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chinse
DCHP-2 (Mar 2014)
Spelling variants:chinch, chintz
1v. — Newfoundland, Construction, somewhat rare
to stuff or pack tightly; to caulk.
Type: 2. Preservation — According to OED-3 (s.v. "chinse"), chinse is a corruption of "chinch", a dialectal variation of the verb "chink", meaning 'to fill up'. In Canada, its use is limited to Newfoundland, where it has been preserved from West Country English (EDD, s.v. "chinch"). On the island, it usually refers to the packing of various materials into the cracks of houses (see the 1770 quotation) or the seams of boats (see the 1920 quotation). The etymology of the term is unclear but the historical attestations of these two specific meanings suggests semantic extension of meaning 1 to include a general meaning of 'be stuffed' or 'full' in the adjectival sense (see meaning 2).
See also COD-2, s.v. "chinse", which is marked "N Amer. (Maritimes & New England)", DNE, s.v. "chinse".
See also COD-2, s.v. "chinse", which is marked "N Amer. (Maritimes & New England)", DNE, s.v. "chinse".
See: stog
Quotations
1770
CARTWRIGHT i, 24 Fogarty chinsed the storehouse with moss.
1824
Along the edges of the plank, they make small holes, at about an inch from one to the other, and sew them together with the supple-jack or woodbine; but as these holes are not filled up by the substance of the woodbine, their boats would be immediately full of water if they had not a method of preventing it. They do this very effectually by the bark of a tree, which they first steep in water for some time, and then beat it between two stones till it answers the use of oakum, and then chinse each hole so well, that they do not admit of the least water coming through, and are easily taken asunder and put together again.
1938
Our dory was badly broken up and we were obliged to nail the bulkhead boards on the outside to keep her tight when we got in the water again. We had some of our mits cut up and chinched in the seams.
1952
The little boats will be turned over on blocks until the following May when their seams will be chinched anew with fresh oakum, their bottoms newly tarred, and sides painted in preparation for another season of cod-fishing.
1977
Tilts varied somewhat in size and construction, but had some common characteristics. They were small, rectangular structures, perhaps no more than 10' x 14', covered with a low-pitched gable-end roof. [...] The interstices between the logs were stuffed or "chintzed" with moss, old rope, or other material.
2adj. — Newfoundland
stuffed with something; at full capacity.
Type: 3. Semantic Change — Chinched, the most frequent spelling variant for this meaning, refers to the state of being at maximum capacity, 'full to the brim'. It can also be used to describe a place filled with people (see, for example, the 1921 quotation). This term appears most frequently in Canada (see Chart 1).
Quotations
1907
FORTY-FIVE carts, laden with various sorts of freight, were awaiting a chance to unload at Bowring Bros. wharf yesterday. The Cove was "chinched" right up to Water Street.
1920
To stop a boat leaking you "chinch" the seams with oakum. Our fisherman sexton has just told me that "the church was right chinched last night."
1921
The upstairs gallery for visitors was chinched just as soon as the house opened to strangers. The downstairs pit filled up immediately upon being opened, the aisle leading into the house being blocked completely by Cashin supporters from all parts of the city.
1949
The last time I visited the home of Mr. Nichols was in the fall of 1904. He then had his crops harvested. The cellar was full of all kinds of vegetables and the barns were well chinched with hay and oat straw.
1967
After school and on Saturdays in the springtime when the days got longer and before the ice started to thaw many of the older men would join us for rounders on the frozen harbour and we would play out hearts out with our homemade bats and balls till the gathering "duckishness" drove us home. To fuel our flagging energies we boys would have our pockets chinched with hard tack sneaked from the family store.
2012
Malls or box stores, they don't matter to me. Some times I purchase (we do need things) but most often I am passing through, just twacking as we say in Newfoundland - looking, not buying. Notable in all malls is the once spacious open areas now often chinched with small kiosks selling, selling, selling.
References
- EDD
- OED-3
- COD-2
- DNE
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