‖dankie, interjection

/ˈdaŋki/
Forms:
danke, dankenShow more Also danke, danken, danki, dank u, tankee.
Origin:
Afrikaans, DutchShow more Afrikaans, from Dutch dank u thank you.
Note:
Usually used to suggest Afrikaans dialogue.
1.
a. Thank you, thanks. Hence as a noun, an utterance of the word ‘dankie’.
1799 Lady A. Barnard S. Afr. Century Ago (1925) 87He..placed all once more in the hat.., and with a deep sigh and a consoled ‘Tankee,’ went off.
1901 E. Wallace Unofficial Despatches 214If we surrender to the British, what will become of ‘onze taal’?..If we surrender we shall have to say to our Kaffirs, ‘As u belieft, Jan!’ (Please, John) and ‘Danke, Jan!’ (Thanks, John).
1913 D. Fairbridge Piet of Italy 166A skinny hand shot out from his rags and grasped the half-crown...‘Danke, missy, danke.’
1949 C. Bullock Rina 9She looked quickly at me.., then with a mumbled ‘Dankie’ hurried to a seat further along the coach.
1955 W. Illsley Wagon on Fire 68‘You may close up when you’ve finished...’ ‘Dankie, baas,’ he answered.
1963 A.M. Louw 20 Days 30‘Dankie, oubaas,’ said the policeman smiling. ‘Thank you, old master.’
1972 Cape Times 25 Aug. 7We thought that with this council we would be better treated...Instead we are always required to say ‘dankie baas’.
1976 J. McClure Rogue Eagle 61I..was asking his name.., when he rang off with a quick dankie.
1987 L. Beake Strollers 10Johnny put a two cent piece into the cupped hands. ‘Dankie, Madam,’ the standard response.
1990 O. Musi in City Press 17 June 9They must say dankie that the old days have passed.
b. In the int. phrr. baie dankie or (jocular) baie donkey [Afrikaans baie see baie], ‘thank you very much’. Hence as noun phrase, an utterance of the phr. ‘baie dankie’.
1963 B. Modisane Blame Me on Hist. (1986) 59‘Baie dankie, baasie,’ I said, bowing my head several times, ‘thank you very much, my baasie.’
1968 G. Croudace Black Rose 19‘Baie dankie, mynheer’, he said at last; ‘but we’ve food and coffee in our saddle-bags.’
1977 A. Shaw in The 1820 Vol.50 No.12, 12Many thanks..for a most memorable day. Baie dankie.
1977 Sunday Times 27 Nov. 18Not a word of Afrikaans, which is just as well since I never go beyond ‘baie donkey’.
1980 A.J. Blignaut Dead End Rd 71They both thanked him and Dolf wrapped his ‘Baie dankie’ in a kind thought.
1988 M. Mthethwa in Pace Nov. 39He is what he is today because of me, but look at the ‘baie dankie’ he is giving me.
2. obsolete. [Afrikaans, from Dutch bedanken or danken to decline with thanks.] ‘No thank you’, a polite refusal; thank you. So as noun, an utterance of the word ‘dankie’, used in declining an offer.
1833 S. Afr. Almanac & Dir. 92Never, when invited to eat, reply with a genteel thank ye, (dank u) as that piece of politeness is understood throughout the colony as a negative...‘Ja, Mynheer’ will be thought quite polished enough.
1857 C.J. Andersson Lake Ngami 264 (Pettman)In the Dutch language danken signifies a direct refusal, but not being aware of this, I interpreted it in the very reverse sense, as meaning ‘If you please’. As often, therefore, as I repeated the ominous words so often had I the mortification of seeing the smoking dishes pass by me.
1913 C. Pettman Africanderisms 139Danki,..This word is used in declining an offer, as ‘Asseblief’ is employed when accepting.
Thank you, thanks. Hence as a noun, an utterance of the word ‘dankie’.
In the int. phrr. baie dankie or (jocular) baie donkey [Afrikaans baie see baie],‘thank you very much’. Hence as noun phrase, an utterance of the phr. ‘baie dankie’.
‘No thank you’, a polite refusal; thank you. So as noun, an utterance of the word ‘dankie’, used in declining an offer.
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17991990

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obsolete or obsolescent
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