fair dinkum

Australian English, informal

- honest(ly) or real(ly)

- genuine or true; used to emphasise truth or ask for confirmation

- unquestionably good or genuine; often an expression of approval

Cambridge Dictionary, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster

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PHRASE ORIGIN

The word dinkum is generally traced to English dialect, particularly Lincolnshire and Derbyshire, where dinkum/dincum meant work or a due share of work. The Australian National Dictionary Centre records fair dinkum in this British dialectal sense as meaning essentially fair dealing / fair play.

The phrase subsequently became Australian. The Oxford English Dictionary gives 1879 as its earliest recorded date for fair dinkum, while the Australian National Dictionary Centre dates the Australian expression to the 1890s in its own evidence base. The difference reflects the notoriously messy business of identifying the earliest surviving written evidence.

The popular story that dinkum came from Chinese miners and meant something like “real gold” is attractive — but there is no convincing historical evidence for it. The safer conclusion is that dinkum has an English dialect origin, although its deeper etymology remains uncertain.

So the very Australian expression fair dinkum is actually an old piece of English working-class vocabulary that travelled halfway around the world, found a permanent home in Australia, and is very much in use today.

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THE UNDERLYING PATTERN

The really interesting thing is that different languages often use the same few images to express the idea of “genuine” or “really true”.

DYEING & CLOTH
- German has waschecht — literally something like “wash-proof”. If the colour survives washing, it is genuine and will not fade.
- French has bon teint, literally “good colour”. It originally refers to a colour that does not run or fade. Used about a person, it can suggest someone reliable, steadfast or of sound character.
- English has “dyed-in-the-wool” and “true blue”. Both come from the idea of wool that has been permanently dyed: the colour is fixed and will not disappear.
So several languages arrive at the same image:If the colour does not run, the person does not change. Authenticity becomes something that survives pressure.

OATHS & SWEARING
- Spanish has ¿me lo juras? — literally “Do you swear it to me?” It is a way of asking: “Are you really telling me the truth?”
- Italian has giuro! — “I swear!” Here, truth is established by making an oath. 
The idea is simple: If you are prepared to swear to it, you must really mean it.

DOUBLING
- French has vrai de vrai — literally “true of true”, meaning “really true” or “genuinely true”.
- Mexican Spanish has de a de veras — roughly “truly, truly” or “really, honestly”.
The idea is almost childishly simple: One “true” isn't strong enough. Say it twice. Repetition turns up the certainty.

Australian English takes a different route. Fair dinkum is associated with the idea of honest, genuine work — being fair and doing your proper share.

Helga & Paul Smith

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SYNONYMS

authentic, bona fide, FAIR DINKUM, genuine, honest, kosher, legitimate, on the level, real, sincere, straight, straight-up, the real McCoy, true, true blue, truthful, trustworthy