| 词源 |
not worth a tinker’s damn (dam). There are numerous old expressions, some dating back over 400 years, indicating the profanity of tinkers in general. The tinker, who takes his name from “tink,” the sound of a hammer on metal, is remembered by to swear like a tinker and not worth a tinker’s curse, among other sayings. Obviously he threw “damns” around so casually that they became meaningless, worthless, giving us the expres- sion not worth a tinker’s damn. There have been attempts, how- ever, to link the phrase to the little temporary “dams” tinkers fashioned to hold solder in place when they repaired pots and pans. |