Or rather, would anyone use it?
Finding myself recycling synonyms again, I tried "pinking", rather than "flushing" or "turning pinkish". Does that work, even remotely, or is it simply trying too hard. I have heard the term "pinking" or even "pinking up" in ages past, to denote the same thing, yet there, as a verb, the usage is slightly clearer. It just doesn't fit the sentence in my WIP.
The only use I've ever heard for 'pinking', is the use of pinking shears to create an edge that's less likely to unravel when sewing.
Again, for a time the term "pinking up" was briefly popular (1960s or 1970s) though I don't know whether it was an American or British usage, as it vanished just as quickly as it appeared—for obvious reasons!
Again, I was searching for new alternative synonyms for 'flushing", as in "a pinkish flush slowly crept from her cheeks downward across her exposed cleavage".
Sure, I'm just telling you my experience.
For the synonyms, 'blushing' and 'reddening' both see some use, though I'm sure there are others.
In engineering " pinking " was a term used for when something hot was cooling down and made little 'pinking' noises. eg. a very hot exhaust pipe cooling down when the engine was turned off and the thin walled shaped metal was shrinking when cooling.
Nope, that is pinging.
Pink (v) (of a vehicle engine) make rattling sounds as a result of over-rapid combustion of the fuel-air mixture in the cylinders. (Concise Oxford Dictionary)
AJ
And again, since it's an "Oxford" reference, it highlights it's mostly an American vs. a British usage. I've nothing against British stories, yet it does change those you specifically write for Americans (i.e. those specifically focused on Americans, living in America).
When I was a youn'n, in the backwoods, forested hills and mountains of the PNW, learning to handle BB and pellet small arms, "pinking" was often used, before shifting to "plinking" when "graduating" to .22 and larger small arms ...
MD
Or rather, would anyone use it?
Only in two instances – the aforementioned 'pinking shears' and in a medical context to indicate blood is flowing (e.g. 'the kidney is pinking up' or 'the foot is pinking up').
Yeah, now that you mention it, that's likely where I'd heard the term before, such as when someone passes out, becoming pale, and then, once revived, 'pink up' again. So, while it's similar, it doesn't actually apply to a flushed state.
Thanks, that was incredibly helpful, as detailed explanations are much better than 'Nah, I'd never use it that way'. ;)
My first association reading the title in isolation was with pinkie finger for some reason.
I was curious and I just put "pinking up" into Google.
It seems to be used a bit, for various things, but the main reference that I got was that cat's nipples "pink up" when they are pregnant.