n. & v.
n. 1 an itinerant mender of kettles and pans etc. 2 Sc. & Ir. a gypsy. 3 colloq. a mischievous person or animal. 4 a spell of tinkering. 5 a rough-and-ready worker.
v. 1 intr. (foll. by at, with) work in an amateurish or desultory way, esp. to adjust or mend machinery etc. 2 a intr. work as a tinker. b tr. repair (pots and pans). tinkerer n.
[ ME: orig. unkn. ]