Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (Aus.) a cheat, a scoundrel, a traitor, a coward.

1888		‘Rolf Boldrewood’ Robbery Under Arms (1922) 225: I wonder what those two crawling, dingo-looking beggars were here for?
1892		H. Nisbet Bushranger’s Sweetheart 301: The dingo almost missed me, but it was my rifle which potted him.
1908		N.Z. Truth 22 Feb. 2/3: He didn’t wish to proceed with the case as the dingo in the box had apologised to him.
1910		Bulletin (Sydney) 22 Sept. 14/2: Temperance Party: ‘Ah, my pore fellow, do you never wish that you could live your past over again?’ / Dingo Raddles (with fond, moist memories): ‘My oath, mate!’.
1920		Marvel 19 June 6: ‘You vile beast!’ yelled Hombroog, springing to his feet. ‘You dirty Australian dingo, I’ll ---’.
1930		L. Lower Here’s Luck 76: The blood of the Gudgeons surged within me. ‘Stay there, you banana-spined dingo’ .
1936		(con. 1830s–60s) ‘Miles Franklin’ All That Swagger 361: I’d rather lose him to England or the United States than have him wasted as a dingo here.
1946		A. Marshall ‘Bushman’ in Tell Us About the Turkey, Jo 95: ‘Come on, you groping dingo,’ he shouted to the big bullocky.
1951		(con. 1941) E. Lambert Twenty Thousand Thieves 52: Look at that crawling little dingo [...] He hasn’t put his head above ground or fired a shot yet.
1959		D. Niland Big Smoke 204: You go to hell, you big mug dingo.
1967		in E. Cray Erotic Muse (1992) 165: I’ve been had by the army, the navy, / By a bullfighting toreador, / By dagos and drongos and dingos.
1979		D. Maitland Breaking Out 164: Keep your face to that bloody wall, you lying dingo!
1981		J. Sullivan ‘Go West Young Man’ Only Fools and Horses [TV script] The car you dingo, what do you think I’m talking about, yer flaming coffee?
1985		R.G. Barrett You Wouldn’t Be Dead for Quids (1989) 77: Or I can turn tail and piss off like a dingo and know some sheila’s held the wood over me.
1991		Age (Melbourne) 11 June 13/2: A list of epithets gathered from parliament during the last year: piece of garbage [...] orangutan [...] poofter [...] yapping yahoo [...] four-eyed ape, skink [...] gutter dingo.
2012		(con. 1943) G.S. Manson Coorparoo Blues [ebook] Jack didn’t like watching this sort of stuff ]i.e. police brutality] from cover, like a dingo.

2. attrib. use of sense 1.

1982		J. Davis Dreamers 89: You fuckin’ sly dingo bastard!
1993		K. Lette Foetal Attraction (1994) 212: Gutless wonders who got you by the short and curlies, knocked you up, then did the dingo act and scarpered back to their wives.
2005		M.B. ‘Chopper’ Read Chopper 4 253: When the shit hits the fan the Aussie anthem is ‘Evry man for himself.’ What they call the Dingo Principle.

3. (US und.) an African-American.

1909

‘The Lang. of Crooks’ in Wash. Post 20 June 4/1: [paraphrasing J. Sullivan] A Jap or Dingo is the term used for negroes, as is also honey .

4. (US) a tramp who refuses to work, a minor confidence trickster.

1926		N. Klein ‘Hobo Lingo’ in AS I:12 650: Dingoes — those who wander about and live without working.
1931		Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 62: Dingoes. – Tramps or vagrants who refuse to work when the opportunity is offered them, even though they may claim to be looking for a job.
1962		Ragen & Finston World’s Toughest Prison 796: dingoes – Tramps who refuse to work.

5. (US) an eccentric.

1953

R. Chandler Long Good-Bye 130: Days when nobody rolls in but the loose wheels, the dingoes who park their brains with their gum.

6. (Aus. prison) an absconder, a boy who has escaped from a boys’ home, thus dingo-chaser, one who pursues and captures such escapees.

1980		M. Williams Dingo! 43: ‘Dingo!’ The shout went up [...] Three boys were running.
1990		Tupper & Wortley Aus. Prison Sl. Gloss. 🌐 Dingo. 1. An escapee from a boy’s home.
2006		B. Matthews Intractable [ebook] The honour system at Mount Penang [Training School for Boys] allowed trusties to chase escapees known as dingoes and bring them back. The dingo-chasers were rewarded for each juvenile they recaptured.

7. (N.Z.) a derog. term for an Australian.

2003

McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl.