WRITER'S CRAMP
Glossary
SUBSTITUTES
by Frank Swales
SHADOW-BOXING
LEAVES NO BRUISES
by Frank Swales
Words & Phrases of South Africa.
In Afrikaans, Zulu & Lingua franca.
AFRIKANER: White South African of Dutch/German/Huguenot stock.
AG, MOENIE KAF PRAAT NIE!: Oh, don't talk rubbish!
AG, VOETSAK, ROOINEK: Oh, go away, redneck (immigrant).
AMANDLA!: Power! Freedom slogan.
ASSEBLIEF: (if you) Please.
BAIE DANKIE, OOM ACKER: Thank you very much, Uncle Acker.
BAIE LEKKER: Delicious.
BAKKIE: Pickup truck.
BASTER: Bastard.
BLIKSEM: Lightning (expletive). Also to assault physically.
BOBBEJAAN: Baboon (usually an insult). Also a monkey wrench.
BOERBOETIE: Afrikaner friend/brother.
BOERWORS: Large, heavily-spiced sausage.
BOSS: Bureau for State Security.
BRAAI: Barbecue.
BUNDU: Uncultivated grassland, back of beyond.
DAGGA: Marijuana.
EK IS 'N GOED MEISIE: I am a good girl.
EK IS NIE BANG VIR JOU NIE: I'm not afraid of you.
EKSKUSEER, MENEER: Excuse me, sir.
EK SOEK PIET'S VROU: I'm looking for Piet's woman.
EK WEET NIE, BAAS: I do not know, boss.
GROOT DOM DWAAS!: Big stupid fool!
GOGGAS: Insects generally.
HLALA KAHLE, HAMBA KAHLE: Stay well, go well.
ISIFEBE: Prostitute.
JOU PRAAT KAF: You talk rubbish.
KAFFIR: Black person (insult, as painful as `nigger').
KAFFIRBOETIE: (insult) Nigger lover.
KHAYA: Servant's quarters, usually in a back yard corner.
KINDERS: Children.
KOM ... WOZA: Come (Afrikaans) ... come (Zulu).
KOM BY DIE SLAAPKAMER: Come to the bedroom.
MADALA: Old man.
MEISIE: girl.
MEJUFFROU: Miss, young lady.
MEVROU: Madam.
MIELIE PAP: Maize porridge. A staple Bantu food.
MINA THANDA WENA: I love you.
MOENIE PRAAT SO: Don't talk like that.
MORE, MENEER. EK SOEK MY MEISIE: Morning, sir. I'm looking for my girl (servant).
'MUTHI: (umuthi) Medicines and charms bought from a sangoma. (Medicine man/woman).
NEE DANKIE, MENEER: No thank you, sir.
OOM: Uncle.
PASSE-PASSE: Quickly.
PHATA-PHATA: Sexual intercourse, chichi.
PINKSTER KERK: Pentecostal church.
ROOINEK: Redneck, a derogatory term for an immigrant.
SANGOMA: Tribal medicine man/woman.
SAWABONA UMFAZI/UMNUMZANA: Greetings woman/sir.
SHEBEEN: Illegal drinking house.
SIES! BAAS, SKEI UIT!: (Interj./disgust) Boss, cut it out!
SJAMBOK: Whip.
SKELM: Rogue, thief.
SKOKIAAN: Shebeen liquor, based on brown bread and yeast.
SOUTIE: (sout pilaar) Salt column, a derogatory term for an immigrant, especially British. The Afrikaner sees him politically as having one foot in South Africa and the other foot still in Britain, with his genitals dangling in the salty water of the sea.
STOEP: Verandah.
'THONDO: (umthondo) Penis.
TACKIES: Casual shoes, loafers.
THOKOLOSHI: Evil gnome from Zulu folklore.
TSOTSIS: Street thugs, gangsters.
UITLANDERS: Aliens.
VULA: Open up.
WIE IS DAAR?: Who is there?
WOZANI LAPHA: Come here.