Dinkus

In typography, a dinkus is a typographic symbol which often consists of

three spaced asterisks or bullets in a horizontal row, i.e. ∗ ∗ ∗ or
• • • . The symbol has a variety of uses, and it usually denotes an
intentional omission or a logical "break" of varying degree in a written
work. This latter use is similar to a subsection, and it indicates to the reader
that the subsequent text should be re-contextualized. When used this way,
the dinkus typically appears centrally aligned on a line of its own with
vertical spacing before and after the symbol. The dinkus has been in use in
various forms since c. 1850.[1][2] Historically, the dinkus was often
represented as an asterism, ⁂ , though this use has fallen out of favor and is
now nearly obsolete.[3]

Etymology
The word was coined by an artist on the Australian periodical, The Bulletin,
Three asterisks used as a
in the 1920s and is derived from the word dinky.[4] dinkus in the James Huneker
novel Painted Veils. In this
case, it is being used to
Usage accentuate the end of a
particularly racy chapter,
The dinkus is used for various purposes, but many of them are related to an priming the reader for the
change in tone.
intentional break in the flow of the text.

Subsection break
A dinkus can be used to accentuate a break between subsections of a single overarching section.[5] When an
author chooses to use a dinkus to divide a larger section,[6][7] the intent is to maintain an overall sense of
continuity within the overall chapter or section while changing elements of the setting or timeline.[8][9] For
instance, when the writer is introducing a flashback or other jarring scene change, a dinkus can help denote
the change in setting within the overall theme of the chapter; in that case, it can be preferable to the initiation
of a new chapter.[10] This technique is used especially in literary fiction.[8][10]

Intentionally omitted information

Many applications of the dinkus, including those that were common historically, have indicated intentional
omission of information.[1] In these cases, the dinkus is used to inform the reader that the information has
been omitted.[2] It can also be used to mean "untitled" or that the author or title was withheld. This is
evident, for example, in some editions of Album for the Young by composer Robert Schumann (№ 21, 26,
and 30).[11]

A dinkus can also be used in any context as a simple means of abbreviation of any text.[9] The dinkus is also
used specifically in this capacity within the sphere of lawmaking, particularly for city ordinances. When
used in legal text, the dinkus indicates an abbreviation within amendments to code while not implying the
repeal of the omitted sections.[12]

Ornamentation
Newspapers, magazines, and other works can use dinkuses as simple ornamentation of typography, for solely
aesthetic reasons.[13] When a dinkus is used primarily for aesthetic purposes, it often takes the form of a
fleuron, e.g. ❧, or sometimes a dingbat.[14] While fleurons, dingbats, and dinkuses are usually distinct, their
uses can overlap.

Poetic symbolism
In some cases, the use of a dinkus has been employed in poetry in order to convey non-verbal meaning. This
is exemplified in the poem Thresholes by Lara Mimosa Montes, in which the poet makes frequent use of a
circular dinkus, ○ , as a form of "punctuation at the level of the full text, rather than the phrase or the
sentence" throughout the course of the work.[15]

Variations
Many variations of dinkuses are composed partially or entirely of asterisks, although other symbols can be
used to achieve the same goals. Some examples include a series of dots,[16][17] fleurons,[17] asterisms, or
small drawings.[4] Esperanto Braille punctuation commonly uses a series of colons, ⠒⠒⠒, as a dinkus.

Gallery
Uses of dinkuses in literary works

A Polish translation of a A combination of a fleuron Mrs. Henry Wood's 19th-

French work depicting the and line-shaped dinkus in century novel exemplifying
use of a series of dots as a the same Polish work a line-shaped dinkus with a
dinkus. The dinkus is used central diamond used as a
to separate the translator's chapter break
notes from the text.
 Photograph of a German Lewis Carroll's Alice in Ulysses by James Joyce
novel, Infinite Adventures, Wonderland, in a print of uses an asterism as a
which uses an infinity indeterminate age, features dinkus in earlier prints,
symbol in triplicate as a dinkuses in the form of while newer editions
dinkus asterisks used to form a replace it with three
field of stars. horizontal asterisks.

Other uses of the term "dinkus"

Among older Hungarian Americans and Polish Americans, dinkus is an archaic term for Easter Monday.[18]

In Australian English, particularly in the news media, the word "dinkus" refers to a small photograph of the
author of a news article.[19][20] Outside of Australia, this is often referred to as a headshot.

References
1. Butterford, Consul Willshire (1858). A Comprehensive System of Grammatical and Rhetorical
Punctuation. Cincinnati: Longley Brothers. pp. 37, 40.
2. Houston, Keith (2013). Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, and Other
Typographical Marks.
3. Peško, Radim; Lüthi, Louis (2007). Bailey, Stuart; Bilak, Peter (eds.). Dot Dot Dot 13. Princeton
Architectural Press. p. 193. ISBN 978-90-77620-07-6.
4. "Dinkus". Macquarie Dictionary. Sydney. "A dinkus is a small drawing used in printing to
decorate a page, or to break up a block of type. It was coined by an artist on [Sydney's] The
Bulletin magazine in the 1920s, and it is derived from the word dinky, meaning 'small' "
5. "Glossary" (http://www.thenewsmanual.net/Resources/glossary.html#D). The News Manual.
6. Hudson, Robert (2010). The Christian Writer's Manual of Style. p. 386.
7. "D'Alliage à Avertissement — Orthotypographie, de Jean-Pierre Lacroux (Lexique des règles
typographiques françaises)" (https://www-orthotypographie-fr.translate.goog/volume-I/alliage-a
vertissement.html?_x_tr_sch=http&_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en#Asterisque). www-
orthotypographie-fr.translate.goog.
8. Flann, Elizabeth; Hill, Beryl; Wang, Lan (2014). The Australian Editing Handbook.
9. Lacroux, Jean-Pierre. Orthotypographie.
10. "Five Ways I Hate Your Dinkus" (https://www.selfpublishingreview.com/2021/08/five-ways-i-hat
e-your-dinkus/). Self-Publishing Review. August 26, 2021.
11. Taruskin, Richard (2005). The Oxford History of Western Music. Vol. 3. p. 311. ISBN 978-0-19-
516979-9.
12. "Did You Know? The Dinkus" (https://www.municode.com/code/page/did-you-know-dinkus).
Municode.
13. Quinn, Stephen (2012). Digital Sub-Editing and Design.
14. Bringhurst, Robert (2004). The Elements of Typographic Style (https://archive.org/details/isbn_
9780881791327/page/63/mode/2up) (3rd ed.). Hartley & Marks. p. 63, 290–291. ISBN 978-0-
88179-206-5. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
15. Gabbert, Elisa (December 29, 2020). "How Poets Use Punctuation as a Superpower and a
Secret Weapon" (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/29/books/review/on-poetry-punctuation.ht
ml). The New York Times.
16. Lundmark, Torbjorn (2002). Quirky Qwerty: The Story of the Keyboard @ Your Fingertips.
University of New South Wales. p. 120. ISBN 9780868404363.
17. Crystal, David (2016). Making a Point: The Pernickety Story of English Punctuation. London
Profile Books. ISBN 9781781253519.
18. Pleck, Elizabeth Hafkin (2001). Celebrating the Family: Ethnicity, Consumer Culture, and
Family Rituals. Harvard University Press. p. 90. ISBN 9780674002302.
19. "Infinite Anthology" (https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2010/august/1280988123/les-murra
y/infinite-anthology). The Monthly. August 5, 2010.
20. Sadokierski, Zoe (27 March 2014). "Why The Saturday Paper's design breeds disappointment"
(https://theconversation.com/why-the-saturday-papers-design-breeds-disappointment-24198).
The Conversation.

Further reading
Daisy Alioto's analysis of the dinkus in The Paris Review: Ode to the Dinkus (https://www.thepa
risreview.org/blog/2018/06/08/ode-to-the-dinkus/).

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