Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. very poor, less than mediocre; thus as neg. expresion, e.g. of disgust, disappointment.

1924		F.S. Fitzgerald letter 20 Dec. in Letters (1964) 174: I thought The White Monkey was stinko.
1939		E. Hemingway letter 4 Apr. in Baker Sel. Letters (1981) 485: I’ve had such stinko luck on fish.
1941		in W.C. Fields By Himself (1974) 240: This is probably ‘stinko’ but I listen to the program so assiduously every week that I am beginning to feel part of it.
1959		E. De Roo Go, Man, Go! 13: The aerodynamics must be stinko.
1961		T.I. Rubin In the Life 105: I remember the teachers, the kids. I hated it. [...] It was stinko.
1972		Dly News (NY) 14 June 13/3: ‘When we told them the homes were turned into a factory [...] the reaction was ‘stinko, satinko, stinko’.
1989		H. Rawson Dict. of Invective (1991) 374: The intensive stinkeroo, stinko, and stinkpot (the last usually applying to people not things).
1993		Sth Florida Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL) 26 Aug. 1FB/2: ‘Stink-o,’ I called the game then, and stink-o it remains today.

2. (also stinky) very drunk; also used adv.

1928		Hecht & MacArthur Front Page Act I: He’s stinko!
1934		J.M. Cain Postman Always Rings Twice (1985) 93: Sure, I was drunk. I was stinko.
1941		J.K. Butler ‘Saint in Silver’ in Goulart (1967) 62: I took him for a ride. Stinko drunk.
1942		R.L. Bellem ‘Color of Murder’ Dan Turner – Hollywood Detective Dec. 🌐 She horsed the hambo into getting stinko plastered tonight.
1955		J.P. Donleavy Ginger Man (1958) 255: I’m going to drink this till I’m stinko.
1969		‘Iceberg Slim’ Mama Black Widow 90: Papa [...] got stinko more often.
1975		L. Rosten Dear ‘Herm’ 260: ‘You have imbibed too much booze’ says Flo. ‘You are pretty stinko yourself’ I reply.
1982		N. Keesing Lily on the Dustbin 142: Today if Mary drinks too much she is ‘smashed’ or ‘stinko’ or whatever the ‘in’ phrase is.
1997–2001		Online Sl. Dict. 🌐 stinky adj 1. extremely inebriated. (‘Let’s get stinky tonight!’).
2001		‘Randy Everhard’ Tattoo of a Naked Lady 121: I was stinko at the time.
2017		M. Forsyth Short History of Drunkenness 99: A Christian monastery was [...] the safest place to sit back, relax and get stinko.

3. (US) high-smelling (whether pleasant or otherwise).

1975

Tulare Advance-Register (CA) 27 Aug. 12/1: The little ones would [...] make Mama a picture and their father would [...] buy [...] a box of stinko bath powder.