Meaning of rinky-dink | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A person who is contemptible or insignificant.
   US, countable, informal, uncountable
2. An amateur or someone who is underqualified.
   US, countable, informal, uncountable
3. Someone who operates unethically; specifically, a small-time conman or crook.
   US, countable, informal, uncountable
4. Something that is not up to acceptable standards; something of low quality.
   US, countable, informal
5. A miscellaneous object or thing; a thingy.
   US, countable, informal
6. Deceptive or underhanded rigmarole; deception, trickery; (countable) often preceded by the: an instance of this; a deception, swindle, a trick.
   US, archaic, informal, uncountable

Equivalents

Examples

“The point⟳ is that SCUBA diving is not for "rinky-dinks" ; it is for well trained people only, and then only in the company of other experienced divers.”

“Of course, most of the great players were at war and there was no need⟳ to pay⟳ the rinky-dinks, who were merely occupying uniforms until the studs got back.”

“We've been ordered to some godforsaken place⟳ near Pleiku—the whole damn company, you and me and them other rinky-dinks back in Qui Nhon.”

“A player one time said, "You never let⟳ me play⟳ with Alcindor ([Kareem] Abdul-Jabbar). I can do better if you let⟳ me play⟳ with him. Now you have⟳ me with some rinky-dinks." I told him one time, "That's what somebody said about you when you were in there. You were one of the rinky-dinks."”

“In addition to such creeps, there is also found in various organizations an assortment of longhairs, corny antiques, arky back-numbers, moldy mossbacks, rinky-dinks, tintypes, schmoes and schmaltzes of all flavors.”

“"I'm suing the Pacific Gas and Electric Company," he [Ty Cobb] explained, "for overcharging me on the service. Those rinky-dinks tacked an extra sixteen dollars on my bill. Bunch of crooks. When I wouldn't pay⟳, they cut⟳ off my utilities. Okay—I'll see⟳ them in court."”

“The rinky-dink is the 'no problem' merchant who causes no end⟳ of trouble⟳ for everyone else in the organisation. He will promise⟳ anything to land⟳ a sale and in the process⟳ lands himself in the drink⟳.”

“But when we start⟳ getting really into the "rinky-dinks" of this thing is when we get⟳ over here in the columns.”

“It was during this interval between wars that Dan Fahey, for the words "solve⟳ this problem", used the expression "unscramble this rinky-dink." This became usual lingo in the 306th. Starting in late June of 1950, there were lots of "rinky-dinks to be unscrambled.[…]"”

“The candor with which [Gerald] Ford constructed and presented his admittedly depressing Budget deprived the press⟳ of one of its favorite pastimes, namely, searching out the "rinky-dinks" in the document. In the past, such "rinky-dinks" existed partly in highly unrealistic assumptions concerning Congressional action requested by the incumbent President, or by the donning of rose-colored glasses in making economic assumptions.”

“Soon afterward, the federal government, in effect, outlawed the rinky-dinks by adopting minimum-strength standards.”

“[H]e, […] had just ordered a Sennett. […] He wanted no detachable top of pleb[e]ian characteristics; he wanted two regular bodies, one for winter and one for summer. And he wanted a special color and a monogram and a whole lot of rinky-dinks that cost⟳ him money.”

“Marilyn Monroe who was blonde and beautiful and had a sweet little rinky-dink of a voice and all the cleanliness of all the clean⟳ American backyards. She was our angel.”

“Coco was definitely a fifties person, not even in the same ballpark as the truly liberated young girls who let⟳ their children run⟳ barefoot and bareass through the park⟳ with their little pink rinky-dinks bobbing up and down.”

“[H]e entered the realm of educational matters […] Two years of his life were spent at this elevating game, during which time he had only eighty-two fights with fond mothers who felt that he had been either neglectful of their particular children or had ruthlessly given them the rinky-dink.”

“What's the matter⟳ with [Franklin Delano] Roosevelt and his Plan⟳? / All the other reformers have⟳ them on the pan; / Fattened them up with printer's ink, / Then handed them the rinky dink.”

“You have⟳ this triennial audit or examination and in the cases of the fringe companies like⟳ we had yesterday, without any real notice⟳ to stockholders or any certificate of an auditing firm; if they are interested in manipulation or rinky-dink of any kind they have⟳ 3 years practically to get⟳ away from it unless somebody picks it up out of the annual report⟳.”

“millie. When the soup wasn't too hot Welby'd put⟳ his hand in and hold⟳ Sonia's thumb. / allen. He was givin' her the old rinky dink, eh?”

“[…] I have⟳ serious question⟳ as to whether the Internal Revenue would permit⟳ a trade⟳ of unlike for unlike, that is trading bonds for mortgages at obviously higher prices than the market price without forcing the institution that does trade⟳ it to take⟳ the loss at the time of the trade⟳, which, if they have⟳ to do that there is no point⟳ in going through this rinky-dink of trading bonds for mortgages, you just go out and sell⟳ the bond and take⟳ your loss and do what you want⟳ to do with the money, […]”

“It became necessary for the State Board⟳ of Law Examiners to overrule the local board⟳ on that point⟳. We are proud of him in that he didn't go through the rinky-dink that he said he had an office in his home and would practice at night.”

“Then it [a New York Times article] goes on to explain⟳ all of the rinky-dinks that have⟳ occurred in the mergers and gold parachutes.”

“The [King] Oliver band had a new kind of beat⟳, a real jazz beat⟳ instead of the ragtime rinky-dink.”

“Devon on the run⟳, then. No longer playing rinky-dink in fag clubs, pumping the organ in skidroad missions, humping ivories for small change⟳ and beer.”

“In his symphony, the form⟳ of the notes is the form⟳ of the moment, and the form⟳ of the moment is strings (lustre), horn (sheen), oboe (edge), harp (light⟳) and glockenspiel (a touch⟳ of the rinky-dink).”

CEFR level