chink up
C1 neutral separable transitive
In simple words
To stuff material into small cracks or holes to close them up, especially in a wall or fence.
Literal meaning: To fill up the chinks (narrow cracks or gaps) — transparent in its construction context.
Meanings
1 C1 neutral
To fill cracks or gaps in a wall, fence, or log structure with mortar, clay, or another material.
"Before winter arrived, they chinkied up the old cabin walls with fresh mortar."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
A technical or practical term used in construction, masonry, and log-cabin building. 'Chinking' is the material used to fill gaps between logs. Rarely heard outside of specific trades or historical contexts. Note: 'chink' also exists as a racial slur (ethnic slur against East Asian people); in this entirely separate sense it is a standard construction term meaning a narrow gap or crack.
Commonly used with
wall logs gaps mortar cracks cabin
Forms
Base
chink up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
chinks up
he/she/it
Past simple
chinked up
yesterday
Past participle
chinked up
have + pp
-ing form
chinking up
continuous
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Synonyms
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