English · Idiom Historical

to wink at

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

To connive at, or to affect not to notice. He knows not how to wink at human frailty Or pardon weakness that he never felt.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Topics: Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “to wink at” mean?

To connive at, or to affect not to notice. He knows not how to wink at human frailty Or pardon weakness that he never felt.

Is “to wink at” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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