janky

adj. inferior, bad, weird. Also jinky, jainky, jankie, jankey. Subjects: English, United States, Slang

Editorial Note: The connection between janky and jinky is uncertain, but as their usage seems interchangeable, I am defining them as a single term.

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Citations: 1993 Usenet: soc.culture.iranian (Apr. 19) “Leave My Login Alone!”: You undrestand what I am saying? Stupid and your shers are very janky, just like you. 1994 Usenet: soc.penpals (Apr. 10) “4 All U Guys out there”: For those of you who get off on posting weird or Jinky letters go ahead do It. 1995 [ebattle822@aol.com (EBattle822)] Usenet: rec.games.miniatures (Feb. 2) “Re: GW: Paints”: Yep, wade in amongst the tired looking housewives wearing those janky looking jumpsuits buying neat little craft crap for christmas presents. 1995 [schwarze.ccomail@starbase1.caltech.edu (Erich Schwarz)] Usenet: alt.society.generation-x (Feb. 4) “Re: Repubs 0, Demos 0—EVERYBODY gets a big fat zero…”: When society gets really jinky about some stupid “claim,” I think it is entirely proper for individuals to kick society in the pants rather than give in. 1996 [Kasper (kasper@yomama'shouse.com)] Usenet: alt.rap (Apr. 16) “Re: White Rappers”: Jankie has two meanings. In most areas, jankie means flawed, bad, “booty” as you put it. : ) In Southern Cali, it does mean dope. 1997 [gunnm@eskimo.com (Colleen Morgan)] Usenet: alt.fan.tank-girl (Mar. 6) “Re: TG look… what do YOU do?”: I posted a note that was witty and cute and informative in response to this posting. However, it got lost when my fucking server went jinky. 1997 [Raver Efreet (rtreat@sprintmail.com)] Usenet: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.misc (Aug. 2) “Re: Whatever happened to the Slang Dictionary”: I believed it got 187ed when john tried to get al fruity-assed with weedwhacker. Kinda jankey if you ask me. 1997 [W. Gary Martin (wgary@ibm.net)] Usenet: alt.comp.sys.palmtops.pilot (Sept. 10) “Re: Reseating Stylus in PalmPro turns it off”: I got this yesterday, I thought it was just me. Except that the screen went all jinky and I had to do a soft reset. Very strange. 2000 Cintra Wilson A Massive Swelling (July 13) p. 101: Twenty-eight girls, most of whom were nervous and janky and fell down once or twice, slunk off to joylessly watch their bad numbers roll up on the screen. 2000 William Shaw Westside: Young Men and Hip Hop in L.A. (Apr. 12) p. 322: “That janky-ass bitch?” Janky is Rah’s favorite word these days. Anything below par is janky. 2003 Bill Fitzhugh Heart Seizure (Mar. 4) p. 217: That janky-ass camo boy got some shit on the side of my ride? 2003 Jen Loy Kitchen Sink (Oakland, California) (Oct. 31) “There Goes the Neighborhood” vol. 2, no. 1, p. 72: The two artists wear white, “janky-ass Tyvek” painter’s suits; they move quickly, transferring wooden panels and cement legs to the curb beneath the AC Transit sign. Within minutes, they are assembling the bench. 2003 [Zachary James] The Mofluff Confessional (Dec. 16) “To His Coy Mistress”: Nine more of these jainky little definitions and I’m home free.

Posted 27 Sep 04 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Reader comments:

yup. Janky= messed up, dilapidated, falling apart, retarded, etc. I often refer to my janky-assed car.

by Samuel Joel 14 Dec 06, 1205 GMT

I used this word today for this very meaning and they all looked at me like I was janky. Well, I guess I’m not the only one.

by Liz 15 Mar 07, 0628 GMT

I use janky to mean trashy (i.e. very short very tight skirt)

by Mary 18 Oct 07, 0326 GMT

I was told that janky “is or is like” a politically correct version of ghetto (adj.). This seems to cover most if not all usages.

by Drew 03 Dec 07, 0500 GMT

I want to know what’s the meaning of
the name Jinky?Please kindly help me
in knowing the meaning of the name Jinky.

by JINKY BITARA 01 May 08, 0304 GMT

I am a real estate agent and sometimes use janky, as i did yesterday, to describe features of other sellers units.

by jiminyj 10 Jun 08, 0815 GMT

My name is mista-Z and I have had alot of disagreements with this word,JANKIE,me and a friend were disagreeing about how the word is spelled I spell it with an IE,but he spells it with a Y,How is it really spelled? Can it be said both ways?

by misty 27 Sep 08, 0518 GMT

I thought it was a contraction of “junkie” and “skanky”... like to describe a dope ho

by KAOS 10 Oct 08, 0530 GMT

jinky
Scottish, meaning: Swift-footed and elusive
Found on http://www.britnett-carve r.co.uk/stoneha

by julia 31 Jan 09, 0121 GMT