August 5, 1996Good Morning Boys and LadyHere are some more South African words and phrases which visitors should pasop for. Spend a few moments finding out what South Africans really mean when they say the things they are wont to say.It's no bladdy good moaning afterwards that you didn't catch anyone's drift. So here, with the help of Main Street readers, is our latest addition to the lexicon of South African words and phrases you will encounter but which you will not find in the usual guide books. (To see our three previous Cyberbraai lists, just click on here, man.) BISCUIT: Unlike the American variety - which is a scone without the sugar mixed in - a South African biscuit is a cookie. Americans who ask for a biscuit with their breakfast will get a lemon cream, a romany, a marie, maybe a cream cracker - and a puzzled look. On the subject of breakfast, if you pour syrup over your bacon and eggs in the American style, you will attract considerable attention and be thought somewhat odd. Also, you will probably have to pay each time you refresh your coffee cup. There's no free lunch in Washington, and no free coffee in South Africa. BOET: This an Afrikaans word meaning "brother" which is shared by all language groups. Pronounced "boot" as in "foot", it can be applied to a non-brother. For instance a father can call his son "boet" and friends can apply the term to each other too. Sometimes the diminutive "boetie" is used. But don't use either with someone you hardly know - it will be thought patronizing. BONSELLA: This is a pleasant old custom, probably disappearing in these more commercial times, in which a fruit or vegetable street vendor adds an item to the number you have paid for - rather like the 13th donut in a baker's dozen. Don't ask for bonsella in a supermarket where there is no perceptible soul to speak of. BOYS: In South Africa, boys start out as men and then become boys again as soon as they are old enough. For example, the coach of an Under-10 rugby team will tell his players: "Go out and get them, men." On the other hand, the coach of an adult, aging, beer-soaked rugby team will tell his scarred veterans: "Go out and get them, boys." The tendency to reverse ages does not usually apply to females. At a recent press confer-ence where only one of the reporters was a woman, a politician started off thus: "Good morning boys and lady." CAR WORDS: Boots are trunks, hoods are lids, petrol is gasoline, aerials are antennas, windscreens are windshields, pinking is pinging, juddering is shuddering, mudguards are fenders, cubby holes are glove boxes, tires are tyres - and road hogs are road hogs wherever you find them. Some people allege that Johannesburg has the largest claim to the latter but Main Street remains in neutral on this matter. EE-LAY: The strange word being yelled in the streets of Cape Town on weekdays means "City Late" and it is a familiar signal that the final edition of the daily Argus is on sale. Newspaper sellers also shout "Argie" for the Argus, "Cape Taai" for the Cape Times and "Die Burg" for the Afrikaans-language Die Burger. They are not yet running into the streets to announce Main Street, but it's just a matter of time. Other cities don't have newspapers with names suitable for shouting. For instance, it is hard to get excited in Johannesburg when someone shouts "Business Day" or "Mail and Guardian" at you. But Durban's "Mercury" and Port Elizabeth's "Herald" are promising. FLOG: If a South African says he is going to flog his car it is not as sinister as it sounds. It will only be sinister if it is not his car. To flog something means to sell it. South Africans flog things all the time. If someone offers to flog you the Voortrekker Monument, tell him you can't afford it because you haven't finished paying off the Brooklyn Bridge yet. MOOLA: Money, cash. It is appropriate to say to your girl-friend: "We can't go to the bioscope tonight because I'm short of moola." But it is not appropriate to say to your boss: "I have worked here six months now, and I wish to discuss my moola situation with you." Your boss will see that as disrespectful and may take a dim view. Rather use the word "salary" although that may be too grand a term for what you are earning. PASOP: From the Afrikaans phrase meaning "Watch Out!", this warning is used and heeded by all language groups. As in: "Your mother hasn't had her morning coffee yet Boet -- so pasop and stay out of her way." Sometimes just the word "pasop!" is enough without further explanation. Everyone knows it sets out a line in the sand not to be crossed. SAFE, MY MATE: It is hard to trace the origin of this widely-used phrase, but the "mate" indicates an Australian connec-tion. It means "okay" or "fine" at the end of an exchange. For example, if your mechanic says your car has been repaired and can be driven again, you can say "Safe, my mate." But it is not an appropriate response if your boss says your work is lousy and you are being watched. SAMOOSA: South Africa has a rich ethnic diversity and samoosas are one of the treasures of that mix. They are small three-cornered, deep-fried curried pies about the size of American biscuits, great for lunch or just for snacking. You will find them in cafes throughout the country, but the best are in Cape Town, cultural home of the Malay community which has made a dominating contribution to the country's culinary tradition. If you take samoosas to a picnic make sure your loved one also eats them because there is a distinct aftertaste. SNOEK: Sooner or later you will be offered a dish of snoek (pronounced "snook" as in "look") and you should accept it. This is Thyrsites atun, a school fish found in Cape seas whose fierce, forbidding appearance -- rather like a barracuda -- belies a tasty flavor, especially when fresh. The return to harbor of the small snoek boats, surrounded by squealing sea gulls, is one of Cape Town's great sights. Until fairly recently, snoek could be bought from horse-drawn carts, along with stockfish (hake) and, more expensively, kingklip, a deep water fish whose steaks are considered one of the Cape's finest delicacies. At one time, snoek was a staple diet for many people and a handful of people still call Cape Town "Snoek-town" although we have yet to meet one. Dried, salted snoek can be eaten as is, or served braised in a stew which is called "smoor-vis". It tastes better than it sounds. STANDARD: What are known as grades in American schools or forms in England are called standards in South Africa. Children spend the first two of their 12 school years in Sub-A and Sub-B and then go into Standard One at age about seven or eight. An old South African joke: "Standard Three was the happiest two years of my life." Standard 10 is the final year of high school and is also known as matric. Like their counterparts around the world, matric students do silly things when their high school years are finally over. Their parents get annoyed and tell them they must act like grown-ups now. STOEPKAKKER: This rude word describes a small, fat and old dog of the spoiled rotten variety which has found its sunny spot on the stoep (veranda) and refuses - with miniature fangs at full snarl -- to budge for anyone or anything, not even to take care of its bodily functions. Any further translation would be tricky. We have to confess that we had not heard this word until recently but a usually respectable reader insists it is in wide use. TICKEY: Most South Africans have never used a tickey or even seen one, but the word remains a part of their language. A tickey was a small silver coin worth three pennies before decimalization in the Sixties. It could buy a newspaper, a packet of chips, a chocolate bar, three suckers (lollipops), or pay for a telephone call (when inserted into a "tickey box"), and four of them added up to a shilling which was also called a "bob". Tickey still means something small but considerable. You can say: "He is just two bricks and a tickey high, but he's a tough oke." One of South Africa's most popular circus clowns of a few years ago was named Tickey. VAN DER MERWE: Just as Paddy is the central figure of Irish jokes and Cohen turns up in Jewish humor, Van der Merwe (pronounced "Merver" is the butt of South African jokes. Sometimes this mythical figure is referred to simply as "Van". Real-life Van der Merwes are probably irritated about it, but most seem to accept the situation with good grace. In a typical story, Van is planning a visit to America. He practices driving on the right hand side of the road on a trip down to Durban but gives up half-way because it's just too bladdy dangerous. LEXICON 1: Isit? Jawelnofine! |
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