vink, noun

Origin:
South African Dutch, DutchShow more South African Dutch, from Dutch, ‘finch’.
a. fink sense a.
1834 A. Smith Diary (1940) II. 143The black bird with red bill like the vink generally keeps company with the buffaloes.
1910 D. Fairbridge That Which Hath Been (1913) 30Yellow vinks shrieked and jabbered on their hanging nests.
1925 F.C. Slater Centenary Bk of S. Afr. Verse 235The bird referred to in the text is evidently a weaver-bird, locally known as Vink.
1933 J. Juta Look Out for Ostriches 160The vinks whose beautifully woven nests hung from the reeds, or were suspended far out over the water.
1958 I. Vaughan Diary 43At this drift the willos [sic] are very big so big you can swing right over the water. The water is very deep here. Vinks nests hang all over the river. They look like little baskets.
1958 Cape Times 15 July 8Vinks feed on many kinds of tiny parasites and insects.
1965 J. Bennett Hawk Alone 142In the early morning there were always birds in the garden, drab mousebirds,..bright spreeuws,..noisy weaver birds, the yellow vinks.
1977 F.G. Butler Karoo Morning 90We would all change direction..into the reeds to rifle the vinks’ nests; then back to our clothes.
b. With distinguishing epithet: red vink obs., the red bishop bird Euplectes orix; blood fink, see fink sense b.
1834 A. Smith Diary (1939) I. 168Red Vink and Caffer Vink common among the streams.
red vink obs.,the red bishop bird Euplectes orix; blood fink, see fink sense b.
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