![]() It is thought that the use of "tinker's dam" as something worthless, may have evolved into the phrase "tinker's curse". The material can be but once used being consequently thrown away as worthless". In the Practical Dictionary of Mechanics of 1877, Edward Knight gives this definition: "Tinker's-dam: a wall of dough raised around a place which a plumber desires to flood with a coat of solder. The remaining solder was then rasped and smoothed down by the tinker. The solder cooled and solidified against the dam and bonded with the metal wall. Molten solder was then poured on the inside of the hole. ![]() The material was built up around the outside of the hole, so as to plug it. It was used by tinkers and was usually made of mud or clay, or sometimes other materials at hand, such as wet paper or dough. ![]() An example: "I don't give a tinker's curse what the doctor thinks", sometimes shortened to, "I don't give a tinker's about the doctor." Ī tinker's dam is also reportedly a temporary patch to retain solder when repairing a hole in a metal vessel, such as a pot or a pan. "Tinker's dam" or "damn" and "tinker's curse" īoth phrases tinker's damn and tinker's curse can be applied to something considered insignificant. Some modern-day nomads with an English, an Irish or a Scottish influence call themselves "techno-tinkers" or " technogypsies" in a revival of sorts of the romantic view of the tinker's lifestyle. The term "tinker", in British English, may refer to a mischievous child. However, this use is considered offensive. Some travelling groups and Romani people specialised in the trade, and the name was particularly associated with indigenous Irish Travellers and Scottish Highland Travellers – the name of whose language Beurla Reagaird means "speech of the metalworkers". Tinker for metal-worker is attested from the thirteenth century as tyckner or tinkler. Tinker or tinkerer is an archaic term for an itinerant tinsmith who mends household utensils. ( May 2023)Ī photograph of a tinker by Ignacy Krieger, nineteenth century Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. ![]()
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