Metallic ringing sounds; or slang for jails or prisons.
As a sound, from onomatopoeia (imitating the sound itself). As slang for prison, British origin, possibly from the Clink prison in Southwark, London (dating back to the 1500s).
The Clink was such a famous, notorious prison in London that its name became slang for any jail—it's an example of how one specific place can be so memorable that its name becomes a generic term, like 'Kleenex' for tissues.
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