Tinker vs Mess - What's the difference?
tinker | mess |
an itinerant tinsmith and mender of household utensils made of tin
(dated, chiefly, British, and, Irish, offensive) A member of the travelling community. A gypsy.
A mischievous person, especially a playful, impish youngster.
Someone who repairs, or attempts repair on anything mechanical (tinkers) or invents.
The act of repair or invention.
(military, obsolete) A small mortar on the end of a staff.
Any of various fish: the chub mackerel, the silverside, the skate, or a young mackerel about two years old.
A bird, the razor-billed auk.
(Webster 1913)
To fiddle with something in an attempt to fix, mend or improve it, especially in an experimental or unskilled manner.
* {{quote-magazine, date=2012-01
, author=Robert M. Pringle
, title=How to Be Manipulative
, volume=100, issue=1, page=31
, magazine=
To work as a tinker.
(obsolete) Mass; church service.
A quantity of food set on a table at one time; provision of food for a person or party for one meal; also, the food given to an animal at one time.
* Milton
A number of persons who eat together, and for whom food is prepared in common; especially, persons in the military or naval service who eat at the same table.
* 1610 , , IV. iv. 11:
A set of four (from the old practice of dividing companies into sets of four at dinner).
(US) The milk given by a cow at one milking.
(label) To take meals with a mess.
(label) To belong to a mess.
(label) To eat (with others).
(label) To supply with a mess.
A disagreeable mixture or confusion of things; hence, a situation resulting from blundering or from misunderstanding; a disorder.
(label) A large quantity or number.
(label) Excrement.
(label) To make a mess of.
(label) To throw into confusion.
(label) To interfere.
As a proper noun tinker
is for someone who mends pots and pans.As a noun mess is
(obsolete) mass; church service or mess can be a disagreeable mixture or confusion of things; hence, a situation resulting from blundering or from misunderstanding; a disorder.As a verb mess is
(label) to take meals with a mess or mess can be (label) to make a mess of.tinker
English
Noun
(en noun)Synonyms
* (mischievous person) rapscallion, rascal, rogue, scamp, scoundrel * (member of the travelling community) travellerVerb
(en verb)citation, passage=As in much of biology, the most satisfying truths in ecology derive from manipulative experimentation. Tinker with nature and quantify how it responds.}}
See also
* * tinker's damnAnagrams
*mess
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) (m), partly from (etyl) . More at (m); see also (m).Noun
(es)- A mess of pottage.
- At their savoury dinner set / Of herbs and other country messes .
- the wardroom mess
- But that our feasts / In every mess have folly, and the feeders / Digest it with accustom,
- (Latimer)
