crinkum-crankum

British

/ ˈkrɪŋkəmˈkræŋkəm /

noun

a fanciful name for any object that is full of twists and turns

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of crinkum-crankum

C18: coinage based on _crank ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

crinkum-crankum

That was the kind of prank Solomon was up to, every day of his life; and fishing for schoolmaster's wig through the skylight, and every crinkum-crankum that ever was.

From Mrs. Tree by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards

That crinkum-crankum tune, “Robin Adair,” has run so in my head, and I succeeded so ill in my last attempt, that I have ventured, in this morning’s walk, one essay more.

From The Complete Works of Robert Burns: Containing his Poems, Songs, and Correspondence. With a New Life of the Poet, and Notices, Critical and Biographical by Allan Cunningham by Robert Burns

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023