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<flinked> on a coral reef [flink]

gil12345

gil12345

Senior Member
chinese
Hi there,

"Out thereperhaps a mile awaythe white surf flinked on a coral reefand beyond that the open sea was dark blue. Within the irregular arc of coral the lagoon was still as a mountain lake--blue of all shades and shadowy green and purple."

http://www.yoanaj.co.il/uploadImages/UserFiles/352.pdf

I can't say that I was not a little surprised to find that "flink" was not available in many dictionariesyet it was used in a famous novel. What does it mean here? Is it that it was used 100 years ago and then just faded away and now no one cares about it?

Thanks

Gil
 
    • FLINKv> and sb. Dor. Som. Dev. Cor. Also in form vlink Dev. 1. v. To flingtossjerk; to sprinkleshake; sometimes with offout.


    Dev. ‘E’th a flinked tha watter awl awver tha room. ‘E (linked the dist in my eye. Flink out yer apporn till ‘e’s dryHewett Peas. Sp. (1892). n.Dev. ‘A might ‘a flinked ‘e vrom enRock Jim an’ Nell (1867) st. 90. nw.Dev.1 Doan ee flink yur pen like thatyou’ll hail the desk all auver [you will cover the desk with ink]. Jis’ flink the znaw off yur jacket avore you kom een. Cor. Thomas Randigal Rhymes (1895) Gl.; Cor.1 She flinkt out of the room. She flinkt off her hat.

    Flink « The Word Detective

    Glossary of Words in Use in CornwallIssue 7; Issue 19; Issue 50

    Glossary of Words in Use in Cornwall

    [Golding was born at his maternal grandmother's house at St Columb Minor. Although he grew up at his family home in MarlboroughWiltshirewhere his father was a science master at Marlborough Grammar SchoolCornwall remained an important part of his life. The youngster spent many happy school holidays in the county.]

    BBC - Cornwall - History - Golding Remembered
     
    Last edited:
    It seems this rare word is part of Cornish dialect rather than part of ordinary English vocabulary. It is used rarely with several other meanings toosuch as an apparently invented word for “not quite floating and not quite sinkingbut flinking”.
     
    Added to previous thread.
    Cageymoderator

    In William Golding's "Lord of the Flies" (Penguin1963 reprintpage 10)the verb 'to flink' is used: "Out thereperhaps a mile awaythe white surf flinked on a coral reefand beyond that the open sea was dark blue."

    The passage describes the coastline and the sea around the island where the boys find themselves. I am intrigued by 'to flink'. It seems to be rare and I have not found much about it on line. One unreliable entry in a Slang Dictionary (online) refers to 'a flink' as an 'idler'if I remember correctly. I suspect the meaning is that the surf breaks up on the coral reef in a desultory and lazy wayas it werein the novel.

    Insight welcomealso as to where the verb would be coming from. (Where did the author find it?) Thanks.
     
    Last edited by a moderator:
    As far as I am aware most people think that it was invented by Goldingand if so I guess you have to interpret it in your own way. To meit's like an onomatopoeia for something related to light and visionlike glint (I'm sure there must be a word for this ideabut I have no idea what). HoweverWiktionary does list the word flint in several European languages (the Czech entry may be where that slang dictionary entry came from)some of which have meanings which may fitand therefore may be the derivation. Conjecture on my partof course.

    flink - Wiktionary

    It'll be interesting to read what others think.
     
    Just thought I'd mention that the OED lists 'flink' as: U.S. intr. To behave in a cowardly manner.

    With just one citation:

    1893 E. Custer Tenting on Plains xix. 388 All the boys done bullybut Corporal Johnson—he flinked.

    They say it's possibly an alteration of 'flinch'


    I doubt this is where Golding got it from.
     
    Oksothis seems to have answered fully my query. I checked 'flink' in the site's online dictionary but this Thread did not come up orif it didI failed to spot it. It sounds to me like the explanations given above are convincing and comprehensive. The 2 Threads can be merged by a moderator.

    PS: It is one of those coincidences in life that this Thread would be going back to c.20 July 2018i.e. <20 days ago!...
     
    James Brandon said:
    Oksothis seems to have answered fully my query. I checked 'flink' in the site's online dictionary but this Thread did not come up orif it didI failed to spot it. It sounds to me like the explanations given above are convincing and comprehensive. The 2 Threads can be merged by a moderator.

    PS: It is one of those coincidences in life that this Thread would be going back to c.20 July 2018i.e. <20 days ago!...
    Click to expand...
    (flinked finds it but flink doesn't :))
     
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