A portmanteau of "thinking" and "tinkering". Means to think about
something by tinkering with objects relating to the problem under consideration. Usually unguided, exploratory and individual, often a very
good way to explore aspects of difficult problems or to find solutions where none are obvious. In other
words, an active form of thinking.
Akin to solving a puzzle (like a rubiks cube) by trying to solve it rather than just sitting and staring at it.