Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a hearty greeting.

1835		‘Cock-Eyed Sukey’ in Cove in Spedding & Watt (eds) Bawdy Songbooks (2011) IV 219: If chance his mot male chyhoik hear, / And sneaks at once into her nest.
1859, 1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. 20: CHI-IKE, a hurrah, a good word, or hearty praise.
c.1864		A. Stephens ‘The Chickaleary Cove’ 🎵 Now join in a chyike, the jolly we all like, I’m off with a party to the Vic.
1873		Sl. Dict.
1889		‘’Arry in Parry’ in Punch 29 June in P. Marks (2006) 95: I lifted my lamps and saw Billy. We did a good chi-ike, you bet!
1890		Bird o’ Freedom 1 Jan. 3/3: [He] is trilling it here to a very pretty tune of chi-ikes, and encores, and pats on his ickle back.
1899		R. Whiteing No. 5 John Street 291: What could strike the jarring note but a cursed Cockney out of bounds? And here, alas, are three [...] Oh that they may refrain from the ‘chi-ike’!

2. (Aus., also chiack, chiak, chyack) argument, criticism; teasing, heckling, abuse.

1867		R. Whiteing Mr Sprouts, His Opinions 40: A boy twigged us and give us a chyike [...] and all the busseys twigged us, too, and began throwing their jeers out.
1881		‘’Arry on Woman Rights’ Punch 2 Apr. 156/1: I gave him chy-ike once or twice, / But he napped me sharp as a needle, and all the room roared.
1889		Harrington & LeBrunn [perf. Jenny Hill] ‘The City Waif’ 🎵 When country chaps steal our pitches, it ain’t at all what we like / And you bet, us true born cockneys soon give 'em a good ‘chi-ike’.
1891		‘’Arry on Wheels’ Punch 7 May 217/2: We lap up a rare lot of lotion [...] / Pace, dust and chyike make yer chalky, and don’t we just ladle it down.
1901		Bulletin (Sydney) 21 Sept. 17: Some ‘Chyack’ About the Flag.
1906		Gadfly (Adelaide) 28 Mar. 9/1: Ain’t nothin’ doing’ [sic] ’cep’ in a little tin shanty they calls the Central Auction Mart, where a skinny little bloke is standin’ in a box sellin’ furnicher an’ things. I starts chuckin’ it up at ’im fer devilment, an’ ’e gets ropeable. Chucks ’is ’ammer at me fer a start; but I dodges it an’ gives ’im a bit more chiack.
1915		C.J. Dennis ‘The Intro’ Songs of a Sentimental Bloke 20: I didn’t seem to ’ave the nerve – wiv ’er / I felt as if I couldn’t go that fur, / An’ start to sling off chiack like I used.
1935		Sun. Times (Perth) 18 Aug. 165/2: Point-duty coppers know all his chi-ike.
1938		West. Australian (Perth) 8 Oct. 10/4: Australian slang words [...] Chiack: Vulgar banter.
1971		F.J. Hardy Outcasts of Foolgarah (1975) 56: A wag from way back [...] opted for bit of the old chiak. ‘Up the Garbos for the rent,’ he said.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. 45: chiack Vigorous teasing; also used as a verb. From the London street greeting, from late C19. ANZ.