What does tinkers damn mean?

tinker’s damn in American English noun. the least value or merit; nothing or anything at all. It’s not worth a tinker’s damn. See care a tinker’s damn. Also: tinker’s dam.

What does the phrase I don’t give a tinker’s damn mean?

US old-fashioned informal (UK not give a tinker’s cuss) to not be interested in or worried about something or someone: I don’t give a tinker’s damn about what they think.

Where did the phrase tinker’s damn come from?

If we go back to 1877, in the Practical Dictionary of Mechanics, Edward Knight puts forward this definition: “Tinker’s-dam – a wall of dough raised around a place which a plumber desires to flood with a coat of solder. The material can be but once used; being consequently thrown away as worthless.”

Who gives a tinker’s cuss?

rude slang To not care about, or have any interest in, someone or something. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. Fred does not give a tinker’s cuss about what anyone else thinks of him.

Where does I don’t give a damn come from?

At least some popularity for the phrase “I don’t give a damn.”; can be attributed to the movie “Gone With the Wind” in which the censors permitted the character Rhett Butler to say; “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.” The film was released in 1939, and is one of the most famous films in U. S. History.

What does damn white of you mean?

to mean “Be fair”. I understood it on first hearing, and formed the impression that (hilariously) the idiom sprang from an assumption that white men would always be fair, while other races could not be trusted.

What does not worth a damn mean?

worthless
Definition of not worth a damn informal + impolite. : without value : worthless This computer’s not worth a damn.

Where did the phrase tinker’s dam come from?

What does it mean by I dont give a damn?

: to care at all about someone or something —used in negative statements He doesn’t give a damn what people think about him. Nobody gives a damn about us. I don’t want to hear about her problems. I just don’t give a damn. They don’t seem to care a damn about their future.

Is Tarnation a bad word?

The word “tarnation,” which dates back to the 18th century, comes from “darnation” which is derived from “damnation.” It’s also associated with another “curse word,” “tarnal,” which is a form of “eternal.” As the Word Detective, put it, “To speak of ‘the Eternal’ at that time was often to invoke a religious context ( …

What is the meaning of Tinker’s Damn?

Definition of tinker’s damn : a minimum amount or degree (as of care) didn’t give a tinker’s damn about poetry — James Blish First Known Use of tinker’s damn 1839, in the meaning defined above

What is a tinker’s curse?

The phrase not to give, care or be worth a tinker¹’s curse, cuss² or damn (or elliptically a tinker’s) is an intensification of not to give, care or be worth a curse, cuss or damn, with reference to the bad language reputedly used by tinkers.

Do you give a tinker’s damn about other countries?

The fact that you personally do not give a tinker’s damn about such things, the ambitions of other countries, is scarcely an intelligent contribution to the problems which your grandchildren must face. Idioms browser? Full browser? is now available in paperback and eBook formats.

What is the meaning of like a tinker?

Like a Tinker, say we. ¹ The noun tinker denotes an itinerant craftsman who mended pots, kettles and other metal household utensils. In Scotland, northern England and Ireland, the word and its variant tinkler were the ordinary names for a gipsy.