tiddlywinks
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
tiddlywinks
- /ˈtɪdəlɪwɪŋks/ UK
- /ˈtɪdlɪ-/ UK
- /ˈtɪdliˌwɪŋks/ US
Where it comes from
From tiddlywink + -s, possibly from tiddly (“(informal) little, tiny”) + wink (“blinking of one eye”), perhaps borrowed from tiddlywink, etymology 1 (“unlicensed beerhouse or pawnshop; game played using dominoes”, etc.). The game was patented by a British bank clerk, Joseph Assheton Fincher (1863–1900), on 19 October 1889, and the name Tiddledy-Winks trademarked by him the same year. Tiddlywinks is the preferred modern spelling; the earliest known use of this spelling dates from 1894.
noun Tiddledy-Winks · Tiddley Winks · tiddleywinks · tidley winks
-
A competitive game in which the objective is to flick as many small discs (each called a tiddlywink or wink) as possible into a container (the pot) by pressing on their edges with a larger disc (a shooter or squidger), causing them to jump up from the surface on which they are placed.
Can any of your correspondents inform me what is the derivation of the word "kiddlewink," or "tiddledy winks"? A friend tells me in the Midland Counties it denotes a house where beer is sold without a licence. Lately a game has been introduced here bearing the name of "Tiddledywinks."
Similar: winks
- Especially in the form to play tiddlywinks: a meaningless or unimportant activity.
noun
- plural of tiddlywink
verb
- third-person singular simple present indicative of tiddlywink
Translations
Every language
noun competitive game in which the objective is to flick as many small discs as possible into a container
| Español | juego de la pulga, pulga, pulga saltarina |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 弾き, 彈き hajiki |
| 中文 | 挑圆片 tiāoyuánpiàn |
| Português | jogo da pulga |
| Français | jeu de puces |
| Deutsch | Flohhüpfspiel, Flohspiel |
| Italiano | gioco delle pulci |
| Русский | игра́ в бло́шки igrá v blóški |
Talk about this word "tiddlywinks." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/tiddlywinks. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. tiddlywinks. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/tiddlywinks "tiddlywinks." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/tiddlywinks.Cite this
@misc{tiddlywinks_2026,
title = {tiddlywinks},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/tiddlywinks},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
