Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PINCHBECK
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pronounce
PINCHBECK:
Say it "PINCH beck."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
"And I'm not Iron Man. I'm Metal Hero Friend."
Like Titus's off-brand costume here, anything pinchbeck is made to look like the real thing, but it's definitely not: it's cheap, tawdry, chintzy, counterfeit, catchpenny, and er___z--that is, fake or pretend, like a poor imitation of the real thing.
Can you recall that last one?
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
Christopher Pinchbeck was an English clockmaker, famous for creating an alloy that looked like gold, which he named for himself.
So, literally speaking, pinchbeck is a type of fake gold. Check out some pinchbeck pieces:
Figuratively speaking, pinchbeck is stuff that might seem fancy and valuable but is actually fake and worthless.
"Pinchbeck" is an adjective, too. Pinchbeck things might seem fancy and valuable but are actually fake and worthless.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech: both a noun (the uncountable kind: "it's all just pinchbeck") and an adjective ("these pinchbeck writers").
Other forms: none.
how to use it:
This word is rare, with a literary, historical flavor. That makes it great for emphasis, and great for striking a tone that's serious or highbrow.
But it's an insulting word, so use it with caution.
To use the noun, talk about someone's pinchbeck, meaning their crummy, pretentious work. You might be referring to their art, their music, their writing, their philosophy, etc.
And to use the noun, talk about someone's pinchbeck work, pinchbeck clothes, pinchbeck wit, pinchbeck intellectualism, etc.
examples:
"Crime as it exists is an enormous evil, and it costs us enormously; and cheap and pinchbeck methods will never rid us of it."
— Julian Hawthorne, The Subterranean Brotherhood, 1914
"What could be meaner or less appropriate than to compare the revolution of the starry firmament as it proceeded from its Creator's hand with the strut of a conceited bird in a poultry-yard? ...The works of Du Bartas are stuffed full with these strained and fantastic similes, his surface sparkles with the glitter of tinsel and pinchbeck."
— Edmund Gosse, Aspects and Impressions, 1922
has this page helped you understand "pinchbeck"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "pinchbeck" without saying "rinky-dink" or "chintzy."
try it out:
In the context of studying religion, Alexander Maclaren wrote, "If you fill the coffer with gold, nobody will want, and there will be no room for, pinchbeck."
In other words, if you select, provide, or create only what's good, real, true, and high-quality, then there's no reason to resort to what's just junk.
With this in mind, talk about some specific area of your life: what's gold, and what's pinchbeck?
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game this month is Lightning Rhyming Recall!
In each issue this month, see how fast you can recall three words. They’re unrelated in meaning--probably--but they rhyme. To check your answers, scroll to the bottom of the issue. We’ll start out easy and ramp up the difficulty as the month goes on. Enjoy!
Each word below rhymes with BABBLE:
A. (2 syllables, verb) If you're neither an expert nor a professional, but rather a casual participant, you…
B. (2 syllables, noun) A mob, or any extremely messy group of things, is a...
C. (3 syllables, adjective) Something that's so difficult that it requires a constant struggle is…
review this word:
A. CORRECT.
B. BONA FIDE.
C. GENEROUS.
2. The historian E. M. Beekman wrote that the Dutch turned defeats into "pinchbeck heroics" by "_____ the strength of the opponent."
A. lying about
B. overpreparing for
C. analyzing and cataloging
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
"And I'm not Iron Man. I'm Metal Hero Friend." Christopher Pinchbeck was an English clockmaker, famous for creating an alloy that looked like gold, which he named for himself.
Part of speech: both a noun (the uncountable kind: "it's all just pinchbeck") and an adjective ("these pinchbeck writers").
This word is rare, with a literary, historical flavor. That makes it great for emphasis, and great for striking a tone that's serious or highbrow.
"Crime as it exists is an enormous evil, and it costs us enormously; and cheap and pinchbeck methods will never rid us of it."
Explain the meaning of "pinchbeck" without saying "rinky-dink" or "chintzy."
In the context of studying religion, Alexander Maclaren wrote, "If you fill the coffer with gold, nobody will want, and there will be no room for, pinchbeck."
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
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