sinker

Etymology

sink + -er.

noun

1. One who sinks something.
   McLachlan's value as a coal miner was enhanced by the specialized skill he learned as a shaft-sinker. 1999, David Frank, J.B. McLachlan: A Biography
2. (fishing">fishing) A weight used in fishing">fishing to cause the line or net to sink.
   Hook the sinker onto this loop.
3. (baseball) Any of several high speed pitches that have a downward motion near the plate; a two-seam fastball, a split-finger fastball, or a forkball.
   His sinkers drew one ground ball after another.
4. (construction) A sinker nail, used for framing in current construction.
5. (slang) A doughnut; a biscuit.
   Of the fifty cents, ten went for the glassy shoeshine; twenty-five for a boutonniere; ten for coffee and sinkers at the Cockeyed Bakery. 1926, Edna Ferber, Show Boat: A Novel, page 268
   they improvised by opening a barrel of flour and letting each man dump in a quart of water (if he had one) and scoop out a handful of dough to bake into rock-hard sinkers. 2001, Gerald J. Prokopowicz, All for the Regiment: The Army of the Ohio, 1861-1862, page 148
   "Gonna have to dip them sinkers in coffee to get 'em soft enough to chew," Jason Biggs said, grinning. 2003, William W. Johnstone, Ambush Of The Mountain Man, page 168
6. In knitting machines, one of the thin plates, blades, or other devices, that depress the loops upon or between the needles.