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These are two of my partner's favourite words to describe something slightly shabby or disreputable. I seem to have acquired them from him, and being a non-native speaker of English, I never doubted them as perfectly good English words. A friend of my partner's, however, insists that these words are not real English and he has made them up. Does anyone else know these words and use them? P.S. If the answer is "no", then we'll just have to promote their usage all over the world... they are such beautiful, expressive words! 
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Carpal Tunnel
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Dear Marianna: It seems to me that neologisms are more likely to catch on, if there is some sort of clue in their sound to suggest origin. Perhaps skanky could combine features of skunk and cranky. Manky is a bit harder. I am thinking of manicky and manque, but can't see any blending of those two.
There used to be a cliche about "Run it up the flagpole, and see if anybody salutes it." I can't quite manage a salute. wwh
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journeyman
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journeyman
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Skanky - yes, I've used it and my friends use it. I find the word rather unsavory and apply it accordingly! As to "manky," haven't heard that one! In what part of the world is it being used?
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I've heard both the adjective skanky and the noun skank for 20+ years now. They both refer to promiscuity and uncleanliness (an unGodly combination!). As I recall they can be used in reference to 'skanks' of either sex. Manky I think is a bit newer, least 'round these parts.
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Skank is a steady-paced dance performed to reggae music or -- in American slang -- a decidedly disreputable person. It is quite common to make a sound-alike nonsense of the original word as a way to disparage it Skanky-manky : meaning "so you are dancing around this, it doesn't change the fact you have to face it." Or : "So this friend is a skank, makes no difference if you like her." Or : "This is an off-kilter proposition so what difference does that make to what has to be done." Skanky-manky! Those on this board with better poetic talents could probably give you more examples in this interpretation ... irreneverthelessgardless  it is one meaning I am familiar with. Any other info out there? wow
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skanky? manky?? good heavens... I'm going to quote "A Dictionary of Slang (slang and colloquialisms of the UK)" for you: >>skanky Adj. Dirty, unnattractive, ugly, smelly << >>manky Adj. Scruffy, dirty, distasteful, disgusting. << in usage: she's a skanky, manky ol' whoor... "beautiful, expressive words" indeed.
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Pooh-Bah
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I'm very fond of "manky", as in "this bread looks a bit manky, I'm going to throw it out". If you had a cut and it looked like it needed antibiotics it would be "a bit manky", accompanied by screwed up face. I was going to say that a person would not be manky, only things but now I think about it someone badly in need of a bath could be described as manky.
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tsuwm and DougS - I glad you's said it first, for I have never heard the word skanky describe anything but "whores".
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Goodness. Our use of skanky and manky is extremely mild in comparison with the examples that have been proposed. In the same line as JMH, I'd say that potted plants start looking rather manky if you don't water them for ten days. And my boots might be skanky after a walk in a muddy area, for instance... A person wouldn't be manky... but yes, you could say someone is skanky if s/he looks unkempt, I guess. The musical connection is interesting, and I do realise now that I am familiar with that Marley song "Easy Skanking"... thanks wow. In any case, I'm glad to see more people know and use these words. And I still find them beautifully expressive, even if semantically they denote something not too pleasant!
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Wow's musical connection is intriguing. One of the usages I found for skank was someone who refuses to face their responsibilities. Makes sense with her skanky-manky 'dancing around the issue' premise.
I have a feeling though, that this usage started in the UK or one of the two major punk centers in the US, NYC or LA. The term skanking was appropriated from the UK based Jamaican community as early as the late 70s, possibly earlier. My punk rock buddies and I used the term skanking for dancing in Virginia, cultural backwater that it was, as early as 1979. It wouldn't surprise me if one of it's original meanings, that of smelliness or dirtiness, was used by punk rock kids to describe their nasty, sweaty selves after a night of dancing. The rest may have just evolved from there.
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