Pronunciations (2)
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/ˈpɪŋkətən/
Pronunciation notes
- Received-Pronunciation
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/ˈpɪŋkɚtən/
Pronunciation notes
- General-American
Proper noun
A habitational surname from Old English.
Noun
An operative employed by the Pinkerton National Detective Agency founded by Allan Pinkerton (1819–1884).
Usage- Countable
- Dated
- Examples
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More examples (1)
My heart wells up in admiration of the man, as I think of his participation in the memorable struggle of Homestead. He fought the Pinkertons, the myrmidons of Capital.
He joined the pickets in the bloody Homestead steel strike of 1892, and actually went so far as to jostle a Pinkerton.