Winkers

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈwɪŋkɚz/

Definitions

1. Covering devices worn by horses to limit their peripheral vision while allowing forward visibility
2. the act of closing and opening an eye swiftly, often as a gesture of flirtation or signaling
3. visual indicators indicating direction when driving, typically found on vehicles' exterior lights to alert others

Etymology: Winkers is the plural of "winker", a word that drivers in Britain and elsewhere use for the flashing indicator lights on a car. The name comes from the verb "wink", which descends from Old English "wincian", meaning to close and open the eyes quickly, and the "-er" ending turns the verb into a noun for the thing doing the winking. A flashing indicator, in other words, is literally a light that blinks like an eye. The word has an unexpected second life as a clipping. "Winker" is also short for "tiddlywinker", a player of tiddlywinks, the game in which small discs are flicked into a cup. The two senses share a root only by coincidence of form: the game's name comes from the same "wink" family, but the car part was named for the eyelid gesture rather than for the game.

Synonyms: blinks