chin

noun

1. 1

   The bottom of a face, (specifically) the typically jutting jawline below the mouth.

   What does it mean to have a pointy chin instead of a flat chin?

2. 2

   slangTalk.

3. 3

   slangA lie, a falsehood.

4. 4

   slangA person of the upper class.

5. 5

   The ability to withstand being punched in the chin without being knocked out.

6. 6

   The lower part of the front of an aircraft, below the nose.

   To paint chins of aircraft

   In the cleft of the aircraft's chin is a small turret for a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) "eyeball" that will enable MH-47E pilots to see clearly in complete darkness […]

   Lockheed Martin's system is mounted behind a transparent, low-observable window blended into the aircraft's chin.

7. 7

   The bottom part of a mobile phone, below the screen.

   The phone's chin looks different from the rest of it.

verb

1. 1

   datedTo talk.

   “I reckon you can explain, Mrs. Peabody.” […] “An’ I reckon that newcomer you’ve been chinning with could explain if he had a mind to.”

   This little chore involved getting up at 3 A.M., working about two hours, then sitting around chinning and drinking coffee with the radio operators until too late to go back to sleep.

2. 2

   datedTo talk to or with (someone).

   “Been up chinning your sporting editor, Ragsy Hurd. […]”

   “What do you suppose that Seagreave’s chinning Hughie about[?]”

3. 3

   To perform a chin-up (exercise in which one lifts one's own weight while hanging from a bar).

   It is worth noting that on the eighth day he was strong enough to “chin” himself six times in succession, though previous to the fasting treatment he had never in his life been able to do this more than once or twice.

   A description of the cour would be incomplete without an enumeration of the manifold duties of the planton in charge, which were as follows: to prevent the men from using the horizontal bar, except for chinning, since if you swung yourself upon it you could look over the wall into the women’s cour […]

   The Englishmen had also been lifting weights and chinning themselves for years. Their bellies were like washboards. The muscles of their calves and upper arms were like cannonballs.

   You can grunt and curse to your heart’s content but you cannot swing your body when chinning.

4. 4

   To punch or hit (someone), especially on the chin (part of the body).

   He told me once that he used to be scared to death every time he started in a hard game for fear he’d get badly injured. Said it wasn’t until someone had jabbed him in the nose or ‘chinned’ him that he forgot to be scared.

   ‘I’m in trouble, I hit a policeman—chinned him. He was messin’ me about, pushin’ me around on the pavement, so I chinned him, didn’t I? […]’

5. 5

   To put or hold (a musical instrument) up to one's chin.

   Conspicuous in the front rank of “the music” was Joe Lippett, chinning his fife […]

   A comical fellow hopped down from a stump and chinned his fiddle while Prince Chang stared.

   Jimmy sat down at the piano, and the scientist tuned, then chinned the violin.

6. 6

   To turn on or operate (a device) using one's chin; to select (a particular setting) using one's chin.

   I was too tired to argue; I chinned the valve three or four times, felt a blast blistering my face.

   I landed kind of sloppily on hands and knees and chinned the squad frequency. “First squad sound off!”

7. 7

   To put one's chin on (something).

   […] she elbowed the table and chinned her hand.

   He chinned the alley fence and looked both ways along it.

8. 8

   To indicate or point toward (someone or something) with one's chin.

   But you don’t love him, said Madame Sonia with understanding. Do you love this one? Madame Sonia chinned the American.

   A wry laugh bubbled up Carmen's throat as she turned to Blanca. "You brought us here to read?" "Try," Blanca said, chinning at the tome. […] Carmen glanced up between them and then chinned at the bathroom.

noun

1. 1

   informalA chinchilla.

Forms

plural

chins

past tense

chinned

past participle

chinned

present participle

chinning

third person singular

chins