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rinky-tink
[ ring-kee-tingk ]
Word History and Origins
Origin of rinky-tink1
Example Sentences
Most specifically it recalls François Truffaut’s “Shoot the Piano Player,” about a traumatized concert pianist hiding out playing rinky-tink jazz in a dive bar, when gangsters arrive to threaten his family.
No one perishes, and the gang war turns to open revelry when the combatants, richly creamed but unbowed, lay down their arms and join in a rinky-tink anthem to brotherhood.
He ambles in to the rinky-tink beat of Joseph Lamb's rag, Bohemia, a little guy in a shiny satin shirt and crushed-velvet breeches.
Most of them�foot-pumped jobs with no concert-grand pretensions�were being played for the sheer rinky-tink fun of it by people who own either vintage instruments rescued from dusty oblivion or brand-new 1962 models, bought in a shiny showroom.
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More About Rinky Tink
What does rinky-tink mean?
Rinky-tink means corny or outdated. It can be used to describe the kinds of things that seem a bit old-fashioned and silly because they come from another era.
The similar term rinky-dink can be used to mean the same thing, but it more commonly means inferior, amateurish, or small-time.
The term ricky-tick can also be used to mean the same thing as rinky-tink.
Both rinky-tink and ricky-tick can also be (and were originally) used to describe the mechanical, repetitive style and beat of ragtime or early swing music. Both terms can also be used as nouns to refer to such music.
Example: His act is a bit rinky-tink, if you ask me, but I guess that’s what his audience wants to see.
Where does rinky-tink come from?
The first records of the term rinky-tink come from the early 1900s. It may be a blend of phrases ricky-tick and rinky-dink.
The term ricky-tick is thought to be imitative of the kind of ragtime music it refers to, which is known for its strict two-four time, steady syncopation, and jangling piano sound. Ragtime was developed around 1900 and was especially popularized by Scott Joplin.
Did you know ... ?
What are some synonyms for rinky-tink?
What are some words that often get used in discussing rinky-tink?
What are some words rinky-tink may be commonly confused with?
How is rinky-tink used in real life?
Rinky-tink is not commonly used. When it is, it’s often used in the context of music.
Has a curse been placed on the #LSSC band to make them play the same rinky-tink song when introduced every night? Please learn another one.
— Michael Markowitz (@markowitz) May 10, 2016
Rinky tink hi hat behind bass solos
— chris batchelor (@crillbat) October 11, 2020
My neighbours – who are in their mid-twenties – are listening to rinky-tink piano music today
— semi-hiatus – radish brick HQ (@rowanburies) November 22, 2020
Try using rinky-tink!
Is rinky-tink used correctly in the following sentence?
I love the rinky-tink sound of tinny old player pianos.
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