tinker

tin·ker

 (tĭng′kər)

n.

1. A traveling mender of metal household utensils.

2. Chiefly British A member of any of various traditionally itinerant groups of people living especially in Scotland and Ireland; a traveler.

3. One who enjoys experimenting with and repairing machine parts.

4. A clumsy repairer or worker; a meddler.

v. tin·kered, tin·ker·ing, tin·kers

v.intr.

1. To work as a tinker.

2. To make unskilled or experimental efforts at repair; fiddle: tinkered with the engine, hoping to discover the trouble; tinkering with the economy by trying various fiscal policies.

v.tr.

1. To mend as a tinker.

2. To manipulate unskillfully or experimentally.

---

[Middle English tinkere.]

---

tin′ker·er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

tinker

(ˈtɪŋkə)

n

1. (Crafts) (esp formerly) a travelling mender of pots and pans

2. a clumsy worker

3. the act of tinkering

4. (Peoples) Scot and Irish another name for Gypsy

5. informal Brit a mischievous child

6. (Animals) any of several small mackerels that occur off the North American coast of the Atlantic

vb

7. (foll by: with) to play, fiddle, or meddle (with machinery, etc), esp while undertaking repairs

8. (Crafts) to mend (pots and pans) as a tinker

[C13 tinkere, perhaps from tink tinkle, of imitative origin]

ˈtinkerer n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

tin•ker

(ˈtɪŋ kər)

n.

1. a mender of pots and pans, usu. an itinerant.

2. an unskillful or clumsy worker; bungler.

3. a jack-of-all-trades.

4. an act or instance of tinkering.

5. traveler (def. 7).

6. a young mackerel.

v.i.

7. to busy oneself with a thing without useful results.

8. to work unskillfully or clumsily at anything.

9. to do the work of a tinker.

v.t.

10. to mend as a tinker.

11. to repair in a clumsy or makeshift way.

[1225–75; Middle English tinkere]

tin′ker•er, n.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

tinker

Past participle: tinkered
Gerund: tinkering

Imperative

tinker

tinker

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	tinker - a person who enjoys fixing and experimenting with machines and their parts tinkerer experimenter - a person who enjoys testing innovative ideas; "she was an experimenter in new forms of poetry"
	2.	tinker - formerly a person (traditionally a Gypsy) who traveled from place to place mending pots and kettles and other metal utensils as a way to earn a living gipsy, itinerant - a laborer who moves from place to place as demanded by employment; "itinerant traders"
	3.	tinker - small mackerel found nearly worldwide chub mackerel, Scomber japonicus mackerel - any of various fishes of the family Scombridae genus Scomber, Scomber - type genus of the Scombridae
Verb	1.	tinker - do random, unplanned work or activities or spend time idly; "The old lady is usually mucking about in her little house" monkey around, muck about, muck around, potter, mess around, monkey, putter puddle - mess around, as in a liquid or paste; "The children are having fun puddling in paint" work - exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity; "I will work hard to improve my grades"; "she worked hard for better living conditions for the poor"
	2.	tinker - work as a tinker or tinkerer do work, work - be employed; "Is your husband working again?"; "My wife never worked"; "Do you want to work after the age of 60?"; "She never did any work because she inherited a lot of money"; "She works as a waitress to put herself through college"
	3.	tinker - try to fix or mend; "Can you tinker with the T.V. set--it's not working right"; "She always fiddles with her van on the weekend" fiddle fix, furbish up, mend, repair, bushel, doctor, touch on, restore - restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken; "She repaired her TV set"; "Repair my shoes please"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

tinker

verb meddle, play, toy, monkey, potter, fiddle (informal), dabble, mess about, muck about (Brit. slang) Instead of admitting their error, they just tinkered with the problem.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

tinker

verb

1. To handle something idly, ignorantly, or destructively:

fiddle, fool, meddle, mess, tamper.

Informal: monkey.

2. To move one's fingers or hands in a nervous or aimless fashion:

fiddle, fidget, fool, monkey, play, putter, toy, trifle, twiddle.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

صَفاح، سَمْكَرييُحاوِل تَصْليح الآلَه بدون خِبْرَه

dráteníkvrtat se

kedelflikker

herumbastelnKesselflickertüfteln

bricolerrétameur

barkácsolüstfoltozó

fúska, dytta aîkatlabætir

aggiustarefare lavoretti a casorabberciarestagnaio

meistrautimeistrautojas

apkārtstaigājošs amatnieksmeistarotniekoties apskārdnieks

kjeleflikkertaterfant

ковырять

drotárvŕtať sa

mecka

kurcalamakoynamakseyyar tamirci

白铁工粗糙地补修

tinker

[ˈtɪŋkəʳ]

A. N (esp Brit)

1. (= mender) → calderero m (pej) (= gipsy) → gitano m

2. (Brit) (o.f.) (= child) → pícaro/a m/f, tunante/a m/f
you little tinker! → ¡tunante!

B. VI (also tinker about) to tinker with → toquetear, jugar con
he's been tinkering with the car all day → ha pasado todo el día tratando de reparar el coche
they're only tinkering with the problem → no se esfuerzan seriamente por resolver el problema

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

tinker

[ˈtɪŋkə^r] n (= travelling repairman) → rétameur m ambulant (= gipsy) → romanichel(le) m/f

tinker with

vi

to tinker with sth (= fiddle around with) → bricoler qch

to tinker with a problem → bricoler des solutions

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

tinker

n (Brit pej) → Kesselflicker m; you little tinker! (inf) → du kleiner Stromer or Zigeuner! (neg!); not to give a tinker’s curse or cuss or damn about somebody/something (inf) → sich einen feuchten Kehricht um jdn/etw scheren (inf); not to be worth a tinker’s curse or cuss or damn (inf) → keinen Pfifferling wert sein (inf); (person) → keinen Schuss Pulver wert sein (inf)

vi

(also tinker about) → herumbasteln (→ with, on an +dat)

(unskilfully) to tinker with something → an etw (dat) → herumpfuschen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

tinker

[ˈtɪŋkəʳ] n → stagnino ambulante

tinker with vi + prep

tinker about with vi + adv + prep (play) → trastullarsi con; (repair) → armeggiare intorno a, cercare di riparare

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

tinker

(ˈtiŋkə) noun

a person who travels around like a gypsy, mending kettles, pans etc. ketellapper صَفاح، سَمْكَري калайджия funileiro dráteník der/die Kesselflicker(in) kedelflikker γανωτής caldedero, hojalatero; gitano rändkatelsepp تعمیر کننده سیار ظروف kulkuri rétameur/-euse ambulant/-ante פחח ठठेरा kotlokrpa üstfoltozó tukang keliling katlabætir (ambulante) いかけ屋 유량자, 땜장이 meistrautojas skārdnieks; apkārtstaigājošs amatnieks budak nakal ketellapperkjeleflikker; kramkar; fant, tater druciarz ټټار، كوشير ګر، مسګر: بې مهارته رغوونكى، ناقابله جوړوونكى: بې ځايه هڅه كول، چټي په كار پورې نښلېدل funileiro spoitor бродячий лудильщик drotár piskrovez kotlokrpa kittelflickare ช่างบัดกรี seyyar tamirci (流動的)銲鍋匠 лудильник, мідник برتن کي مرمت کرنے والا thợ hàn nồi 白铁工

verb

(often with about or around) to fiddle, or work in an unskilled way, with machinery etc. He enjoys tinkering around (with car engines). prutsel, knoei يُحاوِل تَصْليح الآلَه بدون خِبْرَه бърникам mexer vrtat se (v) herumbasteln rode med μαστορεύω tratar de reparar, hacer un remiendo jändama ور رفتن؛ ناشیگری کردن näperrellä bricoler לְנַסוֹת לְתַקֵן कच्चा काम करना petljati, šeprtljiti barkácsol mengutik-ngutik fúska, dytta að armeggiare, いじくり回す 어설프게 고치다 krapštytis, meistrauti meistarot; niekoties ap (kaut ko) menggodek-godek prutsen flikke, lappe; fikle med majstrować ټټار، كوشير ګر، مسګر: بې مهارته رغوونكى، ناقابله جوړوونكى: بې ځايه هڅه كول، چټي په كار پورې نښلېدل mexer a meşteri, a bricola возиться с чем-л.; ковыряться в чём-л. vŕtať sa (v) brkljati, šušmariti krpiti pilla (mixtra) med รื้อส่วนต่าง ๆ ของเครื่องจักรเพื่อแก้ไข kurcalamak, oynamak 粗劣的補修 ремонтувати як-небудь ناتجربہ کار کاريگر hàn 粗糙地补修

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.