a writer with a 'tin ear' for dialogue [=who writes dialogue that does not sound real]
My wife is a talented musician, but I have a 'tin ear'.
a 'tin' of biscuits/tobacco
(..) I remember when my daddy gave me that gun. He told me that I should never point at anything in the house... and that he'd rather l shoot at tin cans in the backyard. But he said that soon the temptation to go after birds would be too much... and that I could shoot all the bluejays I wanted... (..)1962 To Kill a Mockingbird