Tinker
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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A tinker was originally an itinerant tinsmith, who mended household utensils. The word is attested from the 13th century and may be of imitative origin.<ref name="ced">{{
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}}</ref> Some travelling people and Gypsies adopted this lifestyle and the name was particularly associated with indigenous Irish and Scottish Travellers. However, this usage is disputed and considered offensive by some.<ref name="ced"/> Tinkering is therefore the process of adapting, meddling or adjusting something in the course of making repairs or improvements, a process also known as bricolage.
The term "little tinker" is now widely used in the UK as a term of endearment for a cheeky young child.<ref name="ced"/> Some modern day nomads with an Irish, Scottish, or English influence call themselves "techno-tinkers" or "technogypsies" and are found to possess a revival of sorts of the romantic view of the tinker's lifestyle.<ref>"Techno-Gypsies, Techno-Nomads, and Techno-Tinkers" 2005 by Leaf McGowan/Thomas Baurley. Seattle, Washington. Tree Leaves Publishing.</ref> The family name "Tinker" is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and does not have an Irish or Romany connection.
Tinker's dam
The tinker's dam is a wad of wet paper or other pliable material used to dam up a hole in a metal item being repaired by the tinker using molten solder. Thus the tinker's dam is worthless after the repair is completed.<ref>{{
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A tinker's dam was more commonly a barrier of mud or clay built up around a hole in a pot or a pan. The solder was then poured in and when it solidified the dam was simply brushed away. The solder would then be rasped and smoothed down by the tinker.
This may have influenced the British expression of contempt "a tinker's damn" or "a tinker's cuss", applied to something considered insignificant. In common usage, the expression is used this way: "I don't give a tinker's damn what the Vicar thinks", or sometimes shortened to, "I don't give a tinker's about the Vicar." In this context, the speaker is expressing contempt for the local clergyman and his opinion. A tinker's curse was considered of little significance because tinkers were reputed to swear habitually.<ref>{{
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See also
