Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Same as
king-bolt . - noun That pin in bowls and ten-pins which stands at the front apex when the pins are in place : so called because if it is struck properly all the pins fall.
- noun The principal or essential person in a company or an enterprise.
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word king-pin.
Examples
-
He's made a name for himself by defying and overturning environmental protection regulations and now he appears hung on his own petard, namely Jack Abramoff, the king-pin of special interest Republican corporate largesse.
-
Still, it was better than the time I delivered to the dope king-pin of Mpls, or the naked-sex-crazed octogenarian… but those are tales for another day.
-
Set in the Depression, a group of con men set out to swindle a crime king-pin who's knocked off one of their own.
John Farr: A Tribute to the Life and Work of Paul Newman 2008
-
Wiseman's first book exposed the bitchy world of cliques and "queen-bee" teens - but here she goes further into the hive, to explore the psyches of the queen bee moms (and king-pin dads) who were once teenagers and who, more often than not, are busily nurturing the next generation of "queen-bees".
-
As per S. T.Lachunga, Chief Conservator of Forests, the arrested persons named one Ganesh Thapa, on interrogations, as to be the king-pin of the chain.
Arrests in Sikkim for Smuggling ���Himalayan Viagra���, a Medicinal Fungus 2008
-
It had come from the king-pin to begin and some of it might have gone to him from here.
Cold Copper Tears Cook, Glen 1988
-
South, that they are entitled to be the king-pin in the industrial and geographic area.
-
If he could make us think that MacDonald did himself in because he thought the net was closing round him, then he hoped that we would believe that MacDonald was the king-pin in this business.
The Satan Bug MacLean, Alistair 1962
-
Extortion, robberies, killings, machines, drugs, the lot -- the great king-pin and they could never lay a finger on you.
The Satan Bug MacLean, Alistair 1962
-
Extortion, robberies, killings, machines, drugs, the lot -- the great king-pin and they could never lay a finger on you.
The Satan Bug MacLean, Alistair 1962
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.