According to three extremely bored teenagers, dibber is simply a nonsense word used occasionally (or perhaps gratuitously) in normal conversation. When ordering a McPav at the local McDonalds or even while wearing togs and jandals, dibber is appropriate in all contexts.

The origin of the word is somewhat a mystery, although a few facts are known to be true. It was first uttered in the southern hemisphere east of Australia on the small northern island of New Zealand. More specifically, it was in Wellington, towards the southern tip of the island.

It was during the spring of the millennium, a lovely time in NZ despite the rather nasty drought followed by boundless rainfall we experienced. My younger cousin, who spent most of last year in Singapore, needed to be walked home from school one afternoon. She attended an all girls college of some sort, and when my brother and I walked in, all eyes were drawn to the boy. He drew giggles and nonsense from everyone within view. He’s used to the attention, being somewhat of a pimp in his spare time, so he handled it well. I’d say he enjoyed flaunting himself, in fact.

On the way back to the cousin's house, we confronted the boy about his atrocious behavior. For some reason (perhaps he finally found some modesty) he blushed after we berated him sufficiently. The cousin asked, “So, do you have anything to say for yourself, cuz?”

The boy replied with a single word: “Dibber.”

The cousin and I were dumbfounded at first, completely taken aback by this random burst of nonsense. Then we realized the potential of the word, and exploited it to the max. Soon it replaced all other words in our vocabularies. It began to spread to the cousin’s other friends, and to their friends as well. Soon all of Wellington was speaking of dibber. It might take a little while yet for the trend to make its way overseas, but keep your ears open. It will be here soon.

A dibber is a cylindrical device used to push down semi-solid material.

In gardening, a dibber is about an inch wide, and used to push down soil, to make room for bulbs or seeds. At a push1, the handle of a trowel or one's finger both make perfectly acceptible dibbers.
When hand-rolling a cigarette or joint, a small dibber is used to push down the material to allow a filter or roach to be inserted. Some lighters have a removable flint assembly that can be used as a dibber.
It is entirely possible that 'dibber' is a chiefly British word (as microsoft bookshelf is fond of saying).

1 - hoho.

Dib"ber (?), n.

A dibble.

Halliwell.

 

© Webster 1913.

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