Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (Aus.) tiny; in senses of time, just prior to, e.g. piccaninny dawn, a false dawn.

1830		Memoirs of the Late Capt. Hugh Crow 282: There is also a little or ‘picaneny’ Egbo.
1841		W.J. Neale Paul Periwinkle 479: Prostestant Church neber trouble Jupiter Ammon; [...] – him go to church, Gooramighty him never fidget himself about such picaninny trifles.
1848		W. Westgarth Aus. Felix 104: The hut would be attacked before ‘piccininni sun.’ [Footnote] : About daylight in the morning.
1859		W. Burrows Adventures of a Mounted Trooper 83: They only gib it picaninny sifting.
1884		J.W. Bull Early Life in South Aus. 69: [An Englishman, speaking to blacks] would produce from his pocket one of his pistols, and say, ‘Picaninny gun, plenty more.’.
1903		J. Furphy Such is Life 98: A picaninny alternative.
1908		G. Seagram Bushman All 94: They struck camp at ‘piccaninny daylight,’ glad to escape from such a fearful spot.
1919		L. Esson Drovers (1977) 7: mick: When are we starting? boss: Right away ... picanniny daylight.
1936		(con. 1830s–60s) ‘Miles Franklin’ All That Swagger 125: At piccaninny dawn, the billy with the lid off was found rolling on the floor.
1941		Aus. Women’s Wkly 16 Dec. 6: The false dawn, the ‘piccaninny’ dawn, was already paling the sky.
1951		E. Hill Territory 175: He was gone from every camp before piccaninny daylight.
1958		W.E. Harney Content to Lie in the Sun 172: Just as the piccaninny dawn breaks.
1965		L. Haylen Big Red 180: The piccaninny twilight shimmered and died.
1968		R.D. Magoffin We Bushies 71: But early next morning be picinni’ dawning, / Bold Arthur was back.
1968		S. Gore Holy Smoke 26: Flamin’ cocky roustin’ you out at piccaninny dawn.
1984		J. Carson in Ammon Working Lives 135: I woke up at piccanniny daylight to the song of the bellbirds.
1986		R. Beckett Dinkum Aussie Dict. 40: Piccaninny daylight: Shepherd’s or false dawn.
1991		P. Carey Tax Inspector (1992) 56: At piccaninny dawn they were on the outskirts of Wollombi.

2. (US) black, usu. derog.

1931		B. Lubbock Bully Hayes 172: I’ll fetch that pickaninny chief out of the bush by his eyeteeth.
1977		J.G. Dunne True Confessions (1979) 3: ‘Imagine a pickaninny mayor,’ Frank Crotty said. ‘My son is very tight with him.’.