Apedia

Winkle Wing Kuhl Noun Periwinkle Mollusks Spiral Shell Verb

Winkle can refer to a type of sea snail, or to the action of extracting something with difficulty, likely originating from the effort involved in removing the snail from its shell.

Winkle can be a noun referring to a type of sea snail, or a verb meaning to extract something with effort or difficulty. The verb likely originates from the effort required to extract a periwinkle from its shell.

Back
winkle /WING-kuhl/
Front
noun
A periwinkle, any of various mollusks with a spiral shell.

verb tr.
To extract with effort or difficulty.

[For noun: Of uncertain origin.
For verb: From the process of extracting a periwinkle from its shell with a pin for eating its meat. Earliest documented use: 1585.]

Dougherty is a smart, pragmatic but deep-thinking cop who winkles out the truth by virtue of dogged police work.” - Declan Burke; Intricate Confessions, Historic Skeletons, Heartbreaking Tragedy; Irish Times (Dublin); Aug 29, 2015. 

Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.

Next card: Kenning describe norse earliest english ken-ing noun figurative

Previous card: Doryphore dor-uh-for noun pedantic persistent critic french colorado

Up to card list: Hard English Vocabulary