A tinker's damn

Definitions

• to not care or have no value
  Expressing a lack of concern or interest in something, often used in the phrase "not worth a tinker's damn."

• to be in a state of disrepair
  Referring to something that is worn out or damaged beyond repair, often used in the phrase "in a tinker's damn."

Examples of A tinker's damn

• After hours of troubleshooting, the IT guy finally admitted that it was a tinker's damn all along.

  This idiom is used to describe a seemingly insignificant or minor issue that turns out to be the root cause of a larger problem. The phrase "tinker's damn" refers to a small or insignificant problem that a person (often a technician or mechanic) might overlook or dismiss as unimportant, only for it to cause a major issue later on. In this example, the IT guy had been trying to fix a larger problem, but it turned out to be a small, seemingly insignificant issue that had gone unnoticed. This led to the larger problem persisting, and the IT guy finally admitted that it was a "tinker's damn" all along.

Conclusion

The idiom "a tinker's damn" is used in two main ways: to express a lack of concern or value for something and to describe something as being in a state of disrepair.

In the first usage, the idiom is often used in the phrase "not worth a tinker's damn," indicating that something is of little significance or importance. This is likely derived from the fact that tinkers, who were itinerant workers who repaired household items, were often seen as unreliable and their work of low quality. Therefore, something that was not worth a tinker's damn was considered to have little value.

In the second usage, the idiom is used to describe something as being in a state of disrepair, often in the phrase "in a tinker's damn." This is likely derived from the fact that tinkers often used a soldering technique known as "damming" to repair items, which involved using a dam to hold molten metal in place. If the dam broke, the repair would be unsuccessful and the item would remain in a state of disrepair. Therefore, something that was "in a tinker's damn" was considered to be beyond repair.

Origin of "A tinker's damn"

The origin of the idiom "a tinker's damn" can be traced back to the 19th century, when tinkers were a common sight in villages and towns. Tinkers were itinerant workers who traveled from place to place, repairing household items such as pots, pans, and other metal items. They were often seen as unreliable and their work was considered to be of low quality.

The word "damn" in this idiom likely originated from the word "damnation," which means condemnation or judgment. Therefore, to not care or have no value for something was to condemn it to a state of worthlessness, as if it were not even worth a tinker's effort.

Over time, the idiom has evolved to be used in a more general sense, not necessarily referring to the work of tinkers specifically. It is now commonly used to express a lack of concern or value for something, or to describe something as being in a state of disrepair.