Meaning of crinkum-crankum | Babel Free

Definitions

Something elaborately convoluted or tricky.

Examples

“(glossary entry) Crincum-crancum,—Lines of irregularity and involution.”

“I had no notion of being lost in so much light⟳; but I had wander'd out of the main streets, and was got to the crinkum-crankum parts of London, where there are turnings and windings on every side.”

“‘... yet if she will come⟳ into the court riding backward upon a black ram, with his tail in her hand, and say⟳ the words following, the steward is bound, by the custom, to re-admit her to her free-bench: — Here I am Riding upon a black ram, Like⟳ a ***** as I am; Who, for my Crinkum Crankum, Have⟳ lost my Binkum Bankum; * * * * * * * * * * * * Therefore, I pray you, Mr. Steward, let⟳ me have⟳ my land⟳ again.’ [...] That Crinkum Crankum is not less descriptive of tortuosity of opinion as it is of irregularity of conduct.”

“And the artists vainly endeavoured to preserve⟳ them by means of vases, pyramids, busts, scrolls, coats-of-arms, projecting cornices, broken pediments, and by what has not inappropriately been called the ‘crinkum-crankum’ style of Elizabeth and James; in which angles and curves are, as before, studiously intermixed, but intermixed without due proportion; and entangle the eye in a labyrinth of fractured lines, without unity, or harmony, or grace.”

““... I tell⟳ you men, them's Crinkum-crankum whales.” ¶ “And what is them?” said a sailor. ¶ “Why, them is whales that can't be cotched.””

“Forty years ago one who had known it well described it to me as a crincum-crancum kind of house, full of ins and outs.”

“Before the Congressional observer team went home, Lugar read⟳ a thin-soup statement, crinkum-crankum so packed with "Pash Commit of Flips to Dem" that a Hong Kong TV correspondent was moved to ask⟳, "For those of us who are not native English speakers, could you please⟳ tell⟳ us what you are saying?"”

CEFR level