spillikin

or spil·i·kin

[ spil-i-kin ]

noun

1. a jackstraw.
2. spillikins, (used with a singular verb) the game of jackstraws.

spillikin

/ ˈspɛlɪkən; ˈspɪlɪkɪn /

noun

1. a thin strip of wood, cardboard, or plastic, esp one used in spillikins

Word History and Origins

Origin of spillikin¹

1725–35; variant of spellican < obsolete Dutch spelleken, equivalent to spelle peg, pin + -ken -kin

Example Sentences

And on the floor nearby is a heap of maulsticks arranged like spillikins, or pick-up sticks – remove one and the whole circle would be disturbed.

From The Guardian

“It’s all in spillikins in the back garden.”

From Project Gutenberg

So there was the situation till the war of Ninety-three came along to jumble us all up and knock everything to spillikins.

From Project Gutenberg

These words are evidently of the same class, though not of the same species with bishopric, colewort, spillikin, gossip, mainswearer, &c.

From Project Gutenberg

It's so very difficult to play a game with a spillikin on one side and a sledge-hammer on the other.'

From Project Gutenberg