tink Idiom, Proverb

fish and company stink after three days

fish should be eaten while it is fresh, and guests should not stay too long Grandfather had this sign on the wall of his garage: Fish and company stink after three days!

go like stink

go fast, accelerate quickly That Mustang goes like stink. It's a fast car.

raise a stink

complain a lot, cause an argument or a bad scene Gunter raised a stink by accusing the chairman of stealing funds.

stink

terrible, bad quality Do you like that new policy at your company? No, I think it stinks.

stink the joint out

play very poorly, perform badly In Chicago, we stunk the joint out, losing 7-1 to the Hawks.

create a stink

Idiom(s): create a stink (about something) AND make a stink (about something); raise a stink (about something)

Theme: ARGUMENT

to make a major issue out of something; to make much over something; to make a lot of complaints and criticisms about something.(Slang.)
• Tom created a stink about Bob's remarks.
• Why did he make a stink about that?
• Tom is always trying to raise a stink.

make a stink

Not worth a tinker's dam

This means that something is worthless and dates back to when someone would travel around the countryside repairing things such as a kitchen pot with a hole in it. He was called a 'tinker'. His dam was used to stop the flow of soldering material being used to close the hole. Of course his 'trade' is passé, thus his dam is worth nothing.

big stink|big|stink

n., slang A major scandal; a big upheaval. I'll raise a big stink if they fire me.

raise a stink|raise|stink

v. phr. To cause a disturbance; complain; protest strongly. Quite a stink was raised in the office when the boss discovered that several employees had left early.

worth a tinker's dam|dam|tinker's dam|worth

adj. phr., informal Not worth anything; valueless. As a bricklayer he was not worth a tinker's damn. I am not familiar with the subject so my opinion would not be worth a tinker's dam.

big stink

big stink
A major scandal or furor. For example, If they don't improve the women's facilities, Marjorie will make a big stink about it. [Early 1800s]

stink to high heaven

stink to high heaven
Also, smell to high heaven. Be of very poor quality; also, be suspect or in bad repute. For example, This plan of yours stinks to high heaven, or His financial schemes smell to high heaven; I'm sure they're dishonest. This expression alludes to something so rank that it can be smelled from a great distance. [c. 1600]

tinker

tinker
In addition to the idiom beginning with tinker, also see not worth a damn.

tinker with

tinker with
Try to repair, work aimlessly or unskillfully with, as in He tinkered with the engine all day but it still wouldn't start. This idiom, first recorded in 1658, alludes to working as a tinker, that is, mending metal utensils.

tinkle

tinkle
give someone a tinkle
Brit. to call someone on the telephone