spillikins
Britishnoun
Etymology
Origin of spillikins
C18: from spill ² + diminutive ending. See -kin
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.
And on the floor nearby is a heap of maulsticks arranged like spillikins, or pick-up sticks – remove one and the whole circle would be disturbed.
From The Guardian ● May 19, 2012
"Hammett gave murder back to the people who commit it," said Chandler, who found the details of British mysteries as unexciting as "spillikins in the parlor."
From Time Magazine Archive
Mrs. Leyburn's mind was just now playing the part of spillikins, and the vicar's wife was shaking it vigorously, though with occasional qualms as to the lawfulness of the process.
From Robert Elsmere by Mrs. Humphry Ward
“It’s all in spillikins in the back garden.”
From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 7 (of 25) by Robert Louis Stevenson
And anon, when his victim had steeled himself against this method, he could extract another five-pound note from his little hoard with the delicacy of one playing spillikins.
From The Man Upstairs and Other Stories by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse
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