kingpinn.
/ˈkɪŋpɪn/, U.S. /ˈkɪŋˌpɪn/ 1. The tallest and usually central pin in skittles and other similar games. Now chiefly historical.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > ninepins or ten-pins > [noun] > pin(s) > central pin
kingpin1773
1773 A. Jones Art of playing at Skittles 19 The King-pin is made heavier than any of the other by near one half.
1801 J. Strutt Glig-gamena Angel-ðeod iii. vii. 239 One of them..is taller than the rest, and this, I presume, was the king-pin.
1878 Encycl. Brit. IV. 180/2 The chief point is to try and hit the king pin at the apex of the triangle, as this affords the best chance of knocking down all the pins.
1908 E. Jackson Toys of other Days 162 The Dutch pins are more slender than the English, especially the central king pin.
1969 V. Bartlett Past of Pastimes x. 128 Kayles (from the French ‘quilles’) was played many centuries ago, with the players throwing a stick at the ‘kittle pins’, the tallest of which was the ‘king pin’.
2015 Guardian (Nexis) 10 Oct. The projectile must bounce once, and the kingpin must be hit first.
2.
a. A main or large bolt in a central position, esp. a vertical bolt used as a pivot in an axle. Cf. king bolt n.
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the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [noun] > one who is important > one who is essential or has central role
Atlas1589
keystone1641
protagonist1671
firmament1701
leading light1707
pivotman1782
kingpin1858
queen-pin1907
1858 Sci. Amer. 30 Jan. 164/4 A shaft, P,..turns the two wheels, S, supporting the front framing, T, by a king-pin.
1887 Official Gaz. U.S. Patent Office 30 Aug. 970/1 That improvement in the art of supporting car-bodies which consists in connecting the car-body to the trucks by king pins or bolts.
1914 Chambers's Jrnl. Jan. 62/1 The cars are mounted on bogie trucks, the connection being by means of a central or ‘king-pin’.
1971 M. Tak Truck Talk 96 Kingpin, the bolt on the underside of the front of a trailer that fits into the tractor's fifth wheel to couple the tractor and the trailer together.
2002 J. Weyland Answer is Never iii. 36 Protruding from the base of the trucks are cylindrical rods known as kingpins,..and perpendicular to the kingpins are the axles.
b. figurative and in extended use. A person who or thing which plays a central part in a system or complex arrangement; spec. the most important or outstanding person in an organization, enterprise, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [noun] > one who is important > one who has leading position or is most important
firstc1275
coba1420
principalsa1425
cock1542
chief1569
colossus1605
primore1625
cape1650
sachem1684
leading light1707
high priest1737
king bee1792
gentleman, man of lead1793
queen bee1823
primo basso1826
spokesman1828
protagonist1837
kingpin1861
key man1895
headliner1896
big boy1921
numero uno1944
godfather1963
1861 N.Y. Herald 10 Dec. General Frost, the king pin of the camp Jackson gang.
1867 Harper's Weekly 14 Sept. 590/2 His best position was as a batter. He was a ‘King-pin’ there.
1895 Libr. Jrnl. (U.S.) June 202 Mr. Vinton..believed cataloging to be the king-pin of the library system.
1926 K. S. Prichard Working Bullocks xxix. 258 ‘My!’ Mary Ann gasped incredulously, ‘and you was the king pin last week.’
1957 Economist 5 Oct. 22/1 With the kingpin removed, the former Bevanite machine is showing signs of disintegration.
1970 Daily Tel. 30 Oct. 2/6 The owner of three shops was the kingpin behind a wholesale shoplifting plot.
1991 R. A. Schrader Kallaloo 68 Sugar remained the kingpin of St. Croix's economy.
2012 Washington Post (Nexis) 11 Apr. (Style section) c3 American movie stars mingled with Mafia kingpins in lavish hotels and casinos.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1773