spillikin

or spil·i·kin

[ spil-i-kin ]

/ ˈspɪl ɪ kɪn /

noun

a jackstraw.

spillikins, (used with a singular verb) the game of jackstraws.

Nearby words

spill, spill over, spill the beans, spillage, spillane, spillikin, spillikins, spillover, spillproof, spillway, spilt

Origin of spillikin

1725–35; variant of spellican < obsolete Dutch spelleken, equivalent to spelle peg, pin + -ken -kin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for spillikins

One evening, Belinda was playing with little Charles Percival at spillikins.
Tales And Novels, Volume 3 (of 10)|Maria Edgeworth
So there was the situation till the war of Ninety-three came along to jumble us all up and knock everything to spillikins.
Wild Justice: Stories of the South Seas|Lloyd Osbourne
Leap frog is not too heavy for me and spillikins not too light.
Mr. Scarborough's Family|Anthony Trollope
One writer compares the structure to a bundle of spillikins.
A Bird Calendar for Northern India|Douglas Dewar

Weymouth, a hundred and eighty years ago, was about as symmetrical as a game of spillikins in confusion.
The Man Who Laughs|Victor Hugo

British Dictionary definitions for spillikins (1 of 2)

spillikins

/ (ˈspɪlɪkɪnz) /

noun

(functioning as singular) British a game in which players try to pick each spillikin from a heap without moving any of the othersAlso called: jackstraws

Word Origin for spillikins

C18: from spill ² + diminutive ending. See -kin

British Dictionary definitions for spillikins (2 of 2)

spillikin

spilikin spellican (ˈspɛlɪkən)

/ (ˈspɪlɪkɪn) /

noun

a thin strip of wood, cardboard, or plastic, esp one used in spillikins

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