I have never heard the phrase you posted. So I went on the internet:
According to Melvyn Bragg's The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language, "dinkum" comes from the English Midlands and meant work. "Fair dinkum" referred to a fair day's work and subsequently fair play.
M. Griffiths, Waterloo
The word "dinkum" was reputedly coined on the Australian goldfields. It comes from one of the Chinese dialects widely spoken at the diggings: "din" and "kum" loosely translating as "true gold".
Catherine Le Breton, Leura
Fair Dinkum was a response of the early Chinese goldminers to the question: "Are you finding a fair amount of gold?" because "din-gum" means "good gold". So over time the expression has become a positive response to a good news story.
Garry Tipping, Beecroft
I LEARNED SOMETHING NEW TODAY! Thank you Kollage Kit (and Michael Leigh)!
Fair dinkum!
ReplyDeleteI have never heard the phrase you posted. So I went on the internet:
DeleteAccording to Melvyn Bragg's The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language, "dinkum" comes from the English Midlands and meant work. "Fair dinkum" referred to a fair day's work and subsequently fair play.
M. Griffiths, Waterloo
The word "dinkum" was reputedly coined on the Australian goldfields. It comes from one of the Chinese dialects widely spoken at the diggings: "din" and "kum" loosely translating as "true gold".
Catherine Le Breton, Leura
Fair Dinkum was a response of the early Chinese goldminers to the question: "Are you finding a fair amount of gold?" because "din-gum" means "good gold". So over time the expression has become a positive response to a good news story.
Garry Tipping, Beecroft
I LEARNED SOMETHING NEW TODAY! Thank you Kollage Kit (and Michael Leigh)!
Cool celebratory collage & music.
ReplyDeleteNice dinkum story too - used to hear it on TV & films from Oz.