Slink, Shrink, and Wink

Slink, Shrink, and Wink Slink, Shrink, and Wink Slink, Shrink, and Wink By Maeve Maddox Last week I found the word slinked in manuscripts submitted by two different members of my writers’ group. In both mss I drew a wavy line under it to represent the shudder that the -ed past ending on this verb stirred in me. The principal parts of slink are slink/slunk/slunk.: Then I got to thinking about various verbs that rhyme with slink and realized that although slinked pushed my shudder button, I have no problem with winked. And while I accept slunk as the simple past of slink, I’ll never become reconciled to the movie title Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. I want it to be Honey, I Shrank the Kids. The verb shrink has an additional kink: the attributive form shrunken. Ex. My sweater has shrunk in the wash. BUT Just look at this shrunken sweater! Here are some more verbs that rhyme with slink. Ill define only those that I think may be unfamiliar to some readers. clink/clinked/clinked â€Å"to make a sharp, abrupt metallic sound† The chain clinked as he walked. blink/blinked/blinked The prisoner blinked in the bright sun. drink/drank/drunk Like shrink, drink has an attributive form ending in -en: He walks like a drunken sailor. fink/finked/finked â€Å"to inform on† The petty criminal finked on his boss. kink/kinked/kinked â€Å"to twist or curl stiffly, especially at one point. The hose kinked at the worst possible time. pink/pinked/pinked â€Å"to cut or perforate† The tailor pinked the edges of the cloth. stink/stank/stunk The garbage stank up the house. The Compact OED gives stunk as an option for the simple past. think/thought/thought He thought a long time before making a decision. ink/inked/inked Her job was to ink the platen press. link/linked/linked The blogger linked to several sites. sink/sank/sunk The boat sank in a squall. Like shrink and drink, sink has an attributive form ending in -en: He’s looking for sunken treasure. skink/skinked/skinked Yes, this is a word in the OED: skink: v. trans. To draw or pour out (alcoholic drink), to decant; to offer or serve (wine, etc.) to a person. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Coordinating vs. Subordinating Conjunctions"Confused With" and "Confused About"50+ Words That Describe Animals (Including Humans)