce does with you, when ye put on your grand airs, and shower it about like a nabob.

   • 1894, Francis James Child (from Thomas Percy's Reliques of Ancient English Poetry), “267, The Drunkard's Legacy (The Heir of Linne)”, in The English and Scottish popular Ballads, volume V:

     Now by [the] third part you will hear
     This young man, as it does appear,
     With care he then secur'd his chink,
     And to this vintner went to drink.

   • 1904, Edith Nesbit, The New Treasure Seekers, Chapter 2:

     "I believe I could make a pudding that wasn't plain, if I tried," Alice said. "Why shouldn't we?"
     "No chink," said Oswald, with brief sadness.
     "How much would it cost?" Noël asked, and added that Dora had twopence and H.O. had a French halfpenny.

• chink-a-chink

chink (third-person singular simple present chinks, present participle chinking, simple past and past participle chinked)

1. (intransitive) To make a slight sound like that of metal objects touching.

   The coins were chinking in his pocket.

2. (transitive) To cause to make a sharp metallic sound, as coins, small pieces of metal, etc., by bringing them into collision with each other.
   • 1728, [Alexander Pope], “Book the First”, in The Dunciad. An Heroic Poem. […], Dublin, London: […] A. Dodd, →OCLC, page 2:

     He chinks his purse

chink (plural chinks)

1. Alternative form of kink (“gasp for breath”)

chink (third-person singular simple present chinks, present participle chinking, simple past and past participle chinked)

1. Alternative form of kink (“gasp for breath”)

chink (plural chinks)

1. Alternative letter-case form of Chink

• Hinck, Kinch