This uniquely Aussie word describes a young hooligan. It is generally reckoned to be one of the oldest ‘Strine’ terms, having probably developed in the colony during the early 18thC. As with many interesting coinages, there are several explanations of its origin. The most scholarly (and least plausible) is that it derives from the English 18thC urban slang term a ‘leary kinchin’. According to the philologists, this was the equivalent of a young rascal, though these same scholars are forced to admit that where the word ‘leary’ is concerned, both its origins and meaning are obscure, and that ‘kinchen’ seems to have been underworld slang for a child (ie again they don’t really know). Much more plausible is the usual explanation, that larrikin derives from the popular Irish nickname for anyone called Lawrence ie Larry, with ‘kin’ being a form of diminutive. However, another plausible explanation has it all down to one man – an Irish policeman who was giving evidence in court. He was describing the behaviour of the defendant, but instead of saying that he was larking about, it came out as ‘larrikin’. The clerk of the court copied this down, and it quickly passed into common usage. So much so, that in the early days there were even ‘larrikinesses’; districts like The Rocks, in Sydney (see photo), soon became notorioius for ‘larrikinism’; and a local wag once stood for parliament as a ‘larrikinist’.