PINK

n. & adj. --n. 1 a pale red colour (decorated in pink). 2 a any cultivated plant of the genus Dianthus, with sweet-smelling white, pink, crimson, etc. flowers. b the flower of this plant. 3 (prec. by the) the most perfect condition etc. (the pink of elegance). 4 (also hunting-pink) a a fox-hunter's red coat. b the cloth for this. c a fox-hunter. --adj. 1 (often in comb.) of a pale red colour of any of various shades (rose-pink; salmon-pink). 2 esp. derog. tending to socialism. øin the pink colloq. in very good health. pink-collar (usu. attrib.) (of a profession etc.) traditionally associated with women (cf. white-collar, blue-collar (see BLUE(1))). pink disease a disease of young children with pink discoloration of the extremities. pink elephants colloq. hallucinations caused by alcoholism. pink-eye 1 a contagious fever in horses. 2 contagious ophthalmia in humans and some livestock. pink-gin gin flavoured with angostura bitters. øøpinkish adj. pinkly adv. pinkness n. pinky adj. [perh. f. dial. pink-eyed having small eyes]