dinkum

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dinkum

/ˈdɪŋkəm/

Where it comes from

Unknown. Earliest recorded use in the phrase fair dinkum in 1879, from Australia. Also recorded (slightly later) from Derbyshire and Lincolnshire dialect. Perhaps related to Gloucestershire dialect ding (“to work hard”).

adjective more dinkum · most dinkum

Australia, New Zealand, slang Genuine, true, honest, on the level. Hon. Sir Ross McLarty: We were always dinkum. Mr. MAY: The ultimate result showed how dinkum the hon. member was.
Similar: dinky-die

noun

Australia, New Zealand, obsolete, rare, slang, uncountable Hard work.
Australia, New Zealand, dated, slang, uncountable Truth. You look real jockey — thats' the dinkum.

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Cite this

MLA

"dinkum." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/dinkum. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

dinkum. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/dinkum

Chicago

"dinkum." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/dinkum.

BibTeX

@misc{dinkum_2026,
  title = {dinkum},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/dinkum},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}