chinky

English

Alternative forms

• Chinky, Chinkee

Etymology

From chink +‎ -y.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Adjective

chinky (comparative more chinky, superlative most chinky)

1. Full of chinks, laden with small cracks or openings.
   • 1826, Benjamin Apthorp Gould, The Works of Vergil: Translated into English Prose:

     […] the accustomed warmth pierced his marrow, and ran thrilling through his shaken bones; just as when at times, with forked thunder burst, a chinky stream of fire in flashy lightning shoots athwart the skies.

   • 1884, The Australian Journal:

     The door was knockerless and chinky, and creaked dismally as I inserted the key.

2. (derogatory, offensive) Possessing attributes of, or similar to, a Chinese person or Chinese style or culture.
3. (derogatory, offensive) Possessing attributes of, or similar to, an East Asian person or an East Asian style or culture.

Noun

chinky (plural chinkies)

1. (British, slang, possibly offensive) A Chinese takeaway restaurant.
   • 2005, David Parker, Cool Places: Geographies of youth cultures, page 70:

     What this means for young Chinese people growing up and serving behind the counter is captured in Pui Fan Lee’s autobiographical play Short, Fat, Ugly and Chinese, broadcast on Radio 5 in 1992. She remembers her childhood: ‘But most of all I hated the shop. The takeaway. Or, as the locals called it, “The Chinky” […]

2. (British, slang, possibly offensive) A meal of Chinese food.
   • 2013, Harry Morris, Yer Never Gonnae Believe It:

     I've had a Chinky, a Chic Murray and, afore ye came tae collect me, I had some fuckin' fancy Italian pasta dish. It was pure dead brilliant, by the way!

3. (slang, offensive) A Chinese person.
4. (slang, offensive) An East Asian person.
   • 1996, “Yellow Fever”, in One Fierce Beer Coaster, performed by Bloodhound Gang:

     Oh my chinky she's so kinky got me hot like Nagasaki

5. (India, slang, offensive) A person from Northeast India.
   • 2017 May 23, Alana Golmei, “Let’s talk about racism”, in Hindustan Times‎^[1], Delhi:

     Since I come from the North-eastern part of India myself and belong to a minority race, I too have suffered from racism, at least in its milder forms. I’ve been called "chinky", "momo", "chowmein", and more.

   • 2021, Thongkholal Haokip, “From ‘Chinky’ to ‘Coronavirus’: racism against Northeast Indians during the Covid-19 pandemic”, in Asian Ethnicity‎^[2], page 356:

     However, what matters to them is the intention of such a question, especially when they are invectively referred to as chinky and other remarks that are considered to be derogatory

Synonyms

• chink

Further reading

• “Chinky n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present