pushpin
pushpin Lexical Profile
pushpin Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American A short pin with a cylindrical or knob-shaped plastic, glass, or metal head, designed to be pushed by hand into a bulletin board or wall to fasten papers or charts.
"She used a red pushpin to mark each city she had visited on the wall map."
A historical children's game in which two players take turns pushing pins across a flat surface in an attempt to cross or cover the opponent's pin; figuratively, any trivial or intellectually undemanding pastime.
"The philosopher Jeremy Bentham famously argued that if the game of pushpin furnishes more pleasure than poetry, it is of greater value."
Word Origin & Etymology
The children's game sense dates to the 16th century, formed from 'push' and 'pin'. The modern stationery fastener was invented and patented by Edwin Moore in 1900.