tinker

tin·ker  (tngkr)

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.]

---

tinker·er n.

---

tinker

Noun

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

2. Scot & Irish a Gypsy

3. a mischievous child

Verb

tinker with to try to repair or improve (something) by making lots of minor adjustments [origin unknown]

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, gypsy, 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"

---

tinker

verb meddle, play, toy, monkey, potter, fiddle (informal) dabble, mess about, muck about Brit. (slang)

Translations

tinker [ˈtɪŋkəʳ] n → calderero/a (= gipsy); gitano/a

tinker with vt fus → jugar con, tocar

---

tinker [ˈtɪŋkəʳ] n → rétameur ambulant (= gipsy); romanichel m

tinker with vt fus → bricoler, rafistoler

---

tinker [ˈtɪŋkəʳ] n (gipsy) → Kesselflicker m

tinker with tinker vt fus → herumbasteln an +dat

---

tinker [ˈtɪŋkəʳ] n → stagnino ambulante (= gipsy); zingaro/a

tinker with vt fus → armeggiare intorno a; cercare di riparare

---

tinker

n tinker [ˈtiŋkə]

a person who travels around like a gypsy, mending kettles, pans etc. ketellapper صَفاح، سَمْكَري калайджия dráteník kedelflikker der/die Kesselflicker(in) γανωτής caldedero, hojalatero; gitano rändkatelsepp تعمیر کننده سیار ظروف läkkiseppä rétameur/-euse ambulant/-ante פַּחָח ठठेरा kotlokrpa üstfoltozó tukang keliling katlabætir (ambulante) いかけ屋 땜장이 meistrautojas skārdnieks; apkārtstaigājošs amatnieks budak nakal ketellapper kjeleflikker; kramkar; fant, tater druciarz funileiro spoitor бродячий лудильщик drotár piskrovez kotlokrpa kittelflickare ช่างบัดกรี seyyar tamirci 白鐵工 лудильник, мідник برتن کي مرمت کرنے والا thợ hàn nồi 白铁工

v

(often withaboutoraround) 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 vrtat se (v) rode med herumbasteln 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, (tentare di riparare) いじくり回す 서투르게 수선하다, 어설프게 만지다 krapštytis, meistrauti meistarot; niekoties ap (kaut ko) menggodek-godek prutsen flikke, lappe; fikle med majstrować 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 (粗糙地)補修 ремонтувати як-небудь ناتجربہ کار کاريگر hàn （粗糙地）补修