dinky

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɪŋki/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪŋki

1780-90; compare Scots dink (“neatly dressed, trim”) (of obscure origin); sense shift perhaps: trim > dainty > small > insignificant; +‎ -y.

dinky (comparative dinkier, superlative dinkiest)

1. (informal, British) Tiny and cute; small and attractive.
   • 1915, Lucy Maud Montgomery, “chapter 11”, in Anne of the Island:

     How do you like my hat? That one you had on in church yesterday was real dinky.

   • 2010, Sharon Wallace, A House Full of Whispers‎, page 5:

     I played in the dirt with a small dinky car as the garage held no fascination for a little girl of five.

   • 2012, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Ratburger, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN:

     “Ooh, well, he is a particularly pretty one. Look at his dinky little nose,” said Raj with a sweet smile.

2. (informal, US) Tiny and insignificant; small and undesirable.

   They stayed in a dinky hotel room, but they had a great trip.

• See also Thesaurus:tiny

• dinky-di
• inky-dinky
• rinky-dinky

See DINK

dinky (plural dinkies)

1. (slang) A person in a relationship with double income and no kids

• kindy