rinky-dink
Americanadjective
-
inconsequential, amateurish, or of generally inferior quality; small-time.
a rinky-dink college; He plays with some rinky-dink team.
-
outmoded or shabby; backward; antiquated.
a rinky-dink airline.
noun
Etymology
Origin of rinky-dink
1910–15; rhyming compound (perhaps based on alteration and nasalization of rickety ); cf. ricky-tick
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.
They were rewarded with three works by Puccini, alongside Henry Mancini's rinky-dink Pink Panther theme, and the traditional programme of sea shanties and patriotic songs like Jerusalem and Rule, Britannia!
From BBC • Sep. 14, 2024
They had me in the SS Mooch, which was a rinky-dink rowboat.
From Salon • May 18, 2024
The whole operation seems charmingly homespun, or, if you’re a reporter, annoyingly rinky-dink.
From Slate • Sep. 5, 2023
While Shaun attempts to help the alien “Lu-La” get home, Farmer John sees a moneymaking opportunity, and attempts to court the U.F.O. tourist trade by turning his farm into a comically rinky-dink theme park.
From New York Times • Feb. 13, 2020
He can’t imagine G’ma making her blue-ribbon-winning cast-iron French toast—first pan-toasted, then baked in the pan for a few minutes for extra crispiness on the outside—on that rinky-dink cooktop thingy.
From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
