Green’s Dictionary of Slang
![[SA]](/static/img/flags/sa.png "South Africa")
‘SA English’ on Joburg.org.za 🌐 Boet (pronounced like book) – ‘Boet’ is the Afrikaans word for ‘brother’. Once again it is used as a term of affection, as in: ‘This guy is my boet!’ Beware, however, when a huge Neanderthal says to you: ‘Hey boet, don’t tune me grief.’ Then it is probably time to leave.at boet, n.
‘SA English’ on Joburg.org.za 🌐 Van der Merwe (pronounced fun-duh-mer-vuh) – Van der Merwe is the butt of many a South African joke, much like Paddy is in Irish jokes. Sometimes he is just called ‘Van’ (pronounced the English way).at Van der Merwe, n.
‘SA English’ on Joburg.org.za 🌐 Dop [...] Alternatively, it can mean failure as in: ‘I dopped the test.’.at dop, v.1
‘SA English’ on Joburg.org.za 🌐 Dumpie – A South African beer served in a brown 340ml bottle. An example of usage is: ‘Hey bru, throw me a dumpie.’.at dumpie, n.
‘SA English’ on Joburg.org.za 🌐 Durbs – Nickname for the city of Durban.at Durbs, n.
‘SA English’ on Joburg.org.za 🌐 Dwaal (pronounced dwarl) – Used to indicate a lack of concentration or focus. Say a friend is talking to you but your mind is elsewhere. When the friend finishes speaking and looks at you as if expecting an answer, your response would be: ‘Sorry, I was in a bit of a dwaal. Could you repeat that?’.at dwaal, n.
‘SA English’ on Joburg.org.za 🌐 Gatvol (pronounced ghut-foll) – Taken from Afrikaans, this means ‘fed up’, as in ‘Jislaaik china, I’m gatvol of working in this hot sun.’ Translation: ‘Gee my friend, I’m fed up with working in this hot sun.’.at gatvol, adj.
‘SA English’ on Joburg.org.za 🌐 Graze – Grazing usually implies the eating habits of herbivores, but in South Africa it can also be used in reference to people and food, as in: ‘Let’s grab some graze before we go out.’.at graze, n.
‘SA English’ on Joburg.org.za 🌐 Kaalvoet (pronounced carl-foot) – Stolen from Afrikaans, this means barefoot and is more widely used on the platteland than in cities. In South African schools, young boys usually play rugby ‘kaalvoet’ until they have finished primary school. Once they reach high school they graduate to wearing rugby boots for the first time.at kaalvoet, adj.
‘SA English’ on Joburg.org.za 🌐 Koki (pronounced koh-key) – A coloured marker or felt-tip pen.at koki, n.
‘SA English’ on Joburg.org.za 🌐 Pasop (pronounced pus-orp) – This Afrikaans word means ‘Beware’ or ‘Watch out’. Depending on context it can mean different things. If a huge Neanderthal tells you to ‘pasop’, it is wise to leave. Alternatively, it might be used when someone is moving a heavy object and is warning people to keep out of the way in case they drop it.at pas op!, excl.
‘SA English’ on Joburg.org.za 🌐 Durbs – Nickname for the city of Durban. Johannesburg is called Jo’burg, Joeys or Jozi, Port Elizabeth is PE, and Potchefstroom is referred to as Potch.at P.E., n.
‘SA English’ on Joburg.org.za 🌐 Rooinek (pronounced roy-neck) – Taken from the Afrikaans this translates as ‘red neck’, but does not mean the same as it does in the United States. It was first used by Afrikaners many decades ago to refer to Englishmen, because of the way their white necks would turn pink from sunburn. Today it is often used by Afrikaans speakers as a term of affection towards English speakers, as in: ‘Hey rooinek, how are you? I haven’t seen you for a long time.’.at rooinek, n.
‘SA English’ on Joburg.org.za 🌐 Slip slops, slops – Sandals or rubber thongs worn to the beach. These usually have a thin strap between the big toe and the toe next to it. Not to be worn with socks!at slip-slop, n.
‘SA English’ on Joburg.org.za 🌐 Struesbob (pronounced s-true-zz-bob) – ‘As true as God’, meaning it’s the gospel truth. An example is: ‘I decided to bet just R10 at the horse races and struesbob I won R2000.’.at struesbob!, excl.
‘SA English’ on Joburg.org.za 🌐 Windgat (pronounced vint-ghut) – This means a show-off. Taken from the Afrikaans, it literally means ‘wind hole’ and refers to a show-off blowing his own trumpet.at windgat, n.
no more results