Closing and opening one eye quickly as a signal or gesture, usually to show friendliness, humor, or to indicate you're joking.
From Old English 'wincian' (to blink or nod), with Germanic roots. Originally meant any rapid eye movement; narrowed to mean deliberately closing one eye to communicate.
A wink is one of humanity's greatest communication hacks—it's literally saying 'don't take me seriously' with your eye, and it works across almost every culture. It's basically cheating at communication!
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