- ninepins
- plural noun [usu. treated as sing.] the traditional form of the game of skittles, using nine pins.Phrasesgo down (or drop or fall) like ninepins Brit. succumb in large numbers.
English new terms dictionary. 2014.
English new terms dictionary. 2014.
ninepins — ► PLURAL NOUN (usu. treated as sing. ) ▪ the traditional form of the game of skittles, using nine pins. ● go down (or drop or fall) like ninepins Cf. ↑go fall like ninepins … English terms dictionary
Ninepins — Nine pins, n. pl. A game played with nine pins, or pieces of wood, set on end, at which a wooden ball is bowled to knock them down; bowling. [1913 Webster] Note: In the United States, ten pins are used for this game, which is therefore often… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
ninepins — (n.) 1570s, from NINE (Cf. nine) + PIN (Cf. pin) (n.). From the number of pins to be knocked down … Etymology dictionary
ninepins — [nīn′pinz΄] n. a British version of the game of tenpins, in which nine wooden pins are used … English World dictionary
ninepins — /nuyn pinz /, n. 1. (used with a sing. v.) tenpins played without the head pin. 2. ninepin, a pin used in this game. [1570 80; NINE + PINS] * * * ▪ game bowling game that probably originated in continental Europe during the Middle Ages.… … Universalium
ninepins — nine|pins [ˈnaınˌpınz] n [U] 1.) a game in which you roll a ball at nine bottle shaped objects to try to hit them so that they fall 2.) drop/go down like ninepins if people or things drop like ninepins, many of them fall down or become ill or… … Dictionary of contemporary English
ninepins — [[t]na͟ɪnpɪnz[/t]] PHRASE: PHR after v If you say that people or things are going down like ninepins, you mean that large numbers of them are suddenly becoming ill, collapsing, or doing very badly. [mainly BRIT] There was a time when Liverpool… … English dictionary
ninepins — UK [ˈnaɪnˌpɪnz] / US noun [uncountable] the game of skittles • go down/fall/drop like ninepins used for saying that a lot of people suddenly all become ill or all fail at something A nasty virus was going round the office and people were dropping … English dictionary
ninepins — /ˈnaɪnpɪnz/ (say nuynpinz) plural noun 1. (construed as singular) a game played with nine wooden pins at which a ball is bowled to knock them down; skittles. 2. (singular) a pin used in this game; a skittle. –phrase 3. go over like ninepins, (of… …
ninepins — noun The game of skittles … Wiktionary