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Cranny vs Chink - What's the difference?

cranny | chink |

As nouns the difference between cranny and chink

is that cranny is a small, narrow opening, fissure, crevice, or chink, as in a wall, or other substance while chink is (slang|offensive|ethnic slur) refers to a chinese or a person of chinese ethnicity.

As a verb cranny

is to break into, or become full of, crannies.

As an adjective cranny

is (uk|dialect) quick; giddy; thoughtless.

cranny

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) crany, .

Noun

(crannies)
  • A small, narrow opening, fissure, crevice, or chink, as in a wall, or other substance.
  • * Arbuthnot
  • He peeped into every cranny .
  • * Dryden
  • In a firm building, the cavities ought not to be filled with rubbish, but with brick or stone fitted to the crannies .
  • A tool for forming the necks of bottles, etc.
  • Verb

  • To break into, or become full of, crannies.
  • * Golding
  • The ground did cranny everywhere.
  • To haunt or enter by crannies.
  • * Byron
  • All tenantless, save to the crannying wind.

    Etymology 2

    Perhaps for cranky.

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (UK, dialect) quick; giddy; thoughtless
  • (Halliwell)
    (Webster 1913)

    chink

    English

    Etymology 1

    Of uncertain origin; but apparently an extension (with formative (m)) of (etyl) (m), from (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A narrow opening such as a fissure or crack.
  • *1898 , , (Moonfleet) Chapter 4
  • *:Yet I did not give way, but settled to wait for the dawn, which must, I knew, be now at hand; for then I thought enough light would come through the chinks of the tomb above to show me how to set to work.
  • * Macaulay
  • Through one cloudless chink , in a black, stormy sky, / Shines out the dewy morning star.
  • A chip or dent (in something metallic).
  • A vulnerability or flaw in a protection system or in any otherwise formidable system, idiomatically derived from the phrase "chink in armor".
  • * The warrior saw a chink in her enemy's armor, and aimed her spear accordingly.
  • * The chink in the theory is that the invaders have superior muskets.
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2011 , date=January 30 , author=Kevin Darlng , title=Arsenal 2 - 1 Huddersfield , work=BBC citation , page= , passage=The first chink in Arsenal's relaxed afternoon occurred when key midfielder Samir Nasri pulled up with a hamstring injury and was replaced. }}

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To fill an opening such as the space between logs in a log house with chinking; to caulk.
  • to chink a wall
  • To crack; to open.
  • To cause to open in cracks or fissures.
  • Etymology 2

    Onomatopoeic.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A slight sound as of metal objects touching each other.
  • Ready money, especially in the form of coins.
  • *1834 , David Crockett, A Narrative of the Life of , Nebraska 1987, pp. 47-8:
  • *:I thought that if all the hills about there were pure chink , and all belonged to me, I would give them if I could just talk to her when I wanted to
  • * Somerville
  • to leave his chink to better hands

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To make a slight sound like that of metal objects touching.
  • The coins were chinking in his pocket.
  • To cause to make a sharp metallic sound, as coins, small pieces of metal, etc., by bringing them into collision with each other.
  • (Alexander Pope)

    Etymology 3

    Noun

    (en noun)