Word: bink Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English bink, binke, variants of Middle English benk, benke, from Old English benc (“bench”), from Proto-West Germanic *banki, from Proto-Germanic *bankiz. More at bench. 1. A bench. Labels: Northern-England, Scotland, UK, dialectal Example: He bouns him to the house, An' sits him doon upo' the bink, An' plaits a theet, or mends a mink, To sair an aifter use . Example: In comes the tod (fox) whiskin, whiskin, an he sits doon o' the green bink. 2. A table or similar surface for laying out items. Labels: Northern-England, Scotland, UK, dialectal Example: According to the most painstaking among our etymologist, the name was first conferred upon one who, in his attendance upon weddings and other convivial occasions, rendered himself so agreeable to the company by his skill in whistling, that he was allowed to sit at the bink, or board , and partake of the good things free of all expense; an honour , in the early ages of our history , which was only conferred on the highest degree of merit. Example: In front of the entrance to Alexander's booth there used to stand "a stane bink" which was employed "for outsetting of stands affore the buith." 3. A sideboard or shelf unit for holding dishes. Labels: Northern-England, Scotland, UK, dialectal Example: We have it in a manuscript; the good-man keeps it, as we think, Behind a dish, upon the bink. Example: The bink took the place of the modern dresser , and on it were arranged the bowls and tinnies for family use, while underneath were placed the pails, pots, and other cooking utensils. 4. A mountain ledge. Labels: Northern-England, Scotland, UK, dialectal Example: Up thro' the cleughs, where bink on bink was set, Scrambling wi' hands and feet she taks the gate, Example: We peer over the edge—it is far more pleasant to kneel down on one knee and steady oneself with one hand, besides being safer, in the event of the edge being rotten or should a wind be blowing—we peer over the edge, and see the fox run lightly along a slightly projecting crag, from which with a sidelong scramble up a rough rock face, it reaching a narrow grassy "bink" ledge, and there it is binked as safe as the Church of England ( just about ) . 5. A long cut in peat moss, marking a section from which blocks of peat are cut. Labels: Northern-England, Scotland, UK, dialectal Example: They carry on the section, or the bink as they term it, of a convenient depth for easier cutting, frequently using the moss of least value above, and leaving that which is of much greater value. Example: We go on in this manner until the bink is out, that is, taken out down to the level of last year's hole. Bink after bink is excavated until the whole block that was turred is removed, and now as the most valuable part is under our feet we have to commence to "sink." 6. A hive. Labels: Northern-England, Scotland, UK, dialectal Example: This splendid attire, however, saves them not from being rudely handled; and we remember the day when an artificial bink, that is , a little box made of clay , with a piece of glass at one end , and a sprinkling of sugar at the other , contained as many captives in proportion to its size as the black hole at Calcutta . Example: Just that –no that I'm sure that there are ony honey-bees in Arthur's seat, but there's plenty of bum-bees, and aiblins a wasp bink. "