The expression “coffee break” was first attested in 1952 in glossy magazine advertisements by the Pan-American Coffee Bureau.
WINKLE
periwinkle, winkle
(noun) edible marine gastropod
periwinkle, winkle
(noun) small edible marine snail; steamed in wine or baked
winkle, winkle out
(verb) remove or displace from a position
flash, blink, wink, twinkle, winkle
(verb) gleam or glow intermittently; “The lights were flashing”
twinkle, winkle, scintillate
(verb) emit or reflect light in a flickering manner; “Does a constellation twinkle more brightly than a single star?”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
winkle (plural winkles)
A periwinkle or its shell, of family Littorinidae.
Any one of various marine spiral gastropods, especially, in the United States, either of two species Busycotypus canaliculata and Busycon carica.
(children's slang) The penis, especially that of a boy rather than that of a man.
Synonyms
• (Littorinidae): oyster drill
• (Busycon and Busycotypus spp.): Fulgar carica, Busycon canaliculata
• (childish: the penis): See also penis
Verb
winkle (third-person singular simple present winkles, present participle winkling, simple past and past participle winkled)
To extract.
Anagrams
• Wilken, welkin
Proper noun
Winkle (plural Winkles)
A surname.
Statistics
• According to the 2010 United States Census, Winkle is the 8131st most common surname in the United States, belonging to 4077 individuals. Winkle is most common among White (93.7%) individuals.
Anagrams
• Wilken, welkin
Source: Wiktionary
Win"kle, n. Etym: [AS. wincle.] (Zoöl.) (a) Any periwinkle. Holland. (b) Any one of various marine spiral gastropods, esp., in the United States, either of two species of Fulgar (F. canaliculata, and F. carica).
Note: These are large mollusks which often destroy large numbers of oysters by drilling their shells and sucking their blood. Sting winkle, a European spinose marine shell (Murex erinaceus). See Illust. of Murex.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
17 April 2025
SPONGE
(noun) a porous mass of interlacing fibers that forms the internal skeleton of various marine animals and usable to absorb water or any porous rubber or cellulose product similarly used
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