dinkum
[ ding-kuhm ]
adjectiveAustralian.
genuine; authentic.
Origin of dinkum
1First recorded in 1890–95; origin uncertain, possibly from Lincolnshire dialect dincum, dinkum “work, hard work,” extended to mean “doing one's fair share of work”
- Also fair din·kum [fair-ding-kuhm] /ˈfɛər ˈdɪŋ kəm/ .
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British Dictionary definitions for dinkum
dinkum
/ (ˈdɪŋkəm) /
adjectiveAustralian and NZ informal
genuine or right: a dinkum bloke
fair dinkum genuine or true: used to emphasize the truth of something or in asking for the truth of something to be confirmed: Back to the states? Fair dinkum?
dinkum oil archaic the truth
Origin of dinkum
1C19: from English dialect: work, of unknown origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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