fink
☆ fink (fiŋk)
noun
- an informer
- a strikebreaker; esp., a professional strikebreaker
- a person regarded as contemptible, obnoxious, etc.
Etymology: Ger, lit., finch, used since the 17th c. as generalized pejorative; adopted (c. 1740) by students at Jena for nonmembers of fraternities (prob. in allusion to the wild bird in contrast to the caged canary); later extended to those not in organizations, esp. unions
intransitive verb
fink out
Slang- to withdraw; back out
- to fail
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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