The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #131198   Message #2958983
Posted By: Geoff the Duck
05-Aug-10 - 04:29 PM
Thread Name: BS: translations from the British
Subject: RE: BS: translations from the British
Crazy Little Woman - not sure what you are trying to say. no connection between winkle and wankel with any of the alternative spellings used.
Winkle small seawater mollusc or snail. Edible but difficult to remove from its shell. Usual extraction method was to use a pin to "winkle" it out of the shell, hence verb "to winkle" meaning extracting something which is difficult (often information from someone).
Wankel revolutionary petrol engine which gave an alternative to the usual pistons. Animated...
Quack!
GtD.