kinchin

A small kinchin carefully counts his coins on the park bench.

Definition

1. Noun (slang):
   • A young child: "kinchin" refers to a small child or infant, often used in colloquial or historical slang contexts.

Usage Examples

• (A very young child living on the streets.)
• (She held her baby or young child.)

Advanced Usage

• "kinchin lay": a historical slang term meaning the practice or habit of stealing money from children, often by trickery or force.
  • The pickpocket specialized in the kinchin lay, targeting young children in crowded areas. (He stole from children as a regular method.)

Variants and Related Words

• Kinchen (alternate spelling): a less common variant of "kinchin," used in some dialects.
  • The old rhyme mentioned a "kinchen" wandering the streets. (A young child.)

Synonyms

• Child: a young human being.
• Infant: a very young child or baby.
• Toddler: a young child who is just beginning to walk.
• Brat (slang, often derogatory): a child, especially one who is badly behaved.

Related Idioms

• No direct idioms: The word "kinchin" is rare in modern English and does not appear in common idiomatic expressions. However, it is closely associated with historical cant (thieves' slang) from the 17th–19th centuries.

Notes on Usage

• Historical context: "Kinchin" is primarily found in older texts, especially those describing criminal slang or lower-class life in England. It is considered archaic or obsolete in contemporary English.
• Register: Use with caution; it may sound unusual or outdated in modern conversation. It is best understood in historical or literary contexts.