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tinker

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tinker

1. (esp formerly) a travelling mender of pots and pans
2. Scot and Irish another name for a Gypsy
3. any of several small mackerels that occur off the North American coast of the Atlantic
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
Mentioned in
References in classic literature
"And why not?" asked the tinker, rising with great show of dignity.
"Where our Sheriff has failed, and the stout Guy of Gisborne, and many more beside, it behoves not a mere tinker to succeed."
"Now come I, forsooth, from good Banbury Town," said the jolly Tinker, "and no one nigh Nottingham--nor Sherwood either, an that be the mark-- can hold cudgel with my grip.
"Nay," quoth the Tinker, shaking his head slowly from side to side.
Tinker, surlily; "because he looks to his farthings.
Tinker, flinging down the coin; it's only baronets as cares about farthings."
I recollect one young fellow - a tinker, I suppose, from his wallet and brazier - who had a woman with him, and who faced about and stared at me thus; and then roared to me in such a tremendous voice to come back, that I halted and looked round.
I was passable enough when I went with the tinker, though nothing to boast of then; but what with blowing the fire with my mouth when I was young, and spileing my complexion, and singeing my hair off, and swallering the smoke, and what with being nat'rally unfort'nate in the way of running against hot metal and marking myself by sich means, and what with having turn-ups with the tinker as I got older, almost whenever he was too far gone in drink--which was almost always--my beauty was queer, wery queer, even at that time.
Things which seemed to other men trifles were to him deadly sins; and although he was so stern to himself, to others he shows a fatherly tenderness which makes us feel that this rough tinker was no narrow Puritan, but a broad-minded, large-hearted Christian.
Let tinkers' brats do tinkerings; we are their betters.
He had carried Tinker Bell part of the way, and his hand was still messy with the fairy dust.
Giles, Brittles, and the tinker, were recruiting themselves, after the fatigues and terrors of the night, with tea and sundries, in the kitchen.
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