Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a white man’s derog. name for an Aborigine, the ‘typical’ Aborigine.

1839		G. Hempleman diary 31 Oct. in Jacobson Stories of Banks’ Peninsula (1884) 82: About one hundred natives [...] came with the intention of killing the boy Jacky.
1841		Sydney Gaz. 15 July 2/4: We have been informed [...] that our old aquaintance [...] Jackey Jackey has resumed his old pranks .
1846		C.P. Hodgson Reminiscences of Aus. 324: I sent the two blacks, Jacky and Bobby, to the spot where we last saw the tracks.
1848		‘Statement of Jacky Jacky’ in G.C. Mundy Our Antipodes (1852) I 118: Mr. Kennedy said to me, ‘Oh, Jacky Jacky, shoot ’em! shoot ’em!’.
1852		G.C. Mundy Our Antipodes I 246: ‘Jacky-Jacky,’ who, although himself wounded, defended his master to the last. [...] He was accompanied by eleven white persons and Jacky the black.
c.1865		A.A. Wright Diary in Wright Generations of Men (1959) 31: Bloody good swim, Jacky; you strong fella all right!
1870		M. Cash Life and Adventures 129: Jacky Jacky was [...] a quiet inoffensive man.
1880		‘Edward Howe’ Roughing It in Van Diemen’s Land 70: It was no great wonder that Jacky-Jacky preferred mutton.
1881		A.C. Grant Bush-Life in Queensland I 63: ‘Me Jacky, — old man,’ replied darky.
1889		South Aus. Register 16 Dec. n.p.: We publish to-day two letters called forth by the Court proceedings in the case of Jackey, the aboriginal who [...] was found guilty of murder and sentenced to be hanged.
1893		K. Mackay Out Back 302: Kicking the black boy he said sharply, ‘Wake up, Jacky.’.
1894		Truth (Sydney) 29 Apr. 4/6: Off with his head! So much for Jacky Jacky!
1900		Bulletin (Sydney) 9 June 14/3: While we were drafting sheep ‘Jacky’ (darkie) picked up a £1 in one of the yards, and somebody spotted him and told the boss. Boss fearing ‘Jacky’ would be off to town, and not wanting to lose his services, called the black up.
1901		F.J. Gillen Diary (1968) 5: A friend of my youth Jacky Brown called upon us [...] I was delighted to see him; later on some more men turned up: we gave them a good feed and after [...] rigged the phonograph up and got them to sing into it a number of corroboree songs.
c.1905		J. Furphy Buln-Buln and the Brolga (1948) 🌐 The venerable age so beautifully and coincidently pictured by both the Royal Sages, Jacky XL VIII and Solomon:– ‘Bimeby plenty plour-bag longa cobra’.
1909		E. Waltham Life and Labour in Aus. 116: I stayed about the camp for a time, having a chat with my coloured friend ‘Jacky’.
1914		Bulletin (Sydney) 10 Sept. 24/4: In Swanston-street Jacky Jacky boarded the tram. Jacky was about 30, and of royal descent, being grandson of King Billy, of the tribe of Binbalingee.
1926		M. Forrest Hibiscus Heart 187: Old Jacky, the head of the tribe.
1936		I.L. Idriess Cattle King 240: Jacky’s great ambition was to own a pair of boots.
1941		A. Gurney Bluey & Curley 2 Nov. [synd. cartoon] What’s that thing you’re putting on me plurry stomach? As a matter of fact, Jacky, it’s a lie detector.
1950		A. Gurney Bluey & Curley 9 Jan. [synd. cartoon] — Fast, is he Jack? — Fair dinkum, dis am de fastest horse in the Northern Territory.
1958		W.E. Harney Content to Lie in the Sun 32: Some Aborigines from the coastal lands had speared a stockman [...] and everywhere was talk of ‘cleaning up the jackies’.
1965		F.J. Hardy Yarns of Billy Borker 113: If you call a Maori Hori it’s just like calling an American negro Sambo, or an Australian aboriginal Jacky. The white man who says it means well, but its patronising.
1965		‘Jackie Jackie’ in J. Lahey Great Aus. Folk Songs 12: Jackie Jackie was a smart young feller [...] Yet he sat by the river of his people / Underneath an old gum tree.
1975		K. Willey Ghosts of the Big Country 129: It was here Small Jacky and a couple of other Maillis had seen four crocs.
1982		J. Davis Kullark 36: Who are you calling a Jacky? The Jackies today are the educated ones like you.
1985		(ref. to 1827) Sydney Gazette 21 May in J. Miller Koori 40: Lieutenant Lowe was put on trial for the target-practice murder of a Koori called Jacky Jacky.
1999		Bug (Aus.) 1 Nov. 🌐 1. From now on, Mundine refuses to be known as The Man. He declares he wants to be called Tony, Tony a modernisation of Jacky Jacky.

2. a coconut.

1974

C. Buchanan We Have Bugger All n.p.: Bullymen do not like Aboriginals to be strong [...] But they do like jacky Jacky [AND].