whimwham

whimwham
whimwham "whimsical device, trifle," 1520s, of unknown origin; perhaps from Scandinavian (Cf. O.N. hvima "to let the eyes wander," Norw. kvima "to flutter"), or else an arbitrary native formation (Cf. FLIM-FLAM (Cf. flim-flam)).

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Whimwham — Whim wham, n. [Formed from whim by reduplication.] [1913 Webster] 1. A whimsical thing; an odd device; a trifle; a trinket; a gimcrack. [R.] [1913 Webster] They ll pull ye all to pieces for your whimwhams. Bear. & Fl. [1913 Webster] 2. A whim, or …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • whim — 1640s, pun or play on words, shortened from WHIMWHAM (Cf. whimwham) fanciful object (q.v.). Meaning sudden notion, fancy, or idea first recorded 1690s, probably a shortened form of WHIMSY (Cf. whimsy) …   Etymology dictionary

  • whimsy — c.1600, probably related to WHIMWHAM (Cf. whimwham) …   Etymology dictionary

  • toy — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) n. plaything, trinket, trifle; doll, puppet. v. trifle or play (with); fiddle, dally. See amusement, unimportance, endearment. II (Roget s IV) modif. Syn. childish, miniature, small, diminutive, model… …   English dictionary for students

  • Caprice — (Roget s Thesaurus) < N PARAG:Caprice >N GRP: N 1 Sgm: N 1 caprice caprice fancy humor Sgm: N 1 whim whim whimsey whimwham Sgm: N 1 crotchet crotchet capriccio quirk freak maggot …   English dictionary for students

  • knickknack — n gewgaw, gimcrack, Inf. whimwham, bauble, trinket, doodad, bagatelle, trifle, kickshaw, brummagem, toy, plaything; gaud, showy ornament, spangle, sequin, tinsel, clinquant; worthless finery, frippery, Archaic. trumpery, junk; bric a brac,… …   A Note on the Style of the synonym finder

  • nothing — n 1. naught, none, none whatsoever, nothing at all, nothing under the sun, nothing on earth; no such thing, nil, Sl. nix, Sl. zilch, Sl. scratch, Sl. squat, Sl. diddly, Sl. diddly squat; Latin, nihil, Fr. hen, Sp. nada, Ger. nichts, Russ. nichevo …   A Note on the Style of the synonym finder

  • trifle — n 1. bagatelle, bauble, trinket, knickknack, Inf. doodad; gimcrack, gewgaw, whimwham, piece of junk; toy, plaything, dalliance, frivolity. 2. triviality, no great matter, no big thing, technicality; unimportant or inconsequential thing or matter …   A Note on the Style of the synonym finder

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