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winkle

[ wing-kuhl ]

noun

  1. any of various marine gastropods; periwinkle 1.


verb (used with object)

, win·kled, win·kling.
  1. Informal. to pry (something) out of a place, as winkle meat is dug out of its shell with a pin (usually followed by out ).

winkle

/ ˈwɪŋkəl /

noun

“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

verb

  1. informal.
    tr; usually foll by out, out of, etc to extract or prise out
“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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of winkle1

First recorded in 1575–85; short for periwinkle 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of winkle1

C16: shortened from periwinkle 1
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Example Sentences

In the process, they winkled out some remarkably intimate details and gave Macron a platform to show a more personal side at a critical juncture in his second term as president.

For nearly three months, Azovstal’s garrison clung on, refusing to be winkled out from the tunnels and bunkers under the ruins of the labyrinthine mill.

The Envelope is here to change all that: As we do every year, we’ve winkled out the rare gems that belong in categories no awards committee would ever sanctify.

"There were lots of phoney emails from people trying to winkle even just three pages, even just anything," she noted.

From BBC

He cleverly winkles out gaps in broken-field defences and has the blurring speed to drive through them.

From BBC

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