wick

Remember during the 2014 election (says Gail) when Tony Abbott was on talk radio and someone rang in to say they had to work as a phone sex operator to make ends meet and Abbott – as a subconscious reaction – winked? The particular tic that leads to winking = wicking.

Sigh (says Ian). To wick is to absorb or draw off liquid by capillary action. Thus good base-layer garments wick moisture away from the skin.