I. ˈkliŋkə(r) noun
( -s )
Etymology: earlier klincard, from obsolete Dutch klinkaard (now klinker ), from klinken to clink, from Middle Dutch clinken; from its resonance when struck — more at clink
1. : dutch clinker
2.
a. or clinker brick : a brick that has been overburned in the kiln
b. : a quantity of bricks of this kind
c. : stony matter vitrified or fused together (as that formed in a furnace from impurities in the coal or that ejected from a volcano) : slag ; also : a lump of such matter — see cement clinker
3. : a scale of iron oxide formed in forging
II. verb
( clinkered ; clinkered ; clinkering -k(ə)riŋ ; clinkers )
transitive verb
1. : to cause to form clinker
a piece of clinkered coke
2. : to clear out the clinkers from
fires were not clinkered as frequently as desirable — American Gas Journal
intransitive verb
: to turn to clinker under heat
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: clink (III) + -er
: clinch
IV. noun
( -s )
Etymology: clink (I) + -er
1. : a shoemaker's nail usually driven into the shoe sole as a protective stud
2. Britain : one that is first-rate or of extraordinary quality
a good dog — a real well-bred clinker
3. slang : a wrong note or a badly sounded note played or sung by a performer
a couple of clinkers and Sol would know that he was no clarinet player — Harold Sinclair
4. slang
a. : a serious mistake or error or notably inferior performance (as in music, drama, or sports) : boner
dropping the ball, a clinker that cost his team the game
b. : one that is regarded as a notable failure or of poor quality
the play turned out to be a clinker — Springfield (Massachusetts) Daily News