Also tidley-, tiddley-, tiddle-a-wink. [In sense 1 perh. connected with slang tiddly a drink, drunk; in 3 perh. with tiddly dial. or baby-talk for ‘little.’]
1. An unlicensed public-house or pawnshop; a small beershop; also kiddlywink. slang.
1844. J. T. Hewlett, Parsons & W., xxxiv. Which does more to demoralise … the lower classes than a Tom and Jerry, tidley-wink, or gin-shop.
1887. Beatty-Kingston, Music & Mann., II. 15. All the tiny tiddlywinks and spacious beer-gardens filled to overflowing.
2. a. A game played with dominoes. b. pl. A game in which small counters are caused to spring from the table into a bell-like or cylindrical receptacle, by pressing upon their edges with larger counters.
1833. Morn. Chron., 26 Nov., 4/3. The [illegal] games principally played, it appears, are dominoes, cards, the devil among the tailors, shove halfpenny, tossing, and tiddly-wink.
1870. Hardy & Ware, Mod. Hoyle, 104 (Dominoes). Tiddle-a-wink game…. In this game … he who plays out first cries Tiddle-a-wink, having won.
1870. Routledge’s Ev. Boy’s Ann., Nov., 672. The marked difference between Tidley-wink and other games of dominoes.
1898. Westm. Gaz., 4 Jan., 2/1. Cards, tiddley-winks, and ludo are played.
1906. 19th Cent., March, 509. The Empress suggested the game of tiddlywinks for the Emperor’s amusement.
3. pl. Knick-knacks of victuals. slang.
1893. J. A. Barry, S. Brown’s Bunyip, etc., 34. A drop o’ good stuff, now, to wash these ’ere tiddlewinks down with.
Hence (slang) Tiddlywinker, a cheat, a trifler; Tiddlywinking sb. and a., trifling, pottering; Tiddlywinky a. dial., tiny, insignificant.
1869. Routledge’s Ev. Boy’s Ann., 589. Performed some ‘tiddly-winking’ work, that is he had shifted a few spadesful of earth.
1888. ‘R. Boldrewood,’ Squatter’s Dream, vii. I wonder what old Morgan would say to all this here tiddley-winkin’, with steam-engine, and wire-fences.
1893. J. A. Barry, S. Brown’s Bunyip, etc., 143. It was a fair an’ square game…. There wasn’t no tiddleywinkin’ in the thing. Ibid., 145. They’re nothin’ but a lot o’ tiddleywinkers up there.
1901. ‘Zack,’ Tales Dunstable Weir, 23. Over against Martin’s cottage there was a tiddliwinkie bit o’ a wood.
