Tinkertoy

American  

[ting-ker-toi] / ˈtɪŋ kərˌtɔɪ /

Trademark.

1. a brand of children's building toy.

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Example Sentences

These substances are made up of both inorganic and organic molecules, which link together to form open lattice structures that resemble Tinkertoy stick-and-node play sets: Central “nodes” of metal ions bind to multiple organic “stick” molecules, producing a cagelike framework.

From Scientific American

Yaghi and his colleagues say they can achieve these Goldilocks-level binding sites by tweaking the types of organic molecules used as the “sticks” of the Tinkertoy structure.

From Scientific American

Like the ’80s-era Milan-centered Memphis movement, with its Tinkertoy shapes and colors, which has been embraced as inspiration by designers searching for optimism and humor in a sobering age, Scarpa’s warm-blooded mix of the ancient and modern — buildings, objects and furniture laboriously handcrafted in stone, wood, forged metals, stucco and glass — has become newly relevant.

From New York Times

She sees society as a Tinkertoy for clever people like her to disassemble and reassemble, shuffling around hundreds of thousands of people.

From Washington Post

Curium, employed in Mars rovers, yields a tinkertoy explorer.

From Washington Post