Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2021 April 2

= April 2 =

How is the pinky colloquially called in Britain or other English speaking regions?
In the article Pinky, it's stated that this term in American English refers to the little finger. Since I was not aware of this restriction (I thought it's common use in any English), I'd like to ask here, what the "pinky" is colloquially called in other English-speaking areas. Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Wales, England, Ireland, Scotland, Canada and former colonies like India and Kenya come to mind. — Daniel FR (talk) 13:47, 2 April 2021 (UTC)
 * According to Little finger, it was originally Dutch via Scottish. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 14:30, 2 April 2021 (UTC)
 * "Little finger". (English English speaker) Bazza (talk) 14:34, 2 April 2021 (UTC)
 * Although like many Americanisms, it's not unknown here. Alansplodge (talk) 19:22, 2 April 2021 (UTC)
 * D'oh! Bugs is right; The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (p. 597) says:
 * "pinkie noun 1 the little finger. Originally Scottish, mostly among children, but now widespread". I can only say that it's not really widespread in London (Britain is a nation of many dialects). Alansplodge (talk) 19:29, 2 April 2021 (UTC)
 * I concur that as a Brit with London and County Durham antecedents, I first encountered the usage as a young(ish) adult in US literature. Certainly when I read Graham Greene's Brighton Rock as a teenager, the name of the major character Pinkie Brown did not evoke a possible meaning of "little finger" to me, even though it seemed incongruous. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195) 2.219.35.136 (talk) 20:41, 2 April 2021 (UTC)
 * "Little finger" in New Zealand and (I'm pretty sure) Australia. Was surprised to read above that it's a Scotticism, I always thought it was American slang. Muzilon (talk) 21:24, 2 April 2021 (UTC)


 * I'd normally say "little finger" or "pinky". But my English has multiple influences, so I asked my wife, who has always lived in Canada.  I just held up mine and asked what she called it.  She said " finger", so I asked her to be more specific.  She then said "'Fifth finger'; 'baby finger'; 'pinky'".  I asked "What about 'little finger'?" and she recognized that usage also.


 * I've heard of "Pinky" as a person's name, but can't think of any real-life examples off the top of my head. If I heard of a gangster or similar person with that as a nickname, I'd guess they were in the habit of wearing a pinky ring. --184.147.181.129 (talk) 03:06, 3 April 2021 (UTC)
 * A thorough search has failed to find out why Graham Green's character was called "Pinkie", but perhaps it was after an American actor and horse-trainer who went by the stage name of Pinkie Barnes, actually Bernard Baronski or Baronowski. He appeared in The Singing Buckaroo (but doesn't get a mention in our article) in 1937, a year before Greene's book was published. The same nickname was adopted a few years later by Lavender Barnes, an English table tennis player. Alansplodge (talk) 21:33, 3 April 2021 (UTC)
 * Lots and lots of real people in Pinky (nickname). Clarityfiend (talk) 23:34, 3 April 2021 (UTC)
 * Canadian here: I'd normally call it "little finger"; "pinky" would be understood, but it's a little cutesy. See also pinky swear for some more notes about usage around the world. Matt Deres (talk) 13:23, 3 April 2021 (UTC)

Traumas of my childhood. HenryFlower 06:08, 4 April 2021 (UTC)

So one could conclude that, although it's widely understood, it's generally recognized as an Americanism? (I am German, by the way.) — Daniel FR (talk) 21:28, 4 April 2021 (UTC)
 * Yes. "Pinky" would be understood in Britain, but as an Americanism.  Ghmyrtle (talk) 21:36, 4 April 2021 (UTC)


 * No, it's completely standard in Scotland. HenryFlower 06:50, 5 April 2021 (UTC)