Clink

Clink is a common English word used as an onomatopoeia for a light, resonant ringing sound, especially that made by glassware or metal when they touch. It can also function as a verb, meaning to cause or produce such a sound, or to strike against something in a similar manner.

The phrase the clink is slang for a jail or prison, particularly in the United Kingdom and parts of the English-speaking world. It derives from the name of the Clink Prison in Southwark, London, a historic facility associated with confinement and harsh conditions. In modern usage, the expression is used metaphorically to refer to any correctional institution, as in “spending time in the clink.”

The Clink is also the name of a UK-based charity that operates a network of restaurant-style training academies inside several prisons. The program focuses on rehabilitation by providing inmates with hospitality industry training and work opportunities, with the aim of reducing reoffending. The restaurants operate under the Clink brand and, in some cases, serve members of the public, while the primary mission remains prisoner education and transition to employment after release.

In addition to these uses, the word clink appears in various brand names and product labels, reflecting its simple, memorable sound and associations with sharing, social activity, and confinement.