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yakka

American  
[yak-uh] / ˈjæk ə /

noun

Australian.
  1. work, especially hard work.


yakka British  
/ ˈjækə /

noun

  1. informal work

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of yakka

First recorded in 1885–90; earlier spellings yacker, wakker; of obscure origin; possibly from Yagara (an extinct Australian Aboriginal language of Queensland) yaga “to work”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The next night, after a lot of hard yakka in the field, assistant coach Jeetan Patel said, without flinching, "nothing is impossible" with this team.

From BBC Jan. 28, 2024

England can look forward to some hard yakka.

From BBC Jun. 16, 2023

Never has a day of hard yakka been made to seem so much fun.

From BBC Dec. 3, 2022

He is bowling really well, probably as much as anything because he has embraced the hard yakka rather than lamented it.

From The Guardian Nov. 1, 2015

"After we have prayed, fasted, and done penance, it ought to rain, in order that yamunyi may grow to koatshit, and koatshit ripen to yakka."

From The Delight Makers by Bandelier, Adolph Francis Alphonse

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