Day 53

Now I'm still fiercely proud of my kiwi roots but hmm, how do I say this, I'm feeling more inclination to those true blue aussie things that I used to maybe scorn a little before I lived here.  I think this is in part to the fact I have chosen the most true blue radio station I could find.  I just love opinionated, talk back radio stations, not the kind where you listen to old ladies imparting their strawberry jam recipes, or wondering where they could find a 2 bar heater, but one with staunch views where you actually learn by listening.  My friend Caroline is also a fierce 2GB listener and we have had some very informed discussions about school building rorts, and the roofing insulation debacle.  I know it does sound a little dull on paper, but trust me on this one.  One of our favourite announcers is Ray Hadley, who aside from the fact had a collection of dreadful little Ray Hadley ditties (the worst in my view being the Haa-dley - Lady Gaga, "just dance" version, as sung by his daughter, you need to listen to to hear how truly awful it is - sorry Ray, if by some freak force of nature you actually read my blog).  But Ray says "fair dinkum" a lot, and always so it sounds very appropriate, as if there is no other expression that would work as perfectly as "fair dinkum".  I've even heard the kiwi Husband saying it.  Fair dinkum!

So what does "Fair dinkum" mean and where does it come from?


Ok, there appears to be two schools of thought on this one..


It is supposed that "dinkum" is a Cantonese word meaning true gold and comes from the excited cry of Chinese on the goldfields when they struck it rich.  It comes from one of the Chinese dialects widely spoken at the diggings: "din" and "kum" loosely translating as "true gold".

On the other hand, the origin of "dinkum" could lie in British dialect, where it meant "a day's allocation of work". "Your dinkum" was what you were required to get done so, naturally. a fair dinkum was a matter of some importance. The phrase "fair dinkum" existed in the Lincolnshire dialect.

That's a fair dinkum, true blue Aussie saying!