dinkum
/ˈdɪŋkəm
/Australian /NZ informal
adjective
(Of an article or person) genuine, honest, true: a real dinkum bloke...
- By the time I arrived scenes reminiscent of the end of World War II were already underway, but I interrupted the spontaneous dancing to grab these quotes from dinkum Aussies who have been doing it tough.
- It is light and satisfying, the flakiness - the result of using real butter, unbleached flour and no preservatives - is the dinkum deal.
- Which was just as well, really - for as every dinkum Aussie knows, booing the Prime Minister at sporting events is the Australian way.
adverb
Really, truly, honestly.
Phrases
(the) dinkum oil
fair (or square or straight) dinkum
Origin
Late 19th century: of unknown origin.
In the late 19th century dinkum, an English dialect word meaning ‘hard work, honest toil’, took up residence in Australasia. In fair dinkum it can describe an honest, straightforward person, a genuine article, or acceptable behaviour, and is particularly used to emphasize or seek confirmation of the genuineness or truth of something.