Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
WINKLE
I. noun
Etymology: by shortening
Date: 1585
periwinkle II,
II. intransitive verb (winkled; winkling)
Etymology: frequentative of wink
Date: 1791
twinkle ,
III. transitive verb (winkled; winkling)
Etymology: 1winkle; from the process of extracting a winkle from its shell
Date: 1918
to displace, remove, or evict from a position, to obtain or draw out by effort