ˈking-pin
† 1. The tallest (central) pin in the game of kayles.
| 1801 Strutt Sports & Past. iii. vii. 239 One of them..is taller than the rest, and this, I presume, was the king-pin. |
2. = king-bolt. Hence fig., that which holds together any complex system or arrangement; also, the most important or outstanding person in a party, organization, etc.
| 1867 Harper's Weekly 14 Sept. 590/2 His best position was as a batter. He was a ‘King-pin’ there. 1895 Libr. Jrnl. (U.S.) June 202 Mr. Vinton..believed cataloging to be the king-pin of the library system. 1898 R. Kipling Fleet in Being vi. 76 The newer generation..know that he is the king-pin of their system. 1914 Chambers's Jrnl. Jan. 62/1 The cars are mounted on bogie trucks, the connection being by means of a central or ‘king-pin’. 1915 C. J. Dennis Songs of Sentimental Bloke 102 But 'struth! 'E is king-pin! The 'ead serang! 1926 K. S. Prichard Working Bullocks (1956) 206 ‘My!’ Mary Ann gasped incredulously, ‘and you was the king pin last week.’ 1957 J. Waten Shares in Murder 99 Then he must be the biggest fence of the lot. The kingpin. The daddy of all fences. 1957 Economist 5 Oct. 22/1 The balloting for the seven seats filled by the constituency parties revealed that, with the kingpin removed, the former Bevanite machine is showing signs of disintegration. 1958 Engineering 28 Feb. 265/3 Another remarkable feature of the design is a front suspension which uses telescopic dampers as the king pins and steering swivels. 1970 Daily Tel. 30 Oct. 2/6 The owner of three shops was the kingpin behind a wholesale shoplifting plot. 1971 M. Tak Truck Talk 96 Kingpin, the bolt on the underside of the front of a trailer that fits into the tractor's fifth wheel to couple the tractor and the trailer together. |