ABSP - South African

Afrikaans/South African

Words

aardvark	a nocturnal, insectivorous, badger-sized mammal, native to sub-Saharan Africa. [Afk. aardvark(en) (now erdvark), f. aarde earth + varken pig.]
aardwolf	a hyena-like African mammal, aka EARTHWOLF.
aasvogel	a S. African vulture. [Dutch = 'carrion bird'].
agterskot	the final payment to a farmer for crops.
apartheid	segregation and separate development (of races).
baas	boss.
baaskaap baasskap baaskap	the condition in which one section of the population is treated as the master race, esp. the policy of domination of white people in South Africa.
backveld	country remote from towns.
berg	a hill or mountain in S. Africa.
bakgat	fine, excellent.
bakkie	a small open truck.
banket	a gold-bearing pebbly conglomerate. [Dutch banketje, almond rock].
berghaan	the bateleur eagle. [Afrik. berg, mountain, + haan, cock].
bijwoner bywoner	the sub-tenant of a farm; an agricultural labourer. [Dutch bijwonen, to be present].
biltong	a kind of dried meat.
blaubok bloubok	a South African antelope, the bluebuck.
blesbok blesbuck	a South African antelope, having a large white spot on the forehead.
bliksem	fine, excellent.
bobbejaan	a baboon; a large black spider.
boerewors	a traditional S. African sausage > BOEREWORSES.
boep	a protruding belly.
boerbul boerbull	a crossbred mastiff used esp as a watchdog.
boet boertjie	a friend.
bok	a goat or antelope.
bokmakerie	a large yellow shrike.
bontebok	the pied antelope of South Africa, aka BLESBOK.
boomslang	a highly venomous southern African tree-snake. [Du. boom, tree, + slang, snake].
bosberaad	a meeting in an isolated place to break a political deadlock.
bosbok boschbok boshbok	a kind of antelope, a bush-buck.
boschveld bushveld	veld made up largely of woodland.
boykie	a chap or fellow.
braai	to grill or roast meat over open coals > BRAAIS, BRAAIING, BRAAIED.
braaivleis	a barbecue party.
brak	brackish, salty; (noun) a mongrel dog.
bredie	a meat and vegetable stew.
brei brey	to speak with uvular r, especially in Afrikaans.
broekies	underpants.
brommer brummer	the bluebottle.
bru	a friend.
chakalaka	a relish of tomatoes, onions and spices.
chommie	a friend, chum.
chorrie	a dilapidated old car.
couzin	a friend.
craal kraal	a pen for cattle; (verb) to enclose in such a pen.
dassie	a small mammal, the hyrax. [Dutch dasje, dim. of das, badger].
dikkop	the stone curlew.
dinges dingus	an indefinite name for any person or thing whose name one cannot remember.
disselboom	the single shaft of an ox-wagon or other cart.
doek	a square cloth for tying round the head, worn by African women.
dof	stupid.
donder	to beat up, thrash.
doorn	a thorn.
doppie	a cartridge-case. [Dutch dop, shell, case].
dorp	a S. African village or small town.
dronklap	a drunkard.
dronkverdriet	depressed after the consumption of alchohol.
drostdy	the house and office of a LANDDROST > DROSTDYS or DROSTDIES.
drummy	a drum majorette.
dumela	hello, good morning.
duiker duyker	a small S. African antelope.
eina	an interjection expressing sudden pain.
dwaal	a state of befuddlement.
eish	interjection expressing surprise, dismay.
flatstick	with great speed or effort.
fricadel frikkadel	a fried ball of mincemeat.
fynbos	in South Africa, an area of low shrubs > FYNBOSES. [Dutch fijn, fine + bosch, bush].
gammat	a Cape Coloured person.
gatvol	fed up.
geelbek	a yellow-jawed fish
gemsbok gemsbuck	a South African antelope, having long, sharp, nearly straight horns.
gogga	an insect, a creepy-crawly.
grysbok	a small South African antelope, speckled with gray and chestnut. [Dutch 'grey buck'].
haanepoot hanepoot honeypot	a kind of grape. [Dutch haane-poot, cockfoot].
hadedah	a lare greyish-green ibis.
hamba	go away.
hammerkop	a bird of the heron family. [Dutch 'hammer-head'].
handlanger	an unskilled assistant to a tradesman.
hartbees hartebeest hartbeest	a large S. African antelope.
howzit	a greeting, how is it going.
inspan	to yoke e.g. oxen to a vehicle.
isit	an expression used in response to a statement, sometimes to seek confirmation but often merely to show that one is listening.
jaap	a simpleton or country bumpkin.
jambok sjambok	a rhinoceros-hide whip; (verb) to beat with this. N.B. SJAMBOKED/SJAMBOKING and SJAMBOKKED/SJAMBOKKING, but only JAMBOKKED/JAMBOKKING.
jinne+ jirre	an exclamation indicating surprise, shock etc.
jol	to have a good time > JOLS, JOLLING, JOLLED
joller	one who JOLS, has a good time
jong	a friend, esp. as an address
jukskei	an outdoor game similar to quoits. [Afrik. yuk, yoke + skei, pin].
kaal	naked.
kabeljou kabeljouw	a large S. African fish.
jaap	a simpleton or country bumpkin.
kak	faeces, rubbish.
kaross	A S. African garment of animal skins.
kerel	a chap or fellow
kiaat	a tropical leguminous tree
kiff	excellent.
kingklip	any of several marine food fishes.
klap	to slap or smack.
kleinhuisie	an outside lavatory.
klipdas	the Cape HYRAX, an African mammal, like a woodchuck but more closely related to ungulates. [Dutch = 'rock badger'].
klipspringer	a small, hoofed African antelope.
kloof	a deep ravine in South Africa.
konfyt	a preserve of fruit, in syrup or candied.
kop	a hill.
kopje koppie	a low hill.
kotch	to vomit.
krans krantz kranz	a crown of rock on a mountain-top. [Dutch krans, a wreath].
kurvey	to transport goods by wagon. [Dutch karwei, work].
laager	a defensive ring of ox-wagons; (verb) to arrange wagons in such a ring.
laer	= LAAGER, a camp; (verb) to make camp.
landdros landdrost	in South Africa, a district magistrate or sheriff.
lapje lappie	a rag or piece of cloth.
lekker	pleasing, tasty
loslyf	a promiscuous female.
lowveld	the lower altitude areas of the eastern Transvaal.
mampara	a foolish person.
mampoer	home-made brandy distilled from peaches, prickly pear etc.
marabi	a kind of music popular in townships in the 1930s.
mealie mealy mielie	an ear of maize.
mevrou	a title of respect for a woman
middelmannetjie	a ridge between the ruts made by wheels in a dirt road.
moer	a despicable person; (verb) to attack someone
moffie	a homosexual
mooi	fine.
mosbolletje	in S. Africa, a sweet bun made of dough leavened with grape must.
moskonfyt	a thick syrup made from grapes.
naartje nartjie naartjie	a small sweet orange like the mandarin. [Afk. f. Tamil narattai citrus].
nachtmaal	an older form of NAGMAAL, a Dutch Reformed Church Sacrament, the Lord's Supper.
nadors	thirst brought on by excessive consumption of alcohol.
nagapie	the bush-baby or nocturnal lemur. [Dutch 'night ape'].
nagmaal	a Dutch Reformed Church Sacrament, the Lord's Supper. [= 'night meal'].
nek	a COL, a pass over mountains.
nkosi	a term of address to a superior.
nooit	an interjection expressing surprise.
oom	uncle.
opgefok	damaged, bungled.
oribi ourebi	a small South African antelope.
oubaas	someone senior to oneself
ouma	a grandmother
oupa	a grandfather
outspan	to unharness a draft animal.
padkos	snacks and provisions for a journey.
palmiet	a S. African aloe-like riverside plant of the rush family.
pampoen	a pumpkin.
perlemoen	a sea creature with a shell lined with mother-of-pearl
plaas	a farm
platanna	the African clawed frog.
platteland	rural districts.
poep	a fart, a despicable person
poepol	a slang word for the anus
poort	a mountain pass.
potjie	a three-legged iron pot used for cooking over a wood fire.
pronk	of a springbok, to leap in the air. [Du. pronken, to show off].
ratel	an African badger, aka honey-badger.
reebok rhebok	a S. African antelope.
regmaker	a drink taken to counterct the effect of a hangover
reitbok	the reedbuck.
riem	a raw-hide thong.
riempie	a long RIEM about the width of a shoelace, used as string.
ringhals rinkhals	an African snake that spits its venom > RINGHALSES, RINKHALSES.
rondavel	in S. Africa, a round hut with a grass roof. [Afrik. rondawel].
rooibos	a kind of tea prepared from the dried leaves of an African plant
rooikat	a S. African lynx
rooinek	an Afrikaans nickname for an English-speaking person. [Afrikaans = 'red neck'].
sarmie	a sandwich.
schanse schantze schanze	a heap of stones used as protection against rifle-fire.
schelm skelm	a rascal.
shweshwe	an African cotton print fabric.
sies	an interjection expressing disgust.
sif	syphilitic, nasty.
sitkamer	a sitting-room
sjoe	an interjection expressing surprirse, admiration etc.
skeef	at an oblique angle
skollie skolly	a coloured hooligan.
skyf	a cigarette or substance for smoking; (verb) to smoke > SKYFS, SKYFING, SKYFED.
sloot sluit	in S. Africa, a narrow water-channel.
smaak	to like or love.
smouser	in S. Africa, a pedlar.
snoep	tight-fisted.
sosatie	a skewer of curried meat pieces.
soutie soutpiel	derogatory for an English-speaking S. African.
spekboom	a South African succulent shrub of the purslane family. [Dutch 'bacon tree'].
spanspek	a tough-skinned melon
spaza	as in spaza shop, a small shop in a township. No —S.
springhaas springhase	a S. African nocturnal rodent.
spruit	a small stream flowing only in the wet season.
staffrider	a person who illegally rides on the outside of a suburban train.
steenbras	an edible estuarine S. African fish. [Dutch = 'stone bream'].
steenbok steinbok steenbuck	a small S. African antelope. [Du. steen, stone + bok, buck].
stokvel	in S. Africa, an informal savings pool or syndicate.
stompie	a cigarette butt; a short man.
stukkend	broken or wretched.
suiplap	a drunkard.
taal	language, usu. by implication Afrikaans.
tannie	aunt, a title of respect for older woman.
taal	language, usu. by implication Afrikaans.
toebie	a sandwich
tronk	jail
tsotsitaal	street slang.
ubuntu	a quality of humanity and compassion
uitlander	a foreigner, esp. a Briton in the Transvaal
veld veldt	open grassland. [Afrikaans veld, from Dutch veld, field].
veldschoen veldskoen velskoen	a shoe made of rawhide.
verkramp	in South Africa, narrow-minded and illiberal esp. towards black and coloured people. Cf. VERKRAMPTE.
verkrampte	in South Africa, (one who is) narrow-minded and illiberal esp. towards black and coloured people. Cf. VERKRAMP, but VERKRAMPTE can be a noun with plural VERKRAMPTES.
verlig	politically liberal. Cf. VERLIGTE.
verligte	in South Africa, (one who is) liberal, politically enlightened. Cf. VERLIG, but VERLIGTE can be a noun with plural VERLIGTES.
vetkoek	a deep-fried cake.
vlei vly	low-lying ground where a shallow lake forms in the wet season.
voema	vigour.
voertsak voertsek voetsak voetsek	an offensive expression of rejection.
volk	the Afrikaner people.
volksraad	a legislative assembly, esp. (with cap.) that of the Transvaal or Orange Free State.
voorkamer	a front room, esp. of a farmhouse
voorskot	advance payment made to a farmer for crops
voortrekker	one of the Dutch farmers from Cape Colony who took part in the Great Trek into the Transvaal in 1836.
vrot	rotten, putrid
vrou	a woman, esp. a married woman
waboom wagenboom	a South African proteaceous tree; also, its tough wood, used for making wagon wheels. [Dutch = 'wagon-tree'].
wena	you.
whenwe	a white immigrant from Zimbabwe.
witblits	a strong home-distilled alcoholic spirit. [Afr. wit, white + blits, lightning].
witgat witgatboom	a South African evergreen tree with edible roots used as a coffee substitute when roasted. [Afk., f. wit, white + gat, hole].
yebo	yes, I agree.
zol	a cannabis cigarette.

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