CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
ENGUSH COLLECTION
^.an^i^
THE GIFT OF
JAMES MORGAN HART
PROFESSOR OF ENGUSH
^5
/7Xf/3
Cornell University Library
PE 3401.P51
Africanderlsms:
3 1924 026 563 795
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Library
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tine Cornell University Library.
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BOOKS ON SOUTH AFRICA.
THE RISE OF SOUTH AFRICA: A History of the Origin of South
African Colonisation and of its Development towards the East from the
Earliest Times to 1857. By George Edward Cory, M.A., King's College,
Cambridge, Professor in the Rhodes University College, Grahamstown,
South Africa. In 4 vols. 8vo.
Vol. I. FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES TO THE YEAR 1820. With
Map, Plans, and Illustrations. 15s.
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BLACK AND WHITE IN SOUTH-EAST AFRICA: a Study in
Sociology. By Maurice S. Evans, C.M.G. With a Preface by Lieut.-
Colonel Sir Matthew Nathan, G.C.M.G., late Governor of Natal. With
a Map. 8vo, 6s. net.
NATAL : THE STATE AND THE CITIZEN. By P. A. Barnett,
M.A., and G. W. Sweeney, B.A., LL.B. Crown 8vo, 2s.
THE WHITE MAN'S WORK IN ASIA AND AFRICA: a
Discussion of the Main Difficulties of the Colour Question. By Leonard
Alston. Crown 8vo, 3s. net.
THE MONKEYFOLK OF SOUTH AFRICA. By F. W. Fitzsimons,
F.Z.S., etc.. Director, Port Elizabeth Museum. With Illustrations. Large
Crown 8vo, 5s. net.
This is a book dealing with the lives and habits of the monkeyfolk of South Africa,
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of the animals in their natural habitats,
THE SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA : their Venom and the Treat-
ment of Snake Bite. By F. W. Fitzsimons, F.Z.S., F.R.M.S., etc..
Director, Port Elizabeth Museum. New Edition. Enlarged and Thoroughly
Revised. With i Coloured Plate and 193 other Illustrations. 8vo, 12s. 6d.
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SNAKE BITE AND ITS SCIENTIFIC TREATMENT. By F. W.
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JOCK OF THE BUSHVELD. By Sir Percy Fitzpatrick,
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BOSVELD JOCK. Door Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, K.C.M.G.
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THE MINERAL INDUSTRY OF RHODESIA. By J. P. JOHNSON,
Member of Council of Geological Society of South Africa, Certificated Mine
Surveyor of the Union. 8vo, 8s. 6d. net.
By THE Same Author.
THE STONE IMPLEMENTS OF SOUTH AFRICA. With
numerous Illustrations. Crown 4to, los.
THE PRE-HISTORIC PERIOD IN SOUTH AFRICA. With 8
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GEOLOGICAL AND ARCH^OLOGICAL NOTES ON ORANGIA.
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LONGMANS, GREEN AND CO.
LONDON, NEW YORK, BOMBAY AND CALCUTTA.
BOOKS ON SOUTH AFRICAN SUBJECTS.
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE GEOLOGY OF CAPE COLONY.
By A. W. Rogers, D.Sc, F.G.S., and A. L. Du Toit, B.A., F.G.S., of the
Geological Survey of Cape Colony. With a Chapter on the Fossil Reptiles
of the Karoo Formation by R. Broom, M.D., B.Sc, C.M.Z.S., of Victoria
College, Stellenbosch. With Illustrations and Coloured Map. Crown 8vo,
gs. net.
SOUTH AFRICAN FLOWERING PLANTS. For the Use of
Beginners, Students, and Teachers. By the Rev. Prof. G. Henslow, M.A.,
F.L.S., F.G.S., etc. With 112 Illustrations. Crown 8vo, 5s.
PLANTS AND THEIR WAYS IN SOUTH AFRICA. By Bertha
Stoneman, Huguenot College, Wellington, South Africa. With 276
Illustrations, Diagrams, and Map. Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d.
ELEMENTARY BOTANY. By H. EDMONDS. Adapted for South
Africa. By Dr. Marloth and J. Bretland Farmer, D'.Sc, F.R.S.,
Professor of Botany in the Royal College of Science, London. With 282
Illustrations. Crown 8vo, 4s. 6d.
THE STORY OF THE ZULUS. By J. Y. Gibson, for Some Years a
Magistrate in Zululand. With 11 Illustrations. 8vo, 7s. 6d.
A HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN MISSIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA.
By J. Du Plessis, B.A. (Cape), B.D. (Edin.). With Map. 8vo, los. 6d.
A GRAMMAR OF THE KAFIR LANGUAGE. By J. McLaren,
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AFRICANDERISMS
A GLOSSARY OF SOUTH AFRICAN
COLLOQUIAL WORDS AND PHRASES
AFRICANDERISMS
A GLOSSARY OF SOUTH AFRICAN
COLLOQUIAL WORDS AND PHRASES
AND OF PLACE AND OTHER NAMES
COMPILED BY
THE REV. CHARLES PETTMAN
QUEENSTOWN
SOUTH AFRICA
LONGMANS, GREEN AND CO.
39, PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON
NEW YORK, BOMBAY AND CALCUTTA
1913
P E E F A C E.
When, by some strange oversight, the great " Oxford
Dictionary " not only omits to notice such recognized
English words as African and Africanism (Milton, " Of
Reformation in England," Book i.), to say nothing of
such well-known South African words as Africander,
Africanderism, and Africanderdom, there does appear
to be an excuse, if not a reason, for the publication of
a Glossary of South African Words and Phrases.
A residence of nearly forty years in the sub-conti-
nent and an acquaintance, more or less intimate, with
every Province and with most of the different peoples
of the Union, have afforded opportunities for the pur-
suit of a study, that could, however, only be indulged
in as a relaxation from duties that always had the
first claim.
The Glossary was begun on the day of the author's
landing in Cape Town in October, 1876, when he jotted
down in his notebook a few of the strange words that
then fell upon his ear. Needless to say, there was no
thought at that time of his collection ever assuming
the proportions which it has now attained, but grad-
ually it grew, and as it grew it became of increasing
interest to himself and to a few of his friends. It is
to the urgings of the latter that it should see the light
that he has now yielded.
To the friends who have helped him the author
gratefully acknowledges his indebtedness ; they have
been few, but their practical interest has been inval-
uable : among them Eudolf Marloth, Esq., M.A.,
Ph.D., and E. E. Galpin, Esq., F.L.S., both recognized
vi PEBFACE
authorities on South African botany ; John Muir,
Esq., M.D., of Albertinia, who supplied many of the
Riversdale District trivial names (and identification)
of plants, etc., in use in that District ; and the Rev.
J. W. W. Owen of Mount Coke for suggestions with
reference to Kaffir words and names.
The author is under special obligation to Sir
William Bisset Berry, Kt., M.L.A., for permitting
him to have access at all times to his splendid library,
and to Thomas Muir, Esq., C.M.G., LL.D., F.R.S.,
Superintendent-General of Education in the Cape
Province for his helpful interest in the progress and
publication of the work. To Dr. Muir he is also in-
debted for having awakened the sympathy of the
Minister of Education in the venture, and the author
has cordially to thank Mr. Malan for showing his ap-
preciation of the value of the work by undertaking
to subscribe for a hundred copies.
It has been difficult sometimes to decide what to
admit to the Glossary and what to exclude. A few
words have been included that could not be termed
" Africanderisms," but no word has been admitted that
had not some special interest for South Africans.
In all the author has aimed at accuracy ; he would
be foolish, however, to suppose that there were no
mistakes, but trusts that these will not prove so many
as to detract from the usefulness of the book.
qubenstown,
South Africa, 1913
PULLER TITLES OP THE MORE IMPORTANT BOOKS
REFERRED TO IN THE GLOSSARY.
Alexander, Captain Sir J. E. — Narrative of a Voyage of Observation
among the Oolouies of Western Africa in the Flag Ship " Thalia," and of a
Campaign in Kaffir-Land in 1835. 2 Vols. 8vo. London. 1873.
Anderson, Andrew A. — -Twenty-five Years in a. Waggon, in the Gold
Eegious of South Africa. London. 1887.
Andersson, C. J. — The Okavango River, a Narrative of Travel, Explor-
ation, and Adventure. London. 1861.
Andersson, C. J. — Lake Ngami, or Explorations and Discoveries dur-
ing Four Years' Wanderings in the Wilds of South Western Africa. London.
Cr. 8vo. 1856.
Andersson, C. J. — Notes on the Birds of Damara Land, and the adjacent
Countries of South- West Africa. London. 8vo. 1872.
Andersson, C. J. — The Lion and the Elephant. London. 8vo. 1873.
Andersson, C. J. — Notes of Travel in South Africa. London. 8vo.
1875.
Appleyard, Rev. J. W. — The Kaffir Language, comprising a Sketch of
its History, remarks upon its Nature, and a Grammar. King William's Town.
8vo. 1850.
Appleyard, Rev. J. W. — An Apology for the Kaffir Bible. Mount
Coke. 8vo. 1867.
Arbousset, Rev. T., and F. Daumas. — Narrative of an Exploratory
Tour to the North-East of the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Town.
Cr. 8vo. 1846.
Aylward, Alfred. — ^The Transvaal of To-Day. War, Witchcraft, Sport,
and Spoils in South Africa. London. 8vo. 1878.
Bachmann, Dr. F. — Sud-Afrika, Reisen, Erlebnisse, und Beobachtungen
wahrend eines sechsjahrigen Aufenthaltes in der Kapkolonie, Natal und
Pondoland. Berlin. 8vo. 1901.
Backhouse, James. — A Narrative of a Visit to the Mauritius and South
Africa. London. Cr. 8vo. 1844.
Baden Powell, Colonel R. S. — Matabeleland Campaign, 1896, being a
Narrative of the Campaign in suppressing the Native Rising in Matabeleland
and Mashonaland. London. Svo. 1897.
Baines, Thomas, F.R.Q.S. — Explorations in South-West Africa.
London. 8vo. 1864.
Baines, Thomas, F.R.Q.S.— The Gold Regions of South-East Africa.
London. 8vo. 1877.
Baldwin, William Charles, F.R.Q.S.— African Hunting and Adven-
tures from Natal to the Zambesi. London. 1894.
Balfour, Alice B.— Twelve Hundred Miles in a Waggon. London. 1895.
viii FULLEE TITLES OF IMPOETANT BOOKS
Barker, Lady. — A Year's Housekeeping in South Africa. London. 1877.
Barrow, John.— An Account c± Travels into the interior of Southern
Africa in the years 1797 and 1798. 2 Vols. London. 1801, 1804.
Barter, Charles, D.C.L.— The Dorp and the Veld, or Six Months in
Natal. London. 1852.
Bent, J. Theodore, F.S. A.— The Ruined Cities of Mashonaland, being a
record of Excavation and Exploration in 1891. London. 1893.
Bertrand, Alfred.— The Kingdom of the Barotsi, Upper Zambesia. A
Voyage of Exploration in Africa, returning by the Victoria Palls, Matabeleland,
the Transvaal, and the Cape. Cape Town. 1899.
Bird, John.— The Annals of Natal. 2 Vols. Pietermaritzburg. 1888.
Bleloch, W. — The New South Africa, its Value and its Development.
London. 1901.
Bolus, Harry, F.L.S.— The Orchidsof the Cape Peninsula. Cape Town.
1888.
Bolus, Harry, F.L.S.— The Orchids of South Africa. 2 Vols. London.
1910-11.
Boon, Martin James. — The Immortal History of South Africa. 2 Vols.
London. 1885.
Boon, Martin James. — The History of the Orange Free State. London.
1886.
Boyce, Rev. William B. — A Grammar of the Kaflfir Language,
Grahamstown. 1834.
Boyce, Rev. William B. — Notes on South African Affairs from 1834
to 1838. Grahamstown. 1838.
Boyle, Frederick. — To the Cape for Diamonds, a. story of digging exper-
iences in South Africa, with comments and criticisms upon the Diamond Fields.
London. 1873.
Boyle, Frederick. — The Savage Life. A second series of "Camp
Notes ". London. 1876.
Boyle, Frederick. — Chronicles of No-Man's Land. A third series of
" Camp Notes ". London. 1880.
Brigg, Rev. Arthur.— " Sunny Fountains" and "Golden Sands".
London. 1888.
Brooks, Henry. — Natal, a History and Description of the Colony.
London. 1876.
Brown, William Henry.— On the South African Frontier, the Adven-
tures and Observations of an American in Mashonaland and Matabeleland.
London. 1899.
Browning, Fred. Q.— Fighting and Farming in South Africa, A Narra-
tive of Personal Experiences in the Colony during the years 1877-8-9. London.
1880.
Brownlee, Hon. Charles. — Gaika Commissioner. Reminiscences of
Kaffir Life and History, and other Papers. Lovedale, South Africa. 1896.
Bryce, James.— Impressions of South Africa. London. 1898.
Bryden, H. A. — Kloof and Karoo; Sport, Legend, and Natural History
in the Cape Colony, with a notice of the Game Birds and of the present dis-
tribution of the Antelopes and Larger Game. London. 1889.
Bryden, H. A. — Gun and Camera in South Africa, a year of wanderings
in Bechuanaland, the Kalahari Desert, and the Lake Country, Ngamiland.
London. 1893.
EEFEEEBD TO IN THE GLOSSAEY ix
Burcheli, William J. — Travels in the Interior of Southern Africa.
London. Vol. I. 1822. Vol. II. 1824.
Caciiet, F. Lion. — De Worstelstrijd der Transvalers, aan hot Volk van
Nederland verhaald. Amsterdam. 1882.
Calcoen. — A narrative of the Second Voyage of Vasoo da Gama to
Calicut. 1502. Antwerp. Circa 1504.
Callaway, Rev. Canon, M.D.— Nursery Tales, Traditions, and His-
tories of the Zulus in their own words, with a Translation into English and
Notes. Natal. 1868.
Campbell, John.— Travels in South Africa. London. 1815.
Campbell, John. — Travels in South Africa; Narrative of a Second
Journey in the Interior of the Country. 2 Vols. London. 1822.
Cape of Qood Hope Agricultural Journal. Cape Town.
Cape of Qood Hope Literary Gazette. Cape Town. 1830-4.
Cape of Qood Hope Department of Agriculture.— Marine Investiga-
tions in South Africa. 5 Vols. Cape Town. 1902.
Cape Monthly Magazine.
Carter, Qeorge. — A Narrative of the loss of the " Grosvenor," Bast India-
man, which was unfortunately wrecked upon the Coast of Caffraria, etc., on
the 4th August, 1782. London. 1791.
Casalis, Rev. E. — The Basutos, or Twenty-three Years in South Africa.
London. 1861.
Chapman, James, F.R.Q.S.— Travels in the Interior of South Africa,
comprising Fifteen Years' Hunting and Trading, with Journeys across the Con-
tinent from Natal to Walvisch Bay, and visits to Lake Ngami and the Victoria
Falls. 2 Vols. London. 1868.
Christopher, J. S. — Natal. Cape of Good Hope. A grazing, agricul-
tural, and cotton-growing country. London. 1850.
Cloete, Hon. Henry, LL.D. — Five Lectures on the Emigration of the
Dutch Farmers from the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope, and their Settle-
ment in the District of Natal, until their formal Submission to Her Majesty's
Authority, in the Year 1843. Cape Town. 1856.
Coillard, Francois. — On the Threshold of Central Africa. A Record of
Twenty Years' Pioneering among the Barotsi of the Upper Zambezi. London.
1902.
Cole, Alfred W. — The Cape and the KafSrs, or Notes of Five Years'
Eesidenoe in South Africa. London. 1852.
Colenso, J. W., D.D. — Ten Weeks in Natal. Cambridge. 1855.
Colquhoun, Archibald R. — The Africander Land. London. 1906.
Crawford, John, F.R.S. — A Grammar and Dictionary of the Malay
Language, with a Preliminary Dissertation. 2 Vols. London. 1852.
Cumming, R. Qordon.— Five Years of a Hunter's Life in South Africa.
2 vols. Loudon. 1850.
Damberger, Christian F. — Travels in the Interior of Africa from the
Cape of Good Hope to Morocco, from the Year 1781 to 1797. London. 1801.
Davis, Rev. W. H. — A Dictionary of the KafSr Language. London.
1872.
Devereux, Roy. — Side Lights on South Africa. London. 1899.
Diesterweg, M. — Aus dem Pioneerleben, wahrend meines 20 Jahrigen
Aufenthaltes in Siid-Afrika. Burg. 1903.
Distant, W. L. — A Naturalist in the Transvaal. London. 1892.
Dohne, Rev. J. L. — A Zulu-Kaffir Dictionary, Etymologically explained,
FULLEE TITLES OF IMPOETANT BOOKS
with copious illustrations and examples, preceded by an Introduction on the
Zulu-Kaffir Language. Cape Town. 1857.
Drayson, Captain A. W. — Sporting Scenes amongst the Kaffirs of South
Africa. London. 1858.
Drayson, Captain A. W. — Tales of the Outspan, or Adventures in the
Wild Eegions of Southern Africa. London. 1862.
Drummond, Henry, F.R.S.E. — Tropical Africa. London. 1888.
Du Cliaillu, Paul B. — Explorations and Adventures in Equatorial Africa ;
with Accounts of the Manners and Customs of the People, and of the chaoe of
the Gorilla, Leopard, Elephant, Hippopotamus, and other animals. London.
1861.
Du Toit and Co. — Patriot Woordeboek. — Afrikaans-Engels. Paarl.
1902.
Edmunds, Henry, B.Sc, and Rudolph Marloth, Ph.D., M.A.—
Elementary Botany for South Africa, theoretical and practical. London. 1897.
Edwards, Rev. J. — Reminiscences of the Early Life and Missionary
Labours of. Grahamstown. 1883.
Elffers, Hubertus. — The Commercial Dutch Grammar. Cape Town.
1898.
Fitzpatrick, J. P.— The Transvaal from Within. London. 1900.
Fitzpatriclc, J. P. — The Outspan. Tales of South Africa. London.
1906.
Fitzpatricit, Sir Percy.— Jock of the Bushveld. 1907.
Fitzsimons, P. W., F.Z.S., F.R.M.S., etc.— The Snakes of South
Africa, their Venom and the Treatment of Snake-Bite. Cape Town. 1912.
Fleming, Rev. Francis, M.A., F.R.Q.S.— Kafiraria and its Inhabi-
tants. London. 1853.
Fleming, Rev. Francis, M.A., F.R.Q.S. — Southern Africa: a Geo-
graphy and Natural History of the Country, Colonies, and Inhabitants, from
the Cape of Good Hope to Angola, etc. London. 1856.
Freeman, J. J. — A Tour in South Africa, with notices of Natal, Mauritius,
Madagascar, Ceylon, Egypt, and Palestine. London. 1851.
Friend, Rev. Hilderic— Flowers and Flower Lore. London. 1886.
Fritzsch, Qustav.— Die Eingeborenen Siid-Afrika. Breslau. 1872.
Qalton, Francis. — The Narrative of an Explorer in Tropical South
Africa. London. 1853.
Gardiner, Captain Allan F., R.N.— Narrative of a Journey into the
Zoolu Country in South Africa, taken in 1835. London. 1836.
Qibbons, A. St. H., F.R.Q.S.— Exploration and Hunting in Central
Africa, 1895-6. London. 1898.
Gilchrist, J. D. P., M.A.— History of the Local Names of Cape Fish.
Trans. S. A. Phil. Soc. Vol. xi. Part i. Cape Town. 1902.
Gilchrist, J. D. P., M.A. — South African Zoology. Cape Town. 1911.
Gilmore, Parker.— The Hunter's Arcadia. London. 1886.
Gilmore, Parker.— Days and Nights in the Desert. London. 1888.
Glanville, Ernest.— Tales from the Veld. London. 1897. And other
Works.
Glanville, T. B. — Cape Government Emigration Commissioner. At
Home and Abroad. Port Elizabeth. 1878.
Godlonton, Hon. R.— A Narrative of the In'uption of the Kaffir Hordes
into the Eastern Province of the Cape Colony. 1834-5. Grahamstown
1886.
EBPBEEBD TO IN THE GLOSSAEY xi
Qodlonton, Hon. R. — The Case of the Colonists. Grahamstowu. 1847.
Godlonton, Hon. R., and Edward Irving, J. P.— A Narrative of the
Kaffir War of 1850-1-2. Grahamstown. 1852.
Qreswell, William, M.A.— Our South African Empire. 2 Vols.
London. 1885.
Haagner, Alwin, F.Z.S., and Robert Ivy, F.Z.S.— Sketches of
South African Bird-Life. London. 1908.
Haggard, Rider. — Jess. London. 1887. And other Works.
Hamilton, Captain Alex. — A New Account of the East Indies. 2 Vols.
London. 1744.
Handbook of the South African Exhibition. 1885.
Harding, Colonel Colin, C.M.Q.— In Remotest Barotseland, being
an Account of a Journey of over 8000 miles through the wildest and remotest
parts of Lewanika's Empire. London. 1905.
Harris, Captain William Cornwallis.— The Wild Sports of Southern
Africa : being the Narrative of an expedition from the Cape of Good Hope
through the Territories of Chief Moselekatse in the Tropic of Capricorn.
London. 1839.
Harvey, William Henry, M.D. — The Genera of South African Plants,
arranged according to the Natural System. Cape Town. 1868.
Harvey, William Henry, M.D., and Otto Wilhelm Sonder,
Ph.D. — Flora Capensis : being a Systematic Description of the Plants of the
Cape Colony, Oaffraria, and Port Natal. Dublin. 1859-60. And subsequent
Volumes.
Hepburn, Rev. J. D. — Twenty Years in Khama's Country. London. 1895.
Herbert, Sir Thomas. — Some Yeares Travels into Divers Parts of Asia
and Afrique ; revised and enlarged by the Author. Folio. 1638.
Hobson, Mrs. Carey. — At Home in the Transvaal. 2 Vols. London.
1884.
Holub, Dr. Emil, and Aug. von Pelzeln. — Beitrage zur Omithologie
Stid-Afrikas. Wien. 1882.
Hook, Major. — With Sword and Statute. (On the Cape of Good Hope
Frontier.) Gape Town. 1905.
Hudson, M.B. — A Feature in South African Frontier Life, baaed upon
the wandering of a Frontier Family, but embracing a complete record of the
Kaffir War of 1850-1. Port Elizabeth. 1852.
Hutchinson, Mrs. — In Tents in the Transvaal. London. 1879.
Jacottet, E. — The Treasury of Basuto Lore, being original Se-Suto Texts,
with a literal English Translation and Notes. I. Morija. 1908.
Kay, Stephen. — Travels and Besearches in Cafiraria. London. 1833.
Kerr, W. Montague, C.E., F.R.Q.S.— TheFar Interior: a Narrative
of Travel and Adventures from the Cape of Good Hope across the Zambezi to
the Lake Regions of Central Africa. London. 1886.
King, Captain W. R. — Campaigning in Kaffirland, or Scenes and
Adventures in the Kaffir War of 1851-2. London. 1855.
Kolben, Peter. — Beschreibung des Vorgeburges der Guten Hofinung und
derer wohnenden Hottentotten. Frankfurt und Leipzig. 1745.
Kronlein, J. Q. — Wortschatz der Khoi-Khoin (Namaqua-Hottentotten).
Berlin. 1889.
Kropf, Rev. Albert, D.D.— A Kaffir-English Dictionary. Lovedale.
1899.
Latrobe, Rev. C. J.— Journal of a Visit to South Africa in 1815 and 1816.
With some Account of the Missionary Settlements of the United Brethren
near the Cape of Good Hope. London. 1818.
xii FULLEE TITLES OF IMPORTANT BOOKS
Layard, Edgar Leopold.— The Birds o! South Africa : a Descriptive
Catalogue of all the known Species occurring South of the twenty-eighth
parallel of South Latitude. Cape Town. 1867.
Leibbrandt, H. C. V., Keeper of the Archives.— Precis of the
Archives of the Cape of Good Hope. Cape Town. 1897.
Leslie, David. — Amongst the Zulus and Amatongas, with sketches of the
Natives, their Language and Customs, and the Country, Products, Climate,
Wild Animals, etc. Edinburgh. 1875.
Le Vaillant, M. — Travels into the Interior Parts of Africa, by the way of
the Cape of Good Hope ; in the Years 1780, 81, 82, 83, 84, and 85. Translated
from the French of M. Le VaUlant. 2nd Ed. 2 Vols. London. 1796.
l.e Vaillant, M. — New Travels into the Interior Parts of Africa by the
way of the Cape of Good Hope, in the Years 1783, 84, and 85. Translated from
the French of M. Le Vaillant. 3 Vols. London. 1796.
Lxyland, J. — Adventures in the far Interior of South Africa. London.
1866.
I-eyland, R. W., F.R.Q.S.— A Holiday LU South Africa. London. 1882.
Lichtenstein, Henry. — Travels in Southern Africa in 1803-6. Trans-
lated from the original German by Annie Plumptre. London. 1812.
Linschoten, John Hvlghen V. — His Discours of Voyages into ye Easte
and Weste Indies. Printed at London, by John Wolfe. 1598.
Little, James Stanley. — South Africa. A Sketch Book of Men,
Manners, and Facts, etc. London. 1884.
Livingstone, David.— Missionary Travels and Researches in South
Africa, including a Seven Years' Besidence in the interior of Africa. London.
1857.
Lucas, Thos. J., Late Captain C.M.R. — Camp Life and Sport in
South Africa : Experience of Kaffir Warfare with the Cape Mounted Bifles.
London. 1878.
Mabille, A. — Se-Suto-English, and English-Se-Suto Vocabulary. With
an Elementary Sketch of Se-Suto Grammar by E. Jacottet. Morija. 1893.
Mackenzie, Jolin. — Ten Years north of the Orange Biver : everyday
life and work among the South African tribes, from 1859 to 1869. Edinburgh.
1871.
Mackenzie, John. — Day Dawn in Dark Places : a story of Wanderings
and Work in Bechuanaland. London. 1883.
Mackenzie, John. — Austral Africa, losing it or ruling it : being incidents
and experiences in Bechuanaland, Cape Colony, and England. 2 Vols.
London. 1887.
Mackinnon, Rev. James. — South African Traits. Edinburgh. 1887.
Maclean, Colonel, C.B.— Chief Commissioner in British Ea&raria. A
Compendium of Kaffir Laws and Customs. Compiled by direction of.
Mount Coke. 1858.
Macnab, Prances. — On Veldt and Farm in Bechuanaland, Cape Colony,
The Transvaal, and Natal. London. 1897.
Mann, Robert James, M.D.— The Colony of Natal. An Account of the
Characteristics and Capabilities of this British Dependency. London. Circa
1889.
Mansvelt, Prof. N. — Proeve van een Kaapsch-HoUandsoh Idioticon,
met Toelichtingen en Opmerkingen Betreffende Land, Volk, en Taal.
Eaapstad. 1884.
Martin, Annie.— Home Life on an Ostrich Farm. London. 1890.
Mason, Q. H.— Life with the Zulus of Natal, South Africa. London.
1855.
EEFEEEED TO IN THE GLOSSAEY xiii
Merrlman, Archdeacon. — The Kaffir, the Hotteatot, and the Frontier
Farmer. Passages of Missdonary Life. London. 1854.
Methuen, Henry H. — Life in the Wilderness, or Wanderings in South
Africa. London. 1848.
Meyer, Heinrich, Dr. phil. — Die Sprache der Buren. Gottingen.
1901.
Mltford, Bertram. — Through the Zulu Country, its Battlefields and ita
People. London. 1883. And other Works.
Moffat, R. — Missionary Scenes and Labours in South Africa. London.
1842.
Moodie, Donald. — Specimens of the Authentic Records of the Colony of
the Cape of Good Hope, relative to the Aboriginal Tribes. Cape of Good Hope.
1841.
Moodie, Duncan C. F. — ^The History of Battles and Adventures of the
British, the Boers, and the Zulus, etc., in Southern Africa, from the time of
Pharaoh Necho to 1880. 2 Vols. Cape Town. 1S88.
Moodie, Lieut. J. W. D. — Ten Years in South Africa: including a
particular description of the wild sports of the country. 2 Vols. London.
1886.
Murray, James A. H., LL.D. — A New English Dictionary on Histor-
ical Principles, founded mainly on the materials collected by the Philological
Society. Oxford. 1884. A—.
Napier, Lieut. -Col. E. Elers. — Excursions in Southern Africa, including
a History of the Cape Colony, an Account of the Native Tribes, etc. •! Vols.
London. 1849.
Nicholson, George, Jun. — The Cape and its Colonists, with hints to
Settlers in 1848. London. 1848.
Nicholson, Q. — Fifty Years in the Transvaal. Being some Recollections
and Reflections of a Veteran Pioneer. London. 1895.
Nlcolls, James, F.R.Q.S., and W. Egllnton.— The Sportsman iu
South Africa, the Haunts, Habits, Description, and the Pursuit of all Game,
both Pur and Fe&thar, found south of the Zambezi (including the Cape Colony,
Transvaal, Beohuanaland, Natal, and Damaraland) at the present day, with
brief notices of the fresh- and salt-water fishes. London. 1S92.
Noble, John, Clerk of the House of Assembly. — History, Productions,
and Resources of the Cape of Good Hope. Official Handbook. Cape Town.
1886.
Noble, John. — South Africa, Past and Present, a Short History of the
European Settlement at the Cape. Cape Town. ISTT.
Noble, Prof. — The Cape and its People. By South African Writers.
Cape Town. 1869.
Oates, Frank, F.R.Q.S.— Matabelelajid and the Victoria Falls. A
Naturalist's Wanderings in the Interior of South Africa. London. 1881.
Owen, Captain W. F. W. — Narrative of Voyages to explore the shores
of Africa, Arabia, and Madagascar ; performed in H.M. Ships " Leven " and
"Barraoonta". 3 Vols, London. 1833.
Pappe, L., M.D. — Flone Capensis Medicse Prodromus ; or an enumera-
tion of South African Plants used as remedies by the Colonists of the Cape
of Good Hope. Cape Town. 1860.
Pappe, L., M.D. — Silva Capensis, or a description of South African
Forest Trees, and Arborescent Shrubs, used for technical and economical
purposes. London. 1862.
xvi FULLEE TITLES OF IMPOETANT BOOKS
Andries Stookeuatrom, Bart., sometime Lieutenant-Governor of the Eastern
Province of the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope. 2 Vols. Oape Town.
1887.
Stoneman, Bertha.— Plants and their Ways in South Africa. London.
1906.
Stout, Captain Benjamin.— Oape of Good Hope and its Dependencies.
An accurate and truly interesting description of those delightful regions
situated five hundred miles north of the Cape. London. 1820.
Stow, George W., F.Q.S.— Geological Notes upon Griqualand West.
London. 1875.
Stow, George W., P.G.S.— The Native Races of South Africa. A
History of the Intrusion of the Hottentots and Bantu into the Hunting Grounds
of the Bushmen, the Aborigines of the Country. London. 1905.
Sutherland, Lieut.-Col. — Memoir respecting the Kaffirs, Hottentots, and
Bosjesmans of South Africa. 2 Vols. Oape Tovfn. 1845.
Tetzner, Dr. P. — Deutsches Worterbuch. Leipzig, n.d.
Theai, George McCall. — Chronicles of Cape Commanders, or an Ab-
stract of original Manuscripts in the Archives of the Cape Colony, dating from
16S1 to 1691, compared vfith printed Accounts of the Settlement by various
Visitors during that time. Also Pour short Papers upon Subjects connected
with the East India Company's Government at a later period, reprinted from
Colonial Periodicals, and Notes on English, Dutch, and French Books, pub-
lished before 1796, containing references to South Africa. Cape Town. 1882.
And numerous other Works.
Thomas, Thomas Morgan. — Eleven Years in Central South Africa : A
Journey into the interior — sketch of recently discovered diamond and gold
fields — Umzilikazi, his country and people — a brief history of the Zambesi
Missions. London. 1872.
Thomson, George. — Travels and Adventures in Southern Africa ; com-
prising H. view of the present state of the Cape Colony, with observations of
the progress and prospects of the British Emigrants. London. 1827.
Thunberg, Charles Peter, M.D. — Travels in Europe, Africa and Asia,
made between the years 1770 and 1779. 4 Vols. London. 1795.
Thunberg, Charles Peter, M.D. — Flora Capensis sistens Plantas
Promontorii Bonae Spei Afrioes. Stuttgart. 1823.
Times' History of the War in South Africa. — 6 Vols. London.
1900 to 1909.
Tindall, Henry. — A Grammar and Vocabulary of the Namaqua-
Hottentot Language. Cape Town. 1857.
Trimen, Roland, F.Z.S. — South African Butterflies : A Monograph of
the Extra-Tropical Species. 3 Vols. London. 1889.
Turnbull, A. R. R.— Tales from Natal. London. 1901.
Tyler, Rev. Josiah.— Forty Years among the Zulus. Boston and
Chicago, n.d.
Van Twist, Jehan. — Gewesen Overhooft van de Nederlandsche oom-
tooren, Amadabat, Oambaya, Brodera, en Broitciiia, Generall Beschrijvinge van
Indieu, etc. t' Amsterdam. 1648.
Vercoullie, Prof. J.— Etymologisoh Woordenboek der Nederlandsche
Taal. Gent. 1890.
Wallace, Robert, F.L.S. — Farming Industries of the Cape Colony.
London. 1896.
Warren, Lieut.-General Sir Charles.— On the Veldt in the Seven-
ties. London. 1902.
Wilmot, Hon. Alex.— The Life and Times of Sir Richard Southey,
EEFEERBD TO IN THE GLOSSAEY xvii
K.O.M.G., etc. Formerly Colonial Secretary of the Cape Colony, and Lieut.-
Governor of Griqualand West. London. 1904.
Wilson, David MacKay. — Behind the Scenes in the Transvaal.
London, n.d.
Wood, Colonel J. Q., M.L.A. — Through Matabeleland. The Record
of a Ten Months' Trip in an Ox- Wagon through Mashonaland and Matabele-
land. London. 1893.
Woodward, R. B., and J. D. S. — Natal Birds (including the Species
belonging to Natal and the Eastern Districts of the Cape Colony). Pieter-
maritzburg. 1899.
Wylde, A. — My Chief and I, Six Months in Natal after the Langalibalele
outbreak. London. 1880.
Yule, Colonel Henry, R.E., and the late Arthur Colce Burnell,
Ph.D. — Hobson-Jobsoni; being a Glossary of Anglo-Indian Colloquial Words
and Phrases, and of Kindred Terms ; Etymological, Historical, Geographical
and Discursive. London. 1886.
ABBEEVIATIONS.
Amer.
= American.
Ar.
= Arabic.
A.S.
CD.
D.
= Anglo-Saxon.
= Cape Dutch.
= Dutch.
Eng.
P.
= English.
= Prench.
G.
= German.
Grk.
= Greek.
Heb.
= Hebrew.
Hind.
= Hindustanee.
Hot.
= Hottentot.
It.
= Italian.
K. or Kaf .
= Kaffir.
L.
= Latin.
M. or Mai.
M.E.
O.P.
= Malay.
= Middle EngUsh,
= Old Prench.
O.H.G.
= Old German.
Pers.
= Persian.
PI.
= Plural.
Pol.
= PoUsh.
P. or Port.
S. or Ses.
= Portuguese.
= Sesuto.
Seoh.
= Sechuana.
Sp.
Z.
= Spanish.
= Zulu.
HISTOEICAL SKETCH.
In a country like South Africa, the various territories of
which have, at different periods, been held by so many differ-
ent peoples, and the intercourse between it and the East and
West having been at times so intimate and close, it could
scarcely be otherwise than that the languages spoken in the
sub-continent should retain traces of that intercourse and
evidences of those various occupations. There is little doubt
that the aborigines of South Africa were the Bushmen, traces
of whose occupation have been found everywhere from the
Indian Ocean to the Atlantic and from the Zambezi to the
Cape Peninsula, in cave paintings, rock chippings, nomen-
clature, etc. They have, however, been so ruthlessly hunted
down and destroyed by successive intruding races, that now
they have almost entirely disappeared from the vast territory
which at one time was their exclusive hunting-ground.
The Hottentots, or, as they were pleased to designate
themselves, the Khoi-Khoin (men of men), driven before
the flooding Bantu tide, which came wave on wave from the
northern interior, travelled southward and westward, until
they were stopped by the waters of the Atlantic, a few de-
grees below the equator. Thence they found their way along
the coast southward, and eventually spread over pretty well
the whole of the sub-continent lying between the Orange
Eiver and the Cape of Good Hope, which territory they oc-
cupied when the Cape was discovered by Bartholomew Diaz
toward the end of the fifteenth century.
The Bantu or Kaffir races were then in possession of the
central and eastern territories ; just how far south they had
at that time pushed their way it would be difficult to say
exactly ; but that the Bushmen and Hottentots of one tribe or
another had occupied the country along the eastern coast as
far as the Great Kei Eiver and had continued to occupy it
until comparatively recent times, there can be little, if any,
doubt ; for the names of the rivers up to the Great Kei have
1
2 AFEICANDBEISMS
the characteristic cKcks of the speech of these peoples, while
beyond the Great Kei they have, speaking generally, the
open syllables which are characteristic of the Bantu speech.
The Portuguese, who discovered the Cape of Good Hope,
made very little direct impression either upon the nomen-
clature or upon the languages of the territory now covered
by the British Colonies ; for apart from a few names given
to islands, bays, and capes (e.g. Santa Cruz, Saldanha Bay,
St. Helena and St. Francis Bays, Diaz Point, Gapes Agulhas
and Eecife), and a few words still in current use, there are
not many other traces of their visits.
For a century and a half after the discovery of the Cape,
it was nothing other than a place of call, and as such was
visited by the ships of those countries — Portugal, Holland,
and England — engaged in the eastern trade, which, by the
discovery of the new route to India by Vasco da Gama in
1497, had passed for ever out of the hands of the Venetian
merchants. In 1652, however, a definite settlement was
made ; the Dutch Bast India Company, under Charter granted
by the States-General of the United Provinces of Holland,
took possession of Table Bay Valley, establishing there a
provision station for the benefit of their vessels engaged in
the Eastern trade, Jan Anthony van Eiebeeck being appointed
the first Governor.
For some time the operations of the Company were
limited to the immediate neighbourhood of Table Bay Valley,
the little settlement bartering various commodities with the
Hottentots for their cattle and fat-tailed sheep ; gradually,
however, these operations were extended until they embraced
a fairly wide field. Then, as the servants of the Company
served their time and obtained their discharge, some of them,
electing to remain in the country, were located as Burghers
upon Loan Farms, as they were called : others pushed their
way northward, westward, and eastward, until by the time
the Colony passed into the hands of the British in 1806, the
whole of what is now called the Western Province and the
Great Fish Eiver District, was more or less under the control
of the Company, and was occupied as far as Graaff Eeinet
(which had been formed into a District in 1786) and Algoa
Bay by Dutch Burghers.
The country beyond was still in the hands of the Kaffirs ;
this has since passed into the possession of the British, who
HISTOBICAL SKETCH 3
have continued to push the frontier forward and northward,
until the territory, which now acknowledges the sovereignty
of the King of Great Britain, reaches to and heyond the
Zambezi.
Languages.
So far as the languages are concerned which are spoken
in a territory which has changed hands so frequently and so
rapidly, and in which the conquerors and the conquered have
continued to live side by side, only one result could be expected.
Various races, using different languages, cannot occupy the
same territory and live in daily contact and intercourse with-
out being mutually affected, each will acquire something from,
and in turn give something to, the others. Whether that
something is to prove an advantage or otherwise, time alone
can determine.
1. The Click Class of Language.
This class consists of the languages of the Bushmen and
the Hottentots. These peoples, of whom there are now very
few, if any, of pure blood, have, generally speaking, lost their
own language, and now speak either Dutch or English or
both. Even the Namaquas and Korannas, isolated as they
have been in the desert countries which they occupy, have
few among them to-day who can speak the language of their
fathers, but they have not failed to contribute their proportion
to the vocabulary of every-day South African speech, as such
words as baroo, buchu, dagga, gnu, kambroo, karoo, karos,
kiri, quagga, and such place names as Sapkamma, Tsitsi-
ka/mma, Kraggakamma, Keiskama, Gamka, Dwyka, Gamtoos,
Camdeboo, O'okiep, Nababeep, and others, bear ample testi-
mony; a fair number of these being of Bushman origin.
And here it may be said, in passing, that the importance of
the study of place names is too often overlooked. In the large
majority of cases they are fraught with quite a considerable
ethnological, historical, or descriptive interest, which a careful
research will serve to elucidate. Not unfrequently an altogether
unexpected light has been shed upon obscure ethnological
points by the unfolding of the original significance of place
names ; a light which has settled questions which would other-
wise have remained in continual dispute. As South Africans
our lot is cast in a country which, compared with the hoary
1*
4 AFEICANDBEISMS
antiquity of some of the countries of the northern hemisphere,
is quite young ; geologically it is probably older than they are,
but historically it is much their junior. The South African
place names have not, on this account, and, speaking generally,
become so much disguised by phonetic abrasion as have so
many of those in the countries referred to, and their reference,
historical or descriptive, is consequently not so difficult to
ascertain. This is true in the main of place names of both
Kaffir and European origin ; there are some, however, that
so far have refused to reveal the secret of their birth ; pos-
sibly they weve originally Bushman names, which have been
so disfigured as Hottentots or Kaffirs, Dutch or English have
maltreated them, that now they give no hint of their original
form or meaning.
This, however, is by the way, though it is a well-known
fact that nations which were so unlettered as to be quite un-
able to inscribe their annals on tablets or in books, have, never-
theless, left sufficient information in the names of hills,
valleys, mountains, rivers, and other natural features, to
enable men, centuries after, to reconstruct the main line of
their history. The Bushmen have gone, the Hottentots are
rapidly following, but their fleeting breath has established
monuments all over South Africa far more enduring than they
themselves : their place names fall upon the ear like the
echoes of a departing people, reminding us that they once
were, and that at one time the land was theirs. Those that
we do understand are sufficient and apt, describing the features
of nature as they struck these keen-eyed children of the desert,
and some of them are highly poetical.
2. The AUiteral Class of Language.
This class consists of the various languages of the Bantu
peoples. Whether the Kaffirs adopted many Bushmen or
Hottentot words into their vocabulary or not is a question
upon which authorities differ : although the Rev. J. L. Dohne
in the Introduction to his Zulu-Kaffir Dictionary will not
allow much in this direction, he is nevertheless compelled to
recognize some as from this source : e.g. u Tixo, the Divine
Being ; Gamnca, to talk a great deal ; i Gwilika, steel for
striking fire ; i Nqaluka, a pack-saddle, etc. It would seem,
however, that the Amaxosa and other Bantu peoples are
indebted for the curious clicks which mark their speech to
HISTOEICAL SKETCH 6
the Bushmen and Hottentots whose domains they invaded
and appropriated. This appears to be indicated first by the
fact already mentioned that the names of the rivers and other
natural features — such names being endowed the world
over with a tenacious vitality — in territory originally held
by Bushmen and Hottentots, have these clicks: e.g. iNciba,
the Great Kei ; i Nxoha, the Great Fish Eiver ; i Xeli, the
Keiskamma ; i Qonci, the Buffalo ; etc. (the c, q, and x in
each case represent different clicks — dental, palatal, and
lateral respectively) ; while they are unknown to the purely
Kaffir names of the rivers beyond ; e.g. Umtata, Umzimvuhu,
Umzimkulu, TJmlaas, Umhloti, etc.
This suggestion as to the origin of the KafQr clicks would
seem to be supported further by the fact that they are en-
tirely absent from the Sechuana dialects, and are pronounced
less vigorously by the Zulus than they are by the natives
of the Cape Colony, while they gradually disappear as one
advances in the direction of what may be regarded as the
original home of the Bantu race. Dr. Bleek speaks of " the
readiness with which the KafiSrs adopt Hottentot manners
and words, and it is certainly remarkable," he continues,
" that not one instance has yet been known where Hotten-
tots have in the like manner imitated their Eastern neigh-
bours, except of course such Bushmen ^ as have been living
among Kaffir tribes, and who, like true gipsies, have made
their language, at least, a mixtum compositum, out of all sorts
of tongues. . . . The Kaffir . . . chcks ... I consider to be
originally Hottentot and adopted from them by the Kaffirs.
. . . The numerous black population of the tropical parts of
South Africa pressing upon them (the Hottentots) , they were
driven from one position to another, their kraals destroyed,
their males killed, and their women and girls taken prisoners.
That these, who became then the wives of their victors,
should not have exerted a powerful influence upon them, and
still more upon the rising generation, would be absurd to
suppose ; nay, we might expect that if they had been admitted
to the councils and courts of justice, where principally the
^ Dr. Bleek does not appear to distinguish, with sufifioient clearness between
the Bushmen and the Hottentots. This is a failing, too, on the part of the
writers of the earlier Dutch records, by whom the two terms are often used as
if they were synonymous, which has given rise to confusion of ideas and incor-
rect impressions.
6 AFEICANDERISMS
right orthodox language was stamped, their remarkable gift
of the tongue would soon have thoroughly Hottentotized the
Kaffir language. As it was they introduced their pecuharity
of pronunciation, the clicks." (Bleek's " Researches into the
Eelations between the Hottentots and Kaffirs," " Cape
Monthly Magazine," i. pp. 202-3, 1857.)
The Eev. J. L. Dohne, while admitting the possibiHty of
the clicks having been adopted by the Kaffirs from the Hot-
tentots, says that " the Hottentot influence is generally
supposed greater than is really the case, because every word
which contains a click is not necessarily of Hottentot descent ;
and it appears to be more certain that the Kaffir nation have
in some way or another allowed themselves to be influenced by
clicking nations, so as to change other characters for clicks ".
Further, he says that the Hottentot " clicks differ consider-
ably from the Kaffir, and are in general of a more difficult
pronunciation. ... I am ready to admit," he concludes, " that
the Hottentot, etc., clicks are the oldest, and that the Kaffir
are a contraction of them." (" Zulu-Kaffir Dictionary,"
Introduction, pp. xxxvi-xxxvii.)
The Kaffir vocabulary has been, and is being, considerably
augmented by words from both Dutch and English, denoting
ideas and objects which have been brought within their cog-
nizance either by one or the other. Mr. I. Bud M'belle in
his "Kaffir Scholar's Companion " gives a Hst of 300 words
borrowed by the Kaffirs from the Dutch, and another of 225
borrowed from the EngUsh, and a further list of 450 native
words necessitated by the advent of Europeans : e.g. * Mesi,
D. mes, a knife ; um Bontye, D. boontje, a bean ; i Fenstile,
D. venster, a window ; i Kostina, D. schoorsteeii, a chimney ;
i Baibele, Eng. the Bible ; i Kabitshi, Eng. a cabbage ;
i Kloho, Eng. a clock, etc. On the other hand many purely
Kaffir words are in frequent use in the daily speech of South
Africa : e.g. Impi, Indaba, Inkosi, Donga, Amasi, Induna,
Lobola, Mahem, Mamba, and many others.
What influence these Bantu peoples are to have in the
future upon the history and language of South Africa is a
question of considerable interest. That it is to be a diminish-
ing influence is scarcely likely. The Eed Indians are rapidly
disappearing in America ; the Maories seem to be decreasing
in New Zealand ; but the strong arm of British authority in
South Africa, having put a stop to those intertribal wars.
HISTOEICAL SKETCH 7
which ever and again destroyed whole native communities
and tribes, has done much not only to preserve these peoples,
but to increase their numbers, and, as a consequence, their
power to influence the country either for good or bad has
been increased also. This is a factor that must enter into
the calculation in any effort to forecast the future of South
Africa, whether as to its history or language ; it can be ig-
nored neither by the Statesman nor by the Student of South
African domestic affairs.
3. Oriental Languages.
It was stated in an earlier paragraph that the Portuguese
made little direct impression either upon the nomenclature or
upon the languages of the territory now covered by the Cape
Colony and Natal ; indirectly, however, they must have in-
fluenced the Dutch speech of South Africa to an extent that is
not always appreciated. How this was accomplished the fol-
lowing quotation from the Introductory remarks (p. xvi) to
Yule and Burnell's " Anglo-Indian Glossary," will indicate :
" The conquests and long occupation of the Portuguese, who,
by the year 1540, had established themselves in all the chief
ports of India and the East, have, as might have been ex-
pected, bequeathed a large number of expressions to the
European nations who have followed and in great part super-
seded them. . . . The natives in contact with the Portuguese
learned a bastard variety of the language of the latter, which
became the lingua franca of intercourse, not only between
European and native, but occasionally between Europeans of
different nationalities. This Indo-Portuguese dialect continued
to serve such purposes down to a late period in the last
century, and has in some localities survived down nearly to
our own day." A. Hamilton, whose experiences belonged
chiefly to the end of the seventeenth century, though his
book was not pubhshed till 1727, states: "Along the sea-
coasts the Portuguese have left a Vestige of their language,
tho' much corrupted, yet it is the language that most Euro-
peans learn first, to qualify them for a general converse with
one another, as well as vnth the different inhabitants of India."
(" A New Account of the East Indies," Preface, p. xii.) Lockyer,
who published sixteen years before Hamilton, also says :
" This they (the Portuguese) may justly boast, they have
established a kind of Lingua Franca in all the seaports in
8 AFEICANDEEISMS
India of great use to other Europeans, who would find it
difficult in many places to be understood without it." (" An
Account of the Trade in India, etc.," p. 286, 1711.)
Ever since the discovery of the Cape route to the Bast
the intercourse between the Cape and the Orient has always
been more or less close, and there can be little doubt that the
words of Portuguese, Indian, and Malay origin, still current
in South African Dutch, are remnants of the mixed speech
just spoken of, the vocabulary of which was composed chiefly
of these elements. These words would find their way into
the South African vocabulary, (1) to some shght extent as the
result of intercourse with the crews of vessels calling at the
Cape on their way to or from the East ; (2) to a still further
extent as the result of the settlement in South Africa, after
lives of adventure in various Dutch Bast Indian possessions,
of many of the European sailors and servants of the Dutch
Bast India Company; (3) but most of all as the result of
the introduction into the country of numerous slaves from
India, Ceylon, the Malay Archipelago, etc. ; for in not a few
cases, this Lingua Franca would be the only means of com-
munication between masters and slaves, while the need of
some common means of intercourse would compel those
slaves brought from Madagascar and from the Bast and West
coasts of Africa, to acquire something of it as well.
That this was the actual condition of things at the Cape
until well on toward the end of the eighteenth century appears
from the following quotation from Thunberg's "Travels"
(3rd ed., i. p. 102, 1795) ; writing of the Cape in 1772 he
says : " The domestics here do not consist of Europeans,
but of black or tawny slaves from Malabar, Madagascar, or
other parts of India. These, in general, speak either broken
Portuguese, or else the Malabar, seldom the Dutch language."
To the intercourse of this period belong such Portuguese
words as ayah, kipper-sol, nooi, samhreero, samhriel, etc. ;
such Malay words as atjar, haatje,pondoh, hlatcham, pierinki,
lory, sambal, etc., and such words as tjap (chap), mebos,
kabaai, sjambok, and others.
Then later on, after the Cape had become a Dependency
of Great Britain, and the officers of "John Company " found
their way to South Africa to recruit their health in its salu-
brious climate, they would bring with them a further instal-
ment of Eastern words, some of which, as chowrie, chutney.
HISTOEICAL SKETCH 9
tiffin, etc., would find a permanent place in the South African
vocabulary.
And yet again in quite recent times, the Indian labourers
introduced into Natal by the Government of that Colony,
many of whom, having served the term for which they were
indentured, have made their way into other parts of South
Africa, have added their quota in such words as brinjall,
dhoby, punkah, sirdar, and others, all of which are of frequent
use in the Garden Colony among the European colonists.
The still more recent introduction of the Chinese to the
Transvaal may result, their speedy repatriation notvyithstand-
ing, in a few additions to the South African vocabulary from
that source.
4. The Dutch Language.
It goes without saying that a considerable proportion of
the words and phrases common in the every-day speech of the
South African colonist of other than Dutch descent, are
Dutch. It could not be otherwise since the Dutch were
the earliest Europeans to settle at the Cape, and since it con-
tinued to be a Dutch possession for over a century and a half
before it passed into the hands of the British. One can
imagine somewhat of the astonishment and curiosity which
would possess these earliest settlers in this country as they
began to acquaint themselves with the details of their new
surroundings ; how every feature of nature, every flower
and tree, every bird and beast would attract their attention
and evoke their surprise, either because of its likeness, or
because of its unlikeness, to the features, the flora and fauna,
of the land they had left. They would pick up a few names
from the natives, such as buchu, dagga, gnu, quagga, kiri,
ka/ros, karoo, etc., but that would be quite too slow a process
for their requirements, and there would be for them no other
course than to fall back upon the names of the objects with
which they were familiar in their native land and apply them
to those new objects, which, for one reason or another,
would remind them of objects which they had left behind.
This would account for the many names of animals, birds,
fish, plants, etc., transferred from Europe and given to South
African animals, birds, fish, plants, etc., such as das (sie), a
badger ; eland, an elk ; kabeljouw, a cod ; seisje, a linnet ;
spreeuw, a, at&Aing; meerkat,a,vaon'kej; s«oei, a pike; tulp,
10 AFEICANDERISMS
a tulip ; ui or ajuin, an onion ; schoenlapper, a butterfly — in
Holland the nanae of a variety, in South Africa a generic name
— and many others.
It must not be thought, however, that the Dutch of the
Cape lost the power of originating when they emigrated
hither, and were unable to evolve new names ; neither must
it be supposed that the new names which they evolved were
wanting in pertinence, for whether picturesque or practical,
poetic or humorous, they are all of them apt. As examples
of the picturesque take noois-boom, the young lady's tree,
because it grows in shape something like an umbrella or
parasol ; mist-kruier, dung-porter, the beetle that rolls the
balls of dung ; galjeon, the fish whose shape is suggestive of
that of the old Spanish galleon ; fishaal, the butcher-bird,
whose tyrannous dealings with its captives are reminiscent of
the rule of the Fiskaal of earlier days. As examples of the
practical we have vel- or veld-schoen, skin- or field-shoes ;
velbroek, the leather riding-trousers which used to be known
among the settlers of 1820 as crackers ; hrand-zolder , the loft
above the thick brick or earthen ceiling and under the thatch
of the roof, by which the under part of the house was protected
should the thatch take fire ; maijesgoed, reeds used for making
mats ; and that toothsome confection known as moss-bolletjes.
Then as examples of the poetic we have kannidood, cannot
die, the Aloe that flourishes through a long drought ; dageraad,
dawn or daybreak, the fish whose gorgeous colouring re-
sembles the sky at dawn; naaldkoker, needle-case, the
dragon-fly ; vogelent, bird-graft, mistletoe ; and the expression
schimmel-dag, describing the dappled appearance which the
sky so often has at daybreak. And as examples of the
humorous take wacht-en-bietje, wait-a-bit, the thorn that
detains one in spite of one's self ; roer-mij-niet, touch me not ;
the name given to two very different plants, contains a hint as
to their disagreeable character ; jantjie-trap-suutjes, Johnny-
tread-hghtly, the chameleon ; kalkoeneier, turkey egg, one
with a freckled face ; pampoentjes, little pumpkins, the
mumps ; biscop, a fish whose large head and peculiar facial
features give it a ludicrously grave appearance ; Jakob Evert-
sen, another fish whose florid face and protruding eyes were
supposed by the early colonists to present a striking resem-
blance to the facial features of a Dutch captain of that name ;
and the tasty dish, Oii-vrouw-onder-de-kombers, old wife
HISTOEICAL SKETCH 11
under the blanket, known to English-speaking folk as " Toad
in the hole".
It must be said, however, that some of the anomalies of
Cape Dutch nomenclature seem to be as perverse and want-
ing in reason as one can imagine : e.g. the giraffe is a camel
(hameel) ; the leopard is a tiger (tijger), a name which the
English colonists have adopted ; the hyena is a wolf ; the kori
bustard is a peacock (pauw) ; the horse mackerel is a Mars-
banker, although the bank on which the real Marsbanker is
caught is near the Marsdiep in " the rolling Zuyder Zee " ;
and a whale whose habitat is the Southern Ocean is incon-
gruously enough called a Noordhaaper, as though its natural
waters were somewhere in the Arctic regions.
5. The Qerman Language.
Many of the surnames borne by old Cape families indicate
that a fair number of those who found their way to South
Africa in the early days as servants, either civil or military,
of the Dutch Bast India Company, were Germans. Being
under no repressive restrictions as to the use of their mother
tongue, we are not surprised to find evidences of their influence
in the Cape vocabulary. There can be little doubt that it is
to these sons of the Fatherland that the Cape Dutch is in-
debted for such words as gansegaar, lager, nixnuts, dan en
ioan,piets, swaap, sens, stewel, etc.
6. The Huguenots and the French Language.
The Huguenots who had succeeded in escaping from their
native land and from the bloody persecutions which ensued
upon the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, found their way,
some 300 of them, men, women, and children, to the Cape of
Good Hope. They were settled on lands in the neighbour-
hood of Stellenbosch and at Fransche Hoek. But permanent
and beneficial as their influence has been upon the agriculture
of the Colony, and also upon the character of the Dutch
section of the colonists with whom they are now so closely
identified as only to be distinguished by the names they bear,
they seem to have made no corresponding impression upon
the colonial vocabulary, only a few words of French origin
surviving among the people, such as andoeli, bandiet,frikadel,
gilletjes, huspot, kaneel, kastrol, rossignol, Seuer, tamme-
12 AFEIGANDEEISMS
lijtjes, and a few others. This paucity of French words in
the Cape vocabulary arises to a large extent, there can be
little doubt, from the arbitrary treatment — necessary perhaps
from the political point of view of the Dutch East India
Company — which was meted out to them on their arrival in
South Africa, 1688-1690, by the express instructions of the
directors of that Company. They ordered that these refugees
should be mixed as much as possible with the Dutch of the
Colony, that nothing but Dutch should be taught to their
children, and ultimately forbade them the use of their own
language in official affairs and even in the service of God's
House. As was desired, these drastic measures were so suc-
cessful in the direction contemplated, viz. the loss of their
distinctive national character, that in two generations the
French language had entirely died out at the Cape.
Mr. H. C. V. Leibbrandt, late Keeper of the Cape Archives,
in an article contributed to the " Zuid Afrikaansche Tijd-
schrift," September, 1886 (a translation of which he also
published in the " Cape Times," 13 June, 1905), traversed
the current opinion, which is stated by him thus : " that the
representatives of the Bast India Company at the Cape had
made every possible effort to let the French language fall into
disuse, and in order to gain their object had acted very harshly
and unfairly towards the French refugees ". He adduces
in support of his contention that this statement is incorrect,
a large number of extracts from the dispatches which passed
between the Lords Directors in Holland and their representa-
tives at the Cape ; but certain facts remain disclosed, for the
most part, in the very extracts just referred to which appear
to make, in their cumulative effect, very strongly against the
view set forth by Mr. Leibbrandt, and for what he terms
" the wrong impressions and erroneous traditions " which
have been current ever since among the descendants of these
same refugees.
(1) There is the expressed anxiety of the Lords Seventeen
to "kill" the French language at the Cape. In their reply
to Governor W. A. van der Stel's letter (14 March, 1701), in
reply to an application made by the Eev. Pierre Simond,
French Minister of Drakenstein, for permission to return to
Europe (28 September, 1701), they say that one will be ap-
pointed as his successor who will understand both the Dutch
and the French languages, "not however to preach in the
HISTOEICAL SKETCH 13
latter language, but only to be able to minister to the aged
colonists who do not know our language, by visitation, ex-
hortations, and consolations, and by that means, in course of
time, to kill that language ".
(2) There is the expressed order of the same Lords Seven-
teen that the French children should be taught at school to
speak, read, and write Dutch only: " With that object " (that
is, to kill the French language) " the school shall henceforth
proceed in no other direction or further than to let the youth
learn our language, read and write it ".
(3) There is the endorsement by the Lords Seventeen of
Governor van der Stel's plan of mixing the French refugees
with the Dutch colonists.
(4) There is the sternness with which Simon van der
Stel in 1689 opposed the effort on the part of the Huguenots
in the Drakenstein Mountains to establish their own church
and elect their own vestry. At a Council meeting " after
mature deliberation it was unanimously resolved, for the
greater advantage of the Company, to restrain their French
impertinences and all their plotting and check it in time ;
and by judicious punishments, to expose their subterfuges to
the community at large and to warn them very seriously to
do their duty ".
(-5) There is the early entire disappearance of the French
language at the Cape. The Abbe de la CaiHe (1767) asserts
that " he had seen no one under forty years that could speak
French, unless he was a new-comer from France ". And M.
Le Vaillant, whose travels cover the period 1780 to 1785,
vwites thus of the descendants of his fellow-countrymen as
he found them : "In visiting Fransche Hoek, I did not, as
before, regard without interest that race of French refugees,
formerly persecuted by their unjust country, stripped, pro-
scribed, dishonoured as so many wretches unworthy to exist.
. . . Banished from France, they have even forgotten the
language ; but they have not forgotten their calamity. Their
customs they have borrowed from the Dutch, their original
character being totally lost, but they are distinguished for
the most part by the darkness of their hair, which forms a
striking contrast with the almost white hair of the other in-
habitants." (" New Travels in Africa," i. p. 33, 1796.) This
is conclusive as to the early disappearance of the national
language and characteristics.
14 AFEICANDEEISMS
(6) There is the meagreness of the remnants of the French
language which have found a permanent place in the Cape
vocabulary.
(7) And last, there is the vigour and persistency of the
tradition of harsh treatment which lingered among the de-
scendants of the French Huguenots until quite recent
times.
The facts mentioned in the paragraphs numbered one to
four show, clearly enough, the disposition and desire of the
authorities to repress and to kill the French language at the
Cape. The facts of the remaining three paragraphs would
seem to indicate that repressive and even harsh measures
were adopted to secure the disappearance of the French
language and also of anything and everything of manners
and customs that was distinctively French.
But though the vocabulary of the Cape Dutch was, for
the reasons given, affected so little by this comparatively
large influx of foreigners, the language itself was modified by
them in quite another direction, and that to an extent often
overlooked. The intermingling of the two peoples — the
French with the Dutch — at the Cape, and the compelling of
the former to learn the language of the latter, could only have
one issue, it would result in the corruption of the language
spoken, by the paring down and ultimate disappearance of
its inflexions and by the breaking up of its grammar. Com-
pelled to speak a language hitherto unknown to them, we can
readily understand how little attention they would be disposed
to pay to the grammatical structure of the sentence, and how
distinctions of number, gender, case, would be largely un-
heeded by them. Intermarriage between the French refugees
and the Dutch colonists would tend to propagate and to per-
petuate these deflexions from the purity of the language and
this ignoring of its niceties.
In like manner, and perhaps to as great an extent, the
Dutch language would be affected by the Hottentots and
slaves, whose broken Dutch and mixed vocabulary in the
kitchen, on isolated homesteads, in the veld and elsewhere,
would help in the same direction, and the Dutch children
constantly hearing it thus degraded, could hardly be expected
to maintain it in its purity, and so the tide of corruption
would be increased in volume year by year.
These were among the most powerful influences that
HISTOEICAL SKETCH 15
wrought to make the Dutch of the Cape, though very expres-
sive, so different a language from the Dutch of Holland.
7. The Engflish Language.
The Dutch and the English living side by side throughout
the length and breadth of South Africa, while they have
adopted and corrupted Bushman, Hottentot, and Bantu names
for natural objects, edible roots, and various other things, have
at the same time made free with each other's vocabulary.
The English, finding many names to hand among their Dutch
neighbours for things at first unfamiliar to them, have been
perhaps the greatest misdoers in this direction, though the
Dutch have incorporated a good many English words in their
daily speech. The following list contains a very small pro-
portion only of the words which have been thus annexed by
the English colonist from his Dutch neighbour. They are
many of them quite unknown to the great Oxford Dictionary,
but the English colonist would find himself sadly hampered
every day had he to do without them : baas, banket, biltong,
brak, erf, hamel, hok, kloof, kranz, lager, inspan and outspan,
morgen, muid, nek, poort, schanz, schelm, schimmel, schut,
sluit, spruit, trek, trippler, veld, vlei, etc.
But capable as the English colonist appears to be in the
matter of annexing, there are a few Africanderisms for which
he is solely responsible ; some of them are self-explanatory,
but the new-comer would need to have the special meaning
of others explained to him : e.g. a seventy-four is a fish so
named from its resemblance in shape to the old 74-gun man-
of-war, cf. galjeon; Jack Hanger and Butcher bird will be
recognized by those who know the habits of this bird as t^e
eminently appropriate name of Lanius collaris, known to the
Dutch as the Fiskal ; in South Africa a mason is not one who
dresses stone or builds with it, he is simply a bricklayer ; a
camp is part of a farm which is wired or fenced in ; a boy, if
he happens to be a native, may be, and sometimes is, a grey-
headed grandfather ; a good-far is a South African name for
what is elsewhere know as an lOU ; lands in South Africa
are not the broad acres of an estate, but just those portions of
a farm that can be used for the cultivation of crops ; a canteen
is a low -class drinking place ; a devil is a somewhat modified
variety of whirlwind ; a barber need not be a " tonsorial artist,"
it may be a fish ; a spider has four wheels ; and when a South
16 AFEICANDEEISMS
African river has risen in flood, it is universally spoken of as
being down, even though its waters may have risen above the
banks and flooded the neighbouring country.
There are a i&N expressions that one often hears from
English lips in the Midland Districts of the Cape Colony the
loss of which would be a distinct gain : e.g., "He threw me
over the hedge with a rock " is rather a curious way of saying
" He threw a stone over the hedge at me and hit me," but that
is what it means ; when one is asked " Are you going with ? "
you feel disposed to answer " With what ? " or " With whom ? "
but when you are asked " Are you going saam?" the likeh-
hood is that you will be still more mystified ; when you are
informed that two oxen were " tramped by the train," you are
disposed to wonder what South African trains are Hke ; when
a man tells you that a certain road which you propose to travel
is "growing shut " it takes you a moment or two to realize
that he means the road is so little used that the bush and
grass are encroaching upon it ; when a mother scolds her off-
spring for "rolling on the floor and coming home full of mud''
you will learn in due time that the floor is the ground of the
street or garden, and you will be relieved to find that it is not
"full of mud " that she means, but simply splashed with mud :
and when you are informed that the person for whom you are
asking is " hy the house," you vnll soon get to understand that
he or she is actually "in" the house. A not uncommon
usage too in that same part of the country, among the poorer
white people, especially if they v?ish to be specially deferential
and polite, is to use the third person in direct address : speak-
ing to Mr. Smith they will make a request thus : "If Mr.
Smith will lend me half-a-crown, I will pay Mr. Smith back at
the end of the week ". It is not without interest to know that
it was the custom in Suffolk years back, and may be so still,
for the lower classes to intimate their deference to the person
addressed in exactly the same way. These, and a few other
curious ways of putting things, are most of them due, of
course, to Dutch idioms, and might not seem at all out of the
way from a Dutchman or a German making his first attempts
in English ; but it gives an Englishman, who loves the sen-
tence that is lucid and logical, a shock to hear his native
tongue maltreated by those who are just as English in blood
as himself.
HISTOEICAL SKETCH 17
8. The Discovery of Diamonds and Gold.
There are one or two other events in South African history
to which reference must be made as having affected the vo-
cabulary of the sub-continent. The discovery of diamonds in
South Africa in 1867, and, some twenty years later, the dis-
covery of the now famous Sheba Gold Eeef, naturally at-
tracted seekers after wealth from all parts of the world. As
the diamond and gold industries developed, and towns like
Kimberley and Johannesburg sprang into existence, where
but a short while before the wild animals of the veld were
wont to disport themselves in enormous herds, large con-
tributions were made to the colonial vocabulary, some of
which met a very obvious want, others of which, together
with the things they signify, the country could dispense with
to great advantage: among the former may be mentioned
such words as ree/, amalgam, tailings, stamps, blue-ground,
floors, stands, slimes, output, yellow-ground, claim, to peg-
off, debris, banket, and others ; and among the latter goniv,
gonivah, I.D.B., to jump, schlenter, snyde diamonds, and
last and perhaps worst of all, traps.
The recent war in South Africa, as well as the large
amount of war literature — much of it ephemeral enough —
dealing directly or indirectly with South African doings and
misdoings, which has not yet ceased to flow from the press,
have familiarized readers all through the Empire with a
good many Africanderisms, but there are very many more,
familiar to the South African colonist of any experience,
which the ordinary English reader and the new-comer to
South Africa would need to have explained to them.
18 AFEICANDEEISMS
Aangeslaan. — This word is used in Cape Dutch of a
tongue that is furred or coated with morbid matter.
Aankappen. — (D. aan, on, upon, in; hcuppen, to cut,
chop, fell.) A Cape Dutch word used of the chafing or
brushing of a horse's fetlock with the shoe or hoof of the
fellow foot.
Aanmaning:. — (D. aan, to, at, near; manen, to exhort;
aanmaning, exhortation, warning, notice.) The name given
by farmers to the occurrence of horse-sickness (q.v.) in an
animal that was supposed to be immune or salted (q.v.).
" Long ago farmers had the experience, that the so-called
salted horses may break down in immunity. They called
these relapses or aanmaning s." (" S. A. Journal of Science,"
IX. p. 10, No. 2, 1912.)
Aans. — (D. aanstonds, presently.) In Cape Dutch this
word means just now, perhaps.
Aanstoot. — (D. aan, on, upon ; stooten, to push, thrust.)
In Cape Dutch this word is used of a " knock on " at football.
Aapsekost. — (D. aap, an ape ; host, food, victuals.) Gar-
denia Bothmannia. See Kaarshout.
Aapstert. — (D. aap, an ape; staart, a tail.) A Sjambok
(q.v.), a whip.
Aar. — (D. ader, a vein.) An underground stream gener-
ally indicated by the greater greenness of the vegetation
growing on the surface immediately above it.
" Here in limestone formation they had, even in time of
drought, a good water supply, which, by opening up fresh veins
{aars the Boers call them) , they had largely augmented." (Bry-
den's " Gun and Camera in South Africa," p. 443, 1893.)
" The farmers of the Karoo have long used differences of
vegetation as surface indications of dolerite dykes or water
aars." (" Education Gazette," VI, ii. p. 28, 1906.)
Aarbeiplant. — (D. aardhezie, CD. aarbij, a strawberry.)
Arhutilon venosa, a shrub, the flowers of which are thought
to be not unlike strawberries. See Bebroeide eiers.
Aarbosje.— (D. ader, a vein ; bos, a tuft, bush.) Selago-
lepta stachya, E. Mey., sometimes called "water-finder"
(q.v.) ; both names refer to the fact that it generally grows
above an underground watercourse. See Aar.
Aardappel,— (D. aard, earth ; appel, apple.) The potato.
AFEICANDEEISMS 19
This name appears to have been applied in Holland in earlier
days to a sort of cucumber or gourd ; then when the potato
was introduced and became known, the already existing name
was applied to this new vegetable, perhaps as being still more
appropriate. The history of the German word Erd-apfel is
precisely similar, though in twisting Kartoffel into Erd-apfel
there was a partial reversion to the original meaning, Kar-
toffel standing for Tan-tufol. It. Tartufola, from L. terrae
tuber, earth tuber, truffle.
Aardappelkop.— (D. Jcop, a head.) A blockhead, numskull.
Aardig. — (D. aardig, pretty, agreeable, pleasant.) In Gape
Dutch this word has acquired the very different meaning of
queer, strange (in an unpleasant sense). Een aardige reuk,
a peculiar, or unpleasant smell. Ek voel hanja aardig, I feel
queer, creepy.
Aardkruipers. — (D. kruipen, to creep.) A variety of Nerita
which is sometimes used as food.
Aardroos. — (D. roos, a rose.) Thunberg ("Flora Cap-
ensis," p. 2, 1823) applies this name to Phelipaea sanguinea,
but it is now applied — and much more appropriately as far as
colour is concerned — to the thick-stemmed, rosy-red, root
parasite, Hyobanche sanguinea.
Aardslang. — (D. aard, earth; slang, a snake.) Typh-
lops bibronii. This snake burrows in the ground and is non-
poisonous.
Aardvark. — (D. varken, a pig.) The Cape Dutch name
of the curious quadruped Orycteropus a/er, known to English
colonists as the Ant-bear (q.v.). This animal possesses teeth
of a very curious character, each tooth being composed of a
great number of polygonal columns, each of which is traversed
by a fine tube, and represents, apparently, a single tooth, so
that each grinder is composed of a large number of teeth com-
pressed together. The animal, which is classed by zoologists
among the Edentates, is rarely seen during the day, but at
night may be found burrowing into the mounds raised by
the so-called White ants (q.v.). With its whip-like tongue,
covered with a sticky fluid, it searches the tunnels which
ramify these mounds, and in a very short time will have
destroyed the numerous inhabitants.
"The Aard-varken or earth-pig, which probably is a
species of Manis." (Sparrman's " Voyage," i. p. 270, 1785.)
" Two distinct animals are seen in this part of the country,
2 *
20 AFEICANDEEISMS
that alike burrow into the ground, and appear to subsist en-
tirely upon ants and termites. ... Of these the ant-bear or
Aard-varJc of the colonists is the more common." (Harris's
"Wild Sports of South Africa," p. 301, 1839.)
Aardwolf. — Proteles cristatus, Gray., called more fre-
quently the Maanhaar (q.v.). An animal about the size of a
fox, occupying an intermediate position between the jackals
and the hyenas. This animal, supposed to live on carrion
and insects, seems, like the baboon, to have developed quite
recently the habit of killing lambs, and for the same purpose,
that it may obtain the curdled milk in the lambs' stomachs.
" The genus Proteles contains but a single species, the
Aard-wolf OTc earth-wolf, so called by the European colonists
in the neighbourhood of Algoa Bay in South Africa." (" Penny
Cyclopsedia," i. p. 4.)
Aasbloem. — (D. aas, carrion ; hloem, a flower.) The
flowers of the fetid smelling Stapelias have received this ap-
propriate name in Cape Dutch.
Aasvogel. — (D. aas, carrion ; vogel, a bird.) The great
carrion scavenger of South Africa, Gyps Kolbii. Disliked be-
cause of their repulsive appearance and habits, these vultures,
nevertheless, perform a service invaluable to the country.
" Vultus Fulvus and Vultus Auricularis, white and black
Aasvogel oi the Cape colonist." (Harris's "Wild Sports of
South Africa," p. 196 n., 1889.)
" Of the vultures there are four varieties. . . . The
Aasvogel is the commonest and flocks by thousands through
every district of South Africa." (Fleming's " Southern
Africa," p. 376, 1852.)
Aasvogel besjes. — (D. bezie, a berry.) The fruit of Cassine
maurocenia, Linn. See Kafiir-cherry and quotation.
" Hottentotcherry (aasvogels besjes, or vulture berries as the
Boers call it)." (Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo," p. 130, 1889.)
Abakweta. — (Kaf. um Eweta, a circumcised lad.) Circum-
cised boys are so called during the unclean period, while
dwelling apart, as required by Kaffir custom.
" In the afternoon we strolled over a plain to a neighbour-
ing hamlet to see the amaquati or circumcised." (Kay's
" Caffrarian Eesearches," p. 75, 1823.)
" The state of initiation is called ubukweta, the boys them-
selves being termed abakweta." ("Compendium of Kaffir
Laws and Customs," p. 97, 1858.)
AFEICANDBEISMS 21
Abba. — (Hot. awa, " ein Kind anf dem Eucken tragen,"
Kronlein.) To carry on the back as a mother does her child.
Abiquas geelhout. — (D. geel, yellow ; hout, wood.) Tam-
arix articulata.
" According to Eck. & Zey., the Hottentots call this plant
Daweep and the Boers Abiquas geelhout. The species is
found also in North Africa, Arabia, and Persia." (" Flora
Capensis," Vol. i. p. 120, 1859-1860.)
Achteros. — (D. achter, after, behind ; os, ox.) One or other
of the last pair in a span of oxen. "De achteros kom ook
in de kraal " (The hind ox also comes into the kraal). A Cape
Dutch proverb meaning " slow and sure," patience will suc-
ceed in the end.
Achterossjambok. — See Sjambok.
Achterrijder. — A servant who follows on horseback ;
generally, if the journey is a long one, leading an extra horse.
The English colonists have simply translated the term and
speak of their " after rider".
" These achter-rijders are servants intended both for out-
ward show and for use, and correspond, in this twofold nature
of their duty, to many of our Enghsh grooms." (Burchell's
" Travels," ii. p. 132, 1824.)
" In the course of the forenoon we were met by a farmer
from Beaufort on the Karoo with a Hottentot achter rijder."
(Harris's " Wild Sports of South Africa," p. 333, 1839.)
" The Hottentot ' after riders ' with spare horses went
round collecting the slain." (Mitford's " The Weird of Deadly
Hollow," p. 78, 1891.)
Achterstel. — The after parts of a wagon connected vdth
the hind wheels.
" Those parts belonging to, and joined with the fore pair
of wheels, are denominate the voor-stel ; and those to the after
pair, the agter-stel" (Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 160, 1822.)
Achterton^:. — (D. tong, tongue.) A wooden fork that
passes up from the hind axle to the long-wagon, fastening
them together.
Acht uur. — (D. acht, eight; uur, hour.) Eight o'clock
used as synonymous with breakfast-time. See also Twaalfuur.
Acre. — This term is used somewhat loosely in South Africa,
due perhaps to the influence of the D. Akker (q.v.). When
used as a definite land measurement it is generally spoken of
as the " English acre ".
22 AFEICANDBBISMS
"An acre is generally taken as 300 strides long by 18
wide — divided into 2 of 9 by 300 — but as a rale farmers are
not at all particular as to a few yards more or less." (Noble's
"C.G.H. Official Handbook," p. 227, 1886.)
Adonis. — A nickname, often used of, or to, a baboon.
" Der gute alte Mann . . . haben wollte dass die Zeitung
in Pretoria, die ' Volkstem ' verboten werden miisse, weil sie
sich unterstanden babe, ein Mitglied des Hochweisen Volks-
rates ' Affe ' zu schimpfen ! Alles was der arme Eedakteur
verbrochen hatte, war; er batte von einem Mitgliede des
Volksrates . . . als von dem M (Corns' des Volksrates gespro-
cben. . . . Der alte T. . . . hatte Keine Ahnung von der
Bedeutung des Wortes, er wusste nur, dass die Boeren einem
zahmen Affen gewohnlicb den Namen 'Adonis' geben."
Sc^^l's "28 Jahre in Siid-Afrika," p. 177, 1902.)
Adam fig. — A large brown variety of fig is thus designated
in South Africa.
African chamois. — See Klipspringer.
" Higher up among the precipitous rocks near the summits
the African chamois (Klipspringer) is always to be found."
(Nicholson's " Fifty Years in South Africa," p. 35, 1898.)
African coast fever. — Piroplasma parvum. Another of
the scourges among cattle with which the South African
farmer has to contend. While distinctly different it appears
to be allied to Eed water and is transmitted by ticks (q.v.).
(Bhipicephalus appendiculatus and others.) See East Coast
Fever.
"They clearly recognized and described the small and
characteristic organisms of African Coast Fever." (" Science
in South Africa," p. 339, 1905.)
African cuckoo. — Cuculus gularis, the South African
cuckoo. This bird comes south from North and Central
Africa, but is a rare visitor in Natal and seldom if ever seen in
the Cape.
Africander. — This word has been used with a variety of sig-
nifications : (1) African-born descendants of European parents
generally, (2) African-born offspring of Dutch parents only, (3)
Coloured people of mixed blood. Often enough the word is
used adjectivally with an equal number of similar significa-
tions. In recent years an effort has been made to limit its
meaning to (1) or (2).
" All those who are born in the Colony speak that language
(Dutch) and call themselves A/ricaanders, vyhether of Dutch,
AFEICANDEEISMS 23
German, !or French origin." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 21,
1822.)
" The number of matches that have taken place between the
fair Africanders (the general term for natives of European
descent . . .) proves that their attractions are appreciated."
(" C.G.H. Literary Gazette," iv. p. 103, 1834.)
" They (the slaves) may be divided into three classes — the
Malays . . . the Bast or West coast negro, and the Africander,
vpho is the descendant of an European man and Malay or negro
girl." (Martin's "History of South Africa," p. 125, 1836.)
" I carry resting on my right thigh in true Africander
fashion a double-barrelled smooth bore." (Barter's "Dorp
and Veld," p. 108, 1852.)
" Africander is, however, a term used to include all of South
African birth, whether Dutch, French, English, German, or
any other stock." (" Queenstown Free Press," 30 June, 1885.)
The Africander Boers with their natural shrewdness and
intelhgence." (" C.G.H. Official Handbook," p. 250, 1886.)
"The term Afrikander, which is now extended to all
' country born ' whites, was originally coined to designate
this very class of Boers who were known, or supposed, to be
touched with this (yellow) tar-brush." (Keane's " The Boer
States," p. 86, 1900.)
" It is generally recognized that no matter whether he
speaks English or Dutch, so long as a man is imbued with
the South African spirit, no matter whether we came here
200 or 300 years earlier than he did, he is as good an Africander
as the next." ("Eeport of Speech by General Herzog at
Caledon," p. 5. " The Bloemfontein Post," 1 April, 1912.)
Africander. — The name given to a particular breed of cattle.
" There are three or four recognized breeds now common
in the country ; namely the fatherland, . . . the Africander,
the Zulu, and the bastard Zulu. The Africander is a very
tall, ponderous, large-horned breed of cattle." (" The D'Urban
Observer," 9 January, 1852.)
Africanderdom. — That section of the people of South
Africa animated by the Africander spirit and ideals.
Africanderisms. — Dutch words and idioms in use in South
African English are thus designated.
" If an Enghsh boy learns Dutch he is apt to acquire
what are popularly called Dutchisms or Africanderisms."
(" The State," p. 701, December, 1909.)
24 . AFBICANDBEISMS
Africaner. — The early colonists gave this name to Gladi-
olus tristis and other species of this genus. (Eiversdale,
G. recurvus, L.)
" The gladiolus which is here called Africaner, is un-
commonly beautiful with its tall, waving spike of striped
flowers, and has also a fragrant smell." (Barrow's " Travels,"
I. p. 25, 1801.)
African oak. — Ocotea bullata is sometimes so called because
of the acorn-like appearance of its fruit. See Stinkwood.
African open-bill, Tlie. — Anastomus lamelligerus. This
stork is abundant along the Zambezi Valley and in the neigh-
bourhood of Lake Ngami — very occasionally south of this.
Two features mark this bird off from all other storks : (1)
the shape of its bill, the upper and lower mandibles of which
are curved outward, vpith the result that the bill cannot be
closed in the middle ; (2) the curious character of its breast
feathers. See Clapper bills.
African walnut. — Schotia brachypetala, Sond. A tree
bearing handsome, bright scarlet flowers. The wood is said
to be much hke walnut, but closer in the grain, and takes a
splendid polish.
Afrikaans. — The Dutch spoken in South Africa — Cape
Dutch as it is called (q.v.).
" Samesprake in Afrikaans en Engels." ("Deur Com
Willem," 1885.)
" I have always regarded (high) Dutch as my mother tongue
and Africaans (low Dutch) as a hodge-pot sort of a language."
(" East London Dispatch," p. 4, 20 October, 1908.)
After-clap. — The canvas curtain hanging at the back of
the wagon.
"With 'fore-clap' and ' after-clap,' which is the colonial
name for two broad canvas curtains that form part and
parcel of the sail and hang in front and rear of the wagon,
reaching to within a few inches of the ground." (Gordon
Cumming's "Adventures," i. p. 23, 1850.)
After-tongue. — See Achter tong.
" The trek-touw of the other wagon was made fast to the
' after-tongue,' and all our kaffir servants . . . dragged at it
to slow the wagon down." (Lacy's " Pictures of Travel,"
etc., p. 6, 1899.)
Aftrap. — (D. af, off, from; trappen, to kick.) The "kick-
off " at football.
AFEICANDEEISMS 25
Agulhas bank. — A shelf of rock and gravel running along
the South-east coast from the Bashee to Cape Point ; it
abounds in a great variety of fish.
" There appears nevertheless one source of gain open to
enterprise in the great hank of LaguUas, which is equal to
that of Newfoundland." (Owen's " Narrative," i. p. 62, 1833.)
Agulhas, Cape. — (Port, agulhas, a needle ; L. acucula,
acicula.) The southernmost point of the African continent,
so called because off this Cape the Portuguese mariners found
that the compass needle pointed to the true north.
" And againe in the point of Afrika, a little beyond the point
that is called Cape das AguUas (in English the Needles) it
returneth againe unto the North." (Hakluyt, II, ii. p. 100,
1579.)
Ah now ! or Ha now ! — An expression employed by
wagon-drivers when stopping their oxen.
"Loud cries of Juh (or trek) to start the oxen, 'Ah
now' to stop them." (Barter's "Dorp and Veld," p. 50,
1862.)
Aigretje. — (O.H.G. heigir, a heron ; F. aigre, dim. aig-
rette ; this name was in French transferred from the bird to
the crest of feathers which adorned its head.) The Western
Province name of a wild-flower.
"Among them the crimson gladiolus, the proteas of all
kinds, the Aigrettje or little aigrette." (Hilda's " Diary of a
Gape Housekeeper," p. 10, 1902.)
Air plant. — Various species of epiphytical orchids are so
called.
"Here we find . . . several kinds of 'air-plants'."
(" Trans. S.A. Phil. Soc," I, i. p. 24, 1878.)
Akadijs. — (D. hagedis ; G. eidechse, a lizard.) The com-
mon name of a small lizard which runs with great rapidity
among the bushes. The word is however applied somewhat
loosely.
"Akadijs or properly hagedis is Si very vague definition
as the name is applied to all species of hzard." (" Scientific
African," i. p. 78, 1896.)
Akker. — (D. akker, a field.) A plot of cultivated ground
without reference to any exact size.
"The akker used in ploughing varies on almost every
farm and runs from ten to sixteen yards wide as a rule, and
from two to three hundred yards long. It is therefore no
26 AFEICANDEEISMS
guide to say how much manure is used on an akker."
("C.G.H. Agric. Journal," p. 814, 1905.)
Akkertje. — (Dim. of above.) A garden or flower-bed.
Akkewani. — (M. akar, root ; wangi, odorous ; " Akar-
wangi. The name of a plant with odorous roots, Andro-
pogon muricatus." — Crawford.) Gymbopogon marginatus,
Stapf. (Synonym. Andropogon Nardus, var. marginatus),
the many thread-like roots of which have a somewhat peculiar
and not unpleasant scent, and, when dried, are placed among
woollen articles to preserve them from moth. See Mottekruid,
Motworteltjes, and Vrouwhaar. Most of the Andropogons
have scented roots.
Alamag:tig. — (D. almachtig, almighty.) A common
expletive. Alamatjes, Alamastig, Alamopsticks, are forms of
the word employed by those who have scruples about using
the word Almagtig, and salve their consciences by these
variations.
" Dutchmen flocked round the unfortunate ' Piper for the
day ' with as much astonishment as if he had dropped from
the clouds, drawling out the constant exclamation Alla-
machtig ! Allamachtig ! " (King's "Campaigning in Kaffir-
land," p. 291, 1856.)
" Never was such a spluttering and splashing, but as the
bank was not ten yards off, all got safely ashore, when the
verdoming and alamagtiging was enough to make one's hair
stand on end." (Lacy's " Pictures," p. 403, 1899.)
Albacore. — (P. albacor, Ar. alhukr, a young camel, a
heifer.) Seriola lalandii. This name, sometimes corrupted
into albert-koord and half-cord, and at Somerset Strand intoiy
half-koot, is applied in South Africa to this species of mackerel ;
as employed in Hakluyt and Stavorinus and by sea-faring men
generally it refers to quite another fish. See also Yellow-tail.
" In the sea the fish which is called albocore, as big as a
sahnon, followeth them with great swiftness to take them."
(Hakluyt, II, ii. p. 100, 1598.)
" "We also took albacores, so called by the Portuguese be-
cause of their white colour." ("A Voyage to Siam by Six
Jesuits," p. 29, 1688.)
" Plying fish . . . are the best bait that can be put to
a hook for catching dorados and albicores." (Stavorinus'
"Voyages," i. p. 14, 1798.)
" Scomber Capensis, Guv. and Val. {Half-cord). ... A
AFEICANDEEISMS 27
large fish measuring from two to three feet." (Fleming's
" Southern Africa," p. 480, 1856.)
Albaster. — A marble to play with. Compare the English
alley or ally, which appears to be a shortened form of the
word alabaster, and is used of a superior sort of marble, said
to be made of that material.
Albertinia white heath. — Erica bowieana, Lodd. is
known in the south-west by this name.
Algoa Bay. — (P. al Goa, to Goa). So called as this was
the last calHng-place on the voyage to India, as Delagoa (from
Goa) Bay (q.v.) was the first place of call on the return voyage.
" In February, 1593, we fell in with the eastermost land of
Africa at a place called Baia de Agoa, some 100 leagues to
the north-east of the Cape of Good Hope." (Hakluyt, 11, ii.
p. 108, 1598-1600.)
" Algoa Bay has Uttle to recommend it for shipping. Like
all the other bays upon the same coast, it is directly open to
the south-east winds." (Barrow's "Travels," ii. p. 85, 1804.)
Aliwal Shoal. — A shoal off the coast of Natal, named after
the ship " Aliwal," the master of which was the first to report
its existence in 1848.
Allah 1 — (Ar.). The Mohammedan name for the Creator.
Alone, and in conjunction with other words, it is in common
use in some parts of the Colony as an expression of astonish-
ment, and has been acquired from the Malays.
" 'It's the inside that matters, and the white man's head
inside here' — Outa tapped his wrinkled forehead — 'Allah!
but it can hold a lot.' " (" The State," p. 82, July, 1912.)
Alligator pear. — A corruption of Avocado pear, the fruit
of Persea gratissima.
" Guavas, melons . . . alligator pears . . . are to be had
at almost all seasons." (Whiter's "A Trip to South Africa,"
p. 15, 1892.)
Alliteral or Euphonic concord. — This is the name given
to an intricate grammatical principle of Kaffir speech, for the
discovery and unravelling of which we are indebted to the
Eev. W. B. Boyce, a Wesleyan Missionary, the author also of
the first " Kaffir Grammar," published in 1834. This peculi-
arity of the language is sufficiently described in the following
quotation from the first edition of the work.
" The Kaffir language is distinguished by one pecuharity
. . . the whole business of declension, conjugation, etc., is
28 AFEICANDEEISMS
carried on by prefixes and by the changes which take place in
the initial letters or syllables of words subject to grammatical
government : as the changes, in addition to the precision they
communicate to the language, promote its euphony, and cause
the frequent repetition of the same letter as initial to many
words in the sentence, this peculiarity, upon which the whole
grammar of the language depends, has been termed the
Euphonic or Alliteral concord." (Boyce's " Kaffir Grammar,"
p. 3, 1834.)
Alpratjes. — (D. praten, to talk.) A name, "all talk,"
given by Dutch prospectors to that most common stumbling-
block of the gold-seeker, iron pyrites ; pratjes being a Cape
Dutch corruption of pyrites. Its appearance has so often
deceived the inexpert into believing that they had actually
found gold, that the humour of the name is apparent.
"Pyrites, al praatjes, all talk, as the farmers call it."
("The Scientific African," p. 20, December, 1895.)
Altijd Boschje. — (D. altijd, always.) Staavia radiata,
Thun. So called because the bush may be found in flower
well-nigh the year through. A Eiversdale district name.
Amaas. — (This word appears to be a corruption of i Masisi,
the Kaffir form of the Dutch maselen, measles.) The natives
have given this name to an eruptive disease, which, if it is not
smallpox, very closely resembles it. It is also used of that
disease.
"It was reported to the Council that the late Trooper . . .
was suffering from Amaas, in consequence of which . . .'s
services were retained by the Council." (" East London Dis-
patch," p. 4, 14 November, 1911.)
Amadumbies. — (Z. ama, pi. pref. ; i Dumbi, a tuber grown
by the natives something like a small turnip.) The anglicized
form of the native name of a plant, probably a variety of
Sddoes.
" Cash . . . was scarce, consequently the people bartered
. . . pumpkins, amadoombies (an edible potato-like root)."
(Eussell's "Old Durban," p. 146, 1899.)
Ama-Qerinan or Jeleman, — Among the Fingoes and
other natives of the Transkei the florin was known by this
appellation due to the coins coming into circulation on the
Frontier at the same time that the German Legion arrived.
See also Scotchman.
" They were dubbed ' Germans ' and have been called so
APEICANDEEISMS 29
ever since by the natives." ("East London Dispatch,"
22 May, 1909.)
Amajonl. — (K. ama, pi. pref. ; joni, Bng. Johnny.)
The Natal natives' name for the English soldiers.
" When the amajoni are mustered . . . the trumpet is
blown. " (Mitford's " Eomance of the Cape Frontier," p. 252,
1891.)
Amajuba. — (Z. Juha, a dove, pigeon.) A flat-topped
mountain, 7000 ft. high, situate on the extreme north of
Natal. It was made historic during the Boer War of 1881 by
the defeat of Sir George Pomeroy Colley, who with many of
his men fell before the rifle-fire of the Boers.
" Ingogo Heights, Mount Prospect, Amajuba and Laing's
Nek, all notable in the war of 1881." (Eussell's " Natal,"
p. 54, 1891.)
Amakafuia. — (Z. i Kafula, Zuluized form of the word
Kaffir, apphed by the Zulus proper to the Natal natives.)
An opprobrious name for natives resident in Natal.
" For of those youths — those red cattle (soldiers) and the
amakafuia who are aiding them to fight against us — there
will soon be not one left alive — not one." (Mitford's " Curse
of Clement Waynflate," p. 236, 1894.)
Amalgam. — In the amalgamation process for the recovery
of the gold from the ore, the stamps or crushing machines
are fitted with bright copper plates ; these are covered with a
thin film of mercury by which the free gold is attracted, with
which it forms a pasty substance which is technically known
as amalgam.
" The amalgam has not been successfully reduced yet.
One attempt was made with the result that the retort burst."
(Mather's " Golden South Africa," p. 312, 1888.)
" The case against for amalgam stealing was resumed
this morning." (" Cape Argus," Weekly Edition, p. 4, 17
November, 1897.)
Amapakati. — (K. "middle ones".) This is the title
borne by the councillors of a tribe, who stand between the
chief and the people, to maintain or control the chief's power.
" I requested Tchatchou would assemble his Amapakati
(council) betimes." (Gardiner's " Journey," p. 6, 1836.)
" The parties concerned have the right however to com-
promise any civil case, without bringing it before either
the Amapakati or the chiefs ; but they have no right
30 AFEICANDEEISMS
to compound for criminal cases, as that would be robbing the
chief of part of his revenue." (" Compendium of Kaffir
Laws and Customs," p. 59, 1858.)
Amasi .— (K. This plural form only is used.) Milk curdled
in a skin or calabash (see Calabash milk) ; a common beverage
among the natives of South Africa.
" Their general diet is extremely simple. This ordinarily
consists of milk, which . . . they invariably use in a sour,
curdled state. It is called amaas." (Kay's " Caffrarian
Eesearches," p. 121, 1833.)
" Amarsa, a dehcious Caffir beverage of fermented milk."
(Mason's " Life with the Zulus," p. 224, 1855.)
Amasoja — Another name for the English soldiers coined
by the Kaffirs, soja being the Kaffir pronunciation of
" soldier ". It is also native slang for a native fop.
Amatungulu. — (Z. i Tungulu, the so-called Natal plum.)
The briUiant lake-coloured fruit of Garissa grandiflora, Mey.,
an evergreen shrub of the Periwinkle family which grows on
the coast. The fruit is somewhat larger than a damson ;
when opened it exudes a milky-white, pleasantly acid juice,
and contains several small brown seeds. It is called by the
colonists the "Natal plum" (q.v.).
"Amongst which were growing in wild profusion the
huge cactus, the deep crimson martingola, starch and castor
oil plants." (Mason's " Life with the Zulus," p. 70, 1856.)
" The native name of this plant is Amatungulu, and the
botanical name Arduinia grandiflora." (Brooks' "Natal,"
p. 168, 1876.)
American aloe. — Agave Americana. The habits of this
plant are somewhat similar to those of the Aloe, but it is not
an Aloe at all, belonging to the order Amaryllidaceae.
" The American aloe . . . Agave Americana is not a
true aloe, but more nearly related to the fibre plant Fourcroya,
grown in Mauritius, and to New Zealand flax, Phormium
tenax." (Wallace's " Farming Industries of South Africa,"
p. 92, 1896.)
Amper.— (M. ampir, nearly.) This word, introduced by
the Malays, is in common use in Cape Dutch and among
Enghsh residents in districts where Dutch prevails.
The Cape Dutch proverb, "Amper is ver van Amsterdam"
(Nearly is a long way from Amsterdam), is quite as good as
the English, " A miss is as good as a mile ".
APEICANDEEISMS 31
"Neem 1 lb. wit suiker, smelt dit in amper een bottel
kokende water." (Dijkman's " Kook, Koek en Eesepten
Boek," p. 84, 1898.)
Ampertjes. — Diminutive of the above is equally common
in the sense of nearly, almost.
Andoeli.— (F. andouille, a sausage ; L. inducUUs.) The
intestinal skin which contains the minced meat has given its
name to the contents. Sausage.
Angels' food.— A favourite Cape fruit-salad composed of
sliced bananas, oranges, guavas, and pine-apples.
"We were fortified by luscious coffee and mystic trifle,
and angel's food, and ambrosia, and spiced stars." (" Bloem-
fontein Post," p. 16, 7 September, 1912.)
Angler. — Lophius upsicephalus is so called at Bast
London. See Devil fish, paddy, and fishing frog.
Angora goats. — Generally spoken of as " Angoras," were
imported from Angora in Asia Minor by Col. Henderson, an
Indian officer, about the year 1840. (Wallace.)
Anijs wortel. — (D. anijs, anise ; wortel, a root.) Several
plants appear to share this name — Anesorhiza macrocarpa.
" An umbelliferous plant . . . called by the Hottentots
anijs wortel (anise root) ... but it is entirely different from
the anijs wortel of Zwartland." (Burchell's "Travels," i.
p. 232 n., 1822.)
Anker. — (D. anJcer, a holdfast, support.) The under-
ground shoots of various creeping plants are so named.
Ansjovi. — (D. ansjovis, anchovy. Mahn (Webster) traces
this word to an " Iberian origin, lit. a dried or pickled fish,
from Biscayan antzua, anchua, anchuva, dry ".) Engraulis
holodon — the Cape anchovy. The European anchovy is
E. encrasicholus, Bond. The assimilation in Dutch of the
latter part of the word to visch (pronounced vis) seems in
Cape Dutch to have been unconsciously corrected.
Ant=bear. — See Aardvark.
"The ant-bears, which are much better furnished with
strong claws for penetrating the indurated clay of a dry
climate." (Moodie's " Ten Years in South Africa," i. p. 254,
1835.)
Ant-heap. — The earth brought to the surface by the so-
called white ants (Termites) is employed, under this desig-
nation, to floor rooms, tennis courts, etc. When properly
prepared it gives a smooth, hard surface eminently suitable
for such purposes.
32 AFBICANDEEISMS
" Following the custom of the country, I directed a dozen
or two of large ant hillocks ... to be broken up and brought
into the hut. This material, from having been apparently
cemented by the insect architects with some glutinous sub-
stance, forms, when pounded and sprinkled with water, a
strong, adhesive mortar, which only requires to be well kneaded
with trampling feet for a few days in order to become a dry
and compact pavement, almost as solid and impenetrable as
stone or brick." (Pringle's " Narrative," p. 39, 1840.)
" The material of the ' ant-heap ' is somewhat largely
employed by settlers in the formation of plaster, mortar, and
cement." (Brooks' " Natal," p. 160, 1876.)
Anvil bird. — In the neighbourhood of King WiUiam's
Town several birds are known by this name — Barbatula
pusilla, Gossypha bicolor, Sycobrotis bicolor, etc. — which has
reference to the striking resemblance which their notes have
to the tapping of a hammer on an anvil. See Tinker bird.
Appel-der-liefde. — (F. pomme d'amour, love apple ; a
corruption of It. pomi dei Mori, or Moor's apples, mala
Aethiopica (Prior).) The fruit of theLycopersicum esculentum.
The name is sometimes applied to the Cape gooseberry (q.v.)
and also to the Pampelmoose (q.v.) ; and is often colloquially
corrupted into Appieleepie.
" Kersen vindt men hier zelden en aalbessen in het geheel
niet, doch wel aardbeien, bramen en appel-de-liefde {Phy-
salis Peruviana)." (Cachet's "De Worstelstrijd der Trans-
valers," p. 353, 1882.)
" Di blare van appel-der-liefde {pampelmoertji)." (Dijk-
man's " Kook, Koek and Eesepten Boek," p. 156, 1898.)
Appelkoos. — (D. abrihoos, apricot.) (1) A corruption of the
Dutch name of the apricot in common use among the Dutch of
South Africa. A similar corruption exists in Germany, Apri-
kosen being turned into Appelkosen in Saxony. (2) The name
is also given to the fruit of Dovyalis. See Cape cranberry.
" Waarfoor is dit nodig om ' appelkoos-hoora ' te ge met
di fertaling ' apricot tree,' daar elkeen dit net so goed kan
kry deur op alby woorde apart te kyk." (" Patriot Woorde-
boek," Preface, iii, 1902.)
Apple, Kei. — The intensely acid fruit of the Aberia Caffra,
so called because found in such abundance in the neighbour-
hood of the Kei Eiver. In Natal the fruit is also known as
" Dingaan's apricot " (q.v.).
AFEICANDEEISMS 33
" This fruit is familiarly known as the hei apple, or in some
places as Dingaan's apricot." (Brooks' "Natal," p. 185,
1876.)
Apples ol Sodom. — The fruit of Solanum aculeastrum and
8. sodomaeum are thus designated.
April fool. — A western province name for several varieties
of Haemanthus. See Veldschoenblaren.
" The April fool merits its name as we think when we
find that what we took to be a single flower is really a dense
umbel of many flowers surrounded by bright red bracts."
(Stoneman's " Plants and Their Ways in South Africa," p.
192, 1906.)
Arabs, or Arab merchants. — The Indian merchants and
shop-keepers in Natal are locally, but erroneously known by
these designations. They are chiefly Mohammedans and are
also known as " Bombay merchants" (q.v.).
" The other class, less numerous, but better educated and
more intelligent, consists of so-called 'Arabs'". (Bryce's
"Impressions of South Africa," p. 361, 1898.)
" A fight took place at Verulam, Natal, on Saturday night,
between several Arab merchants, resulting in two being very
seriously injured." (" Eastern Province Herald," 5 May,
1902.)
Arend. — CD- arend, an eagle ; A.S. earn.) The Bearded
vulture, Gypaetus meridionalis, Bp., is known by this name
among the Dutch.
" We are going to lay wait for an Arend to-morrow even-
ing. He always sits on one particular yellow-wood tree in
the forest." (Layard's " Birds of South Africa," p. 2, 1867.)
" Do you know the story of the Arend among the Dutch ?
It is supposed to be the raven let out of the ark, and it is
considered unlucky to do it any injury. " (Layard's "Birds
of South Africa," p. 33, 1875-84.)
Arikreukel. — (D. kreukel, a fold.) A well-known shell-fish.
Aroena. — ^A wild fruit.
Arri 1 — (Hot. ari, an interjection expressing astonishment,
anger, vexation). This interjection is in frequent use in the
Midland Districts.
" Mar een daarvan, 'n bietjie dikker, Maak so'n uitgehaalde
flikker. Dat Klaas plaas van sijn bek te hou, Skre arrie dit
was fluks van jou." (Eeitz's " Afrikaanse Gedigte," p. 39,
1888.)
3
34 AFEICANDEEISMS
" Arri ! but Oom Jakhals was a slim Kerel ! No one ever
got the better of him without paying for it." (" The State,"
p. 639, December, 1911.)
Arrow poison. — See Bushman's poison bush.
Artillery bird. — Ploceus capensis. The yellow Kaffir
fink, so called on account of its yellow and black colours.
" The Artillery bird frequents river sides or marshy
places where reeds or long grass abound." (" Trans. S.A.
Phil. Soc," I., Part in. p. 31, 1879.)
Asli cookies or Asltoek. — (D. Koek, a cake.) (1) Dough
cakes roasted in the ashes of a wood fire ; (2) A ne'er-do-well.
" Another way of making bread is what is called an Ash
cookie. It is something akin to an Australian 'damper'."
(Browning's " Fighting and Farming in South Africa," p.
314, 1880.)
" J — S — who jumped a bag of askoek from a trans-
port wagon, was sentenced to a month's hard labour."
(" Bast London Dispatch," 10 July, 1908.)
Ascli bosje. — {D. asch, ashes; CD. bos, shrub, bush.)
In the Eiversdale district this name is applied to two plants
— Mesembryanthemum junceum, Harv. and Salsola aphylla.
The plants are burned and the ashes are used in soap-
making.
Askoekklop or Askoekslaan. — (D. kloppen, to knock,
strike ; slaan, to beat, to kick.) A dance peculiar to the Hot-
tentots, in which the heels are struck together ; the noise pro-
duced is thought to resemble that made by the knocking
together of askoekies.
Aspres. — (F. expres, purposely, with intention.) Used in
Cape Dutch with the meaning purposely, on purpose.
Asseblief. — (D. Als het u belief t, if you please.) This is
the common Cape contraction of the Dutch phrase.
" Ge my asseblief 'n paar voorbeelde, hoe jy di woorde
gebruik." (Oom Willem's " Samesprake," p. 7, 1885.)
Assegai. — (According to Dozy this is a native Berber word
— zaghayah, with the Arabic az = al prefixed. This name,
adopted by the Moors, was subsequently applied by the Por-
tuguese to the slender javelins used by the natives of Africa
generally.) This word, which is unknown in the Kaffir
language, is of considerable interest. It would appear to have
been taken over by the Boers and British of South Africa
from the Portuguese who had brought it to South-Bast Africa.
AFEICANDEEISMS 35
The word had a place in the EngHsh vocabulary, however,
as early as the fourteenth century, for Chaucer uses it in a
form, it is true, which makes it appear to be quite a different
word, and yet lancegay or launcegay is the form which
the word had assumed in his day from the French I'arche-
gaie, as the result of the striving after meaning.
And BO befel up-on a day,
For sothe, as I yow telle may,
Sir Thopas wolde out ryde ;
He worth upon his stede gray,
And in his honde a launcegay,
A long swerd by his syde. (Sir Thopas, 11. 1938-43.)
The use of this weapon was prohibited, Cowel says, by the
Statute of 7 Rich. II, cap. 13, which would account for the early
entire disappearance of the word from the English vocabulary.
Two forms of the weapon are in use among the natives of
South Africa. The throwing assegai, which is known to the
Kaffirs as um Konto, was the older form of the weapon, but
since Chaka armed his troops with the short, stabbing assegai,
i Boqo, the Zulus have given this weapon the preference,
and are not nearly so dexterous with the um Konto as the
natives of the Cape Colony, but as a fighting weapon the
i Boqo stands them in good stead.
" The male sort from their infancy practise the rude pos-
tures of Mars, covering their naked bodies with mastic targets,
their right hand brandishing a long but small Azaguay or
lance of ebony, barbed with iron, kept bright, which by
exercise they know how to jaculate as well as any people in
the Universe." (Sir T. Herbert's " Travels," p. 23, 1665.)
"Ihre-die Hottentotten — gewohnlichen Waffen, sind der
Stock, Eackum genannt, ein andere Namens Kirii, der Bogen,
Pfeile, und die Hassagayen." (Kolben's " Beschreibung,"
p. 26, 1745.)
" The Bushmen retain the ancient arms of the Hottentot
race ... a light javelin or assagai." (Pringle's "African
Sketches," p. 365, 1834.)
Assegai, To. — To wound or kill with an assegai.
" Another youth, named Jubber, was sent out at Bathurst
in search of horses, and when only a few yards from the
village over the brow of the hill on its eastern side, he was
assegaied." (Editor of Grahamstown Journal's " Narrative,"
p. 185, 1836.)
8*
36 AFEICANDEEISMS
Assegai wood. — Gurtisia faginea. The wood of this tre
was used by the natives for the shafts of their assegais, but th
wood of Grewia occidentalis is now more generally employe(
" Assegai wood is the most valuable of the wagon woodi
... It is 'extremely tough and strong, heavy and elasti(
close-grained and durable, if exposed to only moderate damp
The colour is bright red, but it soon fades if exposed t
the air." (Wallace's " Farming Industries of Cape Colony,
p. 123, 1896.)
Assous. — The name given at Hout Bay to the fish know:
elsewhere as Spiering (q.v.).
Atjar. — (Crawford gives Achar, pickles, as a Persian wor
used by the Malays.) A Cape name for vegetables pickled ii
vinegar.
"When green it (the Mango) is made into Attjar ; fo
this the kernel is taken out, and the space filled up witl
ginger, pimento, and other spicy ingredients, after which it i
pickled in vinegar." (Stavorinus' "Voyages," i. p. 237, 1798.
"Eed cabbage pickle (Atjaar)." (Hilda's "Diary of
Cape Housekeeper," p. 63, 1902.)
Aum. — (D. aam, a liquid measure equal to about 3i
gallons.) A Cape measure of about 32 Imperial gallons
See Measures.
" A cask of Cape brandy, called a half-aum, and contain
ing nineteen gallons, may be purchased in any part of th
Colony, at from twenty to thirty-six rix-dollars." (Dr. Phihp'
" Eesearches," i. p. 354 n., 1828.)
Australian bug. — The name given in South Africa to th
insect pest, Icerya purchasi, Mask., which does so mucl
damage to trees.
" The Australian bug was introduced into Natal on som^
young apple-trees. In less than six months it had spreai
itself throughout the Colony far and wide." (" Queenstowi
Free Press," 24 July, 1877.)
" The soft, cushiony, white-ribbed scale insect commonl;
known as the Australian bug (the Cottony Cushion Seal
of North America) ranks among the most destructive of th
insect pests hurtful to trees and shrubs in South Africa
although little more than fifteen years have elapsed sine
this pest was first observed in the Colony." Ormerod'
" Observations on some Injurious Insects of South Africa,
p. 70, 1889.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 37
Australian drabok. — Lolium italicum is known by this
name in South Africa.
Avond bloemetjes. — (D. avond, evening ; bloem, a flower.)
The word is usually shortened to Aa'ntblom ; it is the Cape
Dutch name for several plants — Hesperantha radiata, Ker.
and other Irideae — whose flowers open in the evening, most
of them having a very pleasant scent. In the Eastern Pro-
vince the name is also applied to Gladiolus recurvus, L.
" I have met with a remarkable species of Avond-hloem
(Hesper anther a). This genus is very widely dispersed."
(Burchall's "Travels," i. p. 273 n., 1824.)
" Another of our favourites was the aant-blom, a kind of
ixia." (Martin's "Home Life on an Ostrich Farm," p. 21,
1890.)
Axe, The War of the.— The Kaffir War of 1846 was so called
because the theft of an axe by a Kaffir of Sandili's tribe was
the spark which ignited the materials that a mistaken Govern-
ment policy had allowed to accumulate day by day since the
previous war of 1885. The Kaffir was on his way with some
other prisoners from Fort Beaufort to Grahamstown for
trial for the theft, when he was rescued by some of his
countrymen, who at the same time cruelly mutilated and
murdered a Hottentot prisoner to whom the Kaffir was hand-
cufl'ed. The surrender of those implicated in these outrages
was demanded by the Government and refused by the chiefs,
and war was immediately declared by the Governor.
" The outbreak of 1846 . . . has been termed very absurdly
The War of the Axe, implying that it alone was the cause of
a Frontier War which involved miUions in its suppression, to
say nothing of the loss of human life. The fact is that the
simple act of theft and the brutal murder connected with it was
merely the culminating point (the last straw which broke the
camel's back) of a ten years' series of outrages, so incessant
and atrocious in their details as to surpass belief unless sup-
ported by such indubitable evidence as is here furnished."
(Godlonton's " Case of the Colonists," Pref. xv, 1879.)
Ayah or Aja. — (P. aia, a nurse or governess.) This word
is in common use in South Africa, especially among the Dutch,
for a nursemaid. It was introduced by the Portuguese into
India and was thence imported at an early date into the Cape.
" Each child in the better sort of families having its proper
slave, called its aya, a Malay term borrowed perhaps from the
38 AFEICANDBEISMS
Portuguese or Italian, signifying nurse or protectress."
(Barrow's " Travels," ii. p. 105, 1804.)
"He generally called her old Ayah, a title she herself
preferred, not only as one of some honour among the people,
but as describing the character in which she liked to be known,
that of a professional nurse." (Briggs' "Sunny Fountains
and Golden Sands," p. 105, 1888.)
Azijnbottel or Azijnvat. — (D. azijn, vinegar ; vat, a cask.)
A nickname applied to a surly, sour-faced man.
Baaken. — (D. baak, a beacon.) In addition to its general
sense of "beacon," this word was also applied to the stake
which, in the early days of the Colony, was driven into the
ground by the applicant for a farm, at the place where he
proposed to build his homestead.
" General Van Plettenberg in commemoration of the event
caused a stone or baaken to be erected there." (Barrow's
" Travels," i. p. 255, 1801.)
" The disputes about these stakes or haahens as they call
them are endless." {lUd. ii. p. 380, 1804.)
Baakhout. — (D. baak, a beacon; hout, wood.) Greyia
Sutherlandii. When in flower in the spring its crimson
flowers make it a conspicuous object in the Natal uplands.
Baan. — (D. baan, way, road ; cf. G. Bahn.) Cricket pitch.
A tennis-court in Cape Dutch is a tennis-baan.
Baar. — (M. baharu, new, inexperienced.) " The word is
employed of both men and animals ; in the former case it has
the meaning of unskilful, untrained ; in the latter case it
means unbroken to yoke or harness. The word has come
down from the days of the Dutch East India Company ; the
men who had seen considerable service were called Oorlani-
men (Mai. orang lami, old person), while the recruits were
called Baren (Mai. orang baru, new hand). In India and
also at the Military Academy at Breda the word seems to be
used in the sense of green, inexperienced. In sailor language
it also indicates a novice." (Mansvelt's "Idioticon".) The
evidence seems to favour this derivation rather than the one
suggested in the quotation.
" Those Hottentot slaves who left the Colony and now live
in Great Namaqualand call themselves Orlams in distinction
from the aborigines, the Namaquas, and by this they mean
to say that they are no longer uncivilized. If for instance
they give a traveller a man as a servant : ' He is very orlam,
AFEICANDEEISMS 39
he is not haar' (he is very handy, he is not stupid)."
(Hahn's " Tsuni Goab, the Supreme Being of the Khoi-Khoi,"
p. 163, 1881.)
" Bari is, however, a good Dutch word, which we meet
with in the various Teutonic languages ; thus Enghsh, bare
(bare-faced, bare-foot); Anglo-Saxon, har, boer ; Swedish,
Danish, and German, bar; Dutch, baar ; O.H. German,
por ; meaning uncovered, destitute, naked, raw, without any-
thing." {Ibid. p. 144.)
Baardman or Baardmannetje. — (D. baard, a beard.) The
Western Province name of the fish Umbrina capensis.
" Baartman (white-fish, barbel, catfish), a well-known
ugly species of the family Siluridae." (" East London Dis-
patch," 5 December, 1907.)
" Many of the Cape fish are endowed with the quaintest
Dutch names. Here are a few of them : Kabeljouw, Baard-
mannatje . . . and others." (Bryden's "Gun and Camera
in South Africa," p. 449, 1893.)
Baardmannetje. — (D. baard, beard, whiskers ; mamietje,
little man.) Sporopipes squamifrons. The name refers to
its black moustache. This bird is also called the Scaly
feathered finch, the white edges of the feathers giving them
a scale-like appearance.
Baas. — (D. baas, master, foreman.) Used throughout
South Africa as the equivalent of "master," "headman,"
by the coloured and native labourers, and often enough by
white employees when speaking of masters or overseers.
" I therefore took leave of the baas, an appellation given
to all the Christians here, particularly to baihffs and farmers."
(Sparrman's "Voyage," i. p. 55, 1785.)
" The officers who do not serve in the regular mihtary
force, and called bas (or bas officers) have a small stipend,
generally 240 dollars." (Damberger's " Travels," p. 32, 1801.)
Baatje. — (M. badjoe, baja, a jacket.) This word was
introduced into South Africa either by the Malays or by the
sailors of the Dutch East India Company. It has made a
permanent place for itself in the vocabulary of the Dutch
sailor, baatje being the name that he gives to his jacket. In
South Africa it is applied to almost every description of short
coat, but is perhaps more familiar to EngHsh colonists in the
compound word rooi-baatje (red jacket), by which the British
soldier is designated.
40 APEICANDEBISMS
"In December, 1839, the rooi-baatjes weighed anchor and
had scarcely set sail, when a three-coloured flag was hoisted
on the same staff that had lately borne the British ensign."
(Delagorgue's " Travels," 1847. In Bird's " Annals of Natal,"
I. p. 562, 1888.)
" The inhabitants were supposed to be all Boers, dressed
in fustian if they were fairly well off, in leather crackers and
batjes if less well-to-do." (Wallace's " Farming Industries of
the Cape Colony," p. 162, 1896.)
Babiaan or Baboon. — (1) Cynocephalus porcarius. These
animals " are distinguished by a long, dog-like snout, large
canine teeth or tusks, capacious cheek pouches, and naked
callosities on the buttocks ". In some parts of South Africa
they are so numerous as to be a nuisance. Their food consists
of roots, fruits, lizards, scorpions, etc., but in recent years
they seem to have acquired the pernicious habit of killing
lambs and kids for the sake of the curdled milk found in
their stomachs. The baboons are popularly credited among
the Dutch colonists with the kindly offices attributed in
Germany to the stork : " De Babiaan het daar en kind
gebreng ". (2) The word is also frequently used as a term of
abuse.
" The Baboons were pretty numerous and indeed dangerous
to travellers, for sitting undismayed on the tops of the rocks,
where they were frequently out of the reach of shot, they would
roll and even throw down stones of all sorts and sizes."
(Thunberg's " Travels," i. p. 284, 1795.3
" A large kind of monkey with a long, greenish-brown fur
(Gercopithecus ursinus) called Baviaan by the colonists, in-
habits this mountain." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 46, 1822.)
" Die rohen Wehmutter bezeichnen ihre Arbeit mit dem
Wort dass sie Paviaanchen fangen wollen." (Wangemann's
" Ein Eeisejahr in Siid-Afrika," p. 30, 1868.)
Babiaan bosch. — (D. bos, bush, tuft.) A variety of Protea.
" The boven jaan bosch or monkey protea, which is so called
because . . . the monkeys tear off the flower balls and chew
them until they extract the seed, which they eat." (" Cape
Times," p. 8, 3 September, 1904.)
Babiaanbout. — (D. bout, leg, shoulder.) The old-fash-
ioned, muzzle-loading musket ; the name refers to its shape.
" He was fain to confess that . . . his heart was sore about
the guns and until he should become the happy owner of the
AEEICANDEEISMS 41
Babijaana (baboons), a contraction of Babiaan's bout (ba-
boon's thigh), the colonial term for a musket, he could enjoy
nothing else." (Baine's " Explorations," p. 280, 1864.)
Babiaan druiven. — (D. druif, a grape.) The berries of
Phytolacca have received this name at Sterkstroom because
baboons are said to eat them.
Babiaan kos. — The name given to a wild plant in Nama-
qualand.
Babiaan oor. — (D. oor, ear.) A variety of Sta/pelia is so
called in the Graaff Eeinet District.
Babiaan stert. — '(D. staart, tail, end.) Barbacenia sp. is
known by this name in the Transvaal where it is common on
the kopjes.
Babiaantjes. — Babiana plicata. In earher days this and
several other species were known as Baviaan uyntjes.
" The baboons of Table Mountain . . . feed also upon the
pulpous bulbs of several plants. . . . The Gladiolus plicatus
aippears to be the most favourite plant with those that live
near the Cape, for which reason also this plant is known by
the name of the Baboon." (Thunberg's " Travels," i. p. 285,
1796.)
" A few of those are frequent in the Cape gardens, and
generally known by the names of AfriJcaanders, Bavyantjes,
etc. (" Cape Monthly Magazine," i. p. 350, 1857.)
Baboon ropes or Baviaans' touw. — The stout rope-like
stems of various climbing plants which festoon the trees of the
forests : Vitis capensis and V. Thunbergii. See Monkey
ropes.
"The baboons' ropes, as they are called, which hung
in festoons from the branches." (Moodie's " Ten Years in
South Africa," ii. p. 183, 1835.)
Baby, The. — A sifting machine used at the Vaal Eiver
diamond diggings in the process known as "dry-sorting".
" The earliest method was that known as ' dry-sorting,'
analagous to the use of the Baby at the Eiver diggings, and
consisted merely in sifting the excavated ground through
hand sieves." (Noble's " Handbook," p. 189, 1886.)
" Third in order came the Baby, so called from its in-
ventor, a Mr. Babe, an American." (Matthew's "Incwadi
Yami," p. 175, 1887.)
Baby, To. — Ground which had been sifted by the above
machine was said to have been " babied ".
42 AFBICANDEEISMS
" The average quantity of maiden ground that one man can
excavate in a day is about one and a half loads of rough gravel
and sand, which after being 'babied' yield half a load of
pebbles to be washed." (Noble's " Handbook," p. 219, 1886.)
Bacchus fish. — (This appears to be a corruption of bekkies
or bakkies ; D. bek, a beak.) Is this the fish known in Natal
as the gar-fish (q.v.) ?
" There were a great many little fish like eels with it, they
have bills like woodcocks, and are called Bacchus fish."
(" South Africa a Century Ago," p. 174, 1901.)
Back chat or talk. — A slang term applied to saucy or im-
pertinent replies.
" ' That'll do, Sargeant Jones,' I heard one of our colonial
officers remark, ' I don't want any more of your back-
chat' " (" A Subaltern's Letters to his Wife," p. 108, 1901.)
Backveld. — The country lying at some distance from the
towns, where the conditions of life are of a somewhat primitive
character.
"In what way will a few visitors from the back veld equip
the boys and girls for the battle of life." (" East London
Dispatch," p. 6, 8 November, 1911.)
" The purposeless drifting which is all too often the rule
on the backveld farm." (" The State," p. 580, December, 1911.)
Backvelder. — A term applied to a not very progressive
class of farmer.
" Mr. 's work will have considerable value as tending
... to present the rugged backvelder in his true colours."
(" East London Dispatch," p. 3, 28 October, 1911.)
Bafaro. — The Cape Peninsula name for Polyprion prog-
nathus.
Bagger or Barger. — Galeichthysfoliceps. The appearance
of this fish creates a prejudice against it ; it is, however, of a
delicate eel-hke flavour. See also Barber and Catfish.
"On the 14th of August four fishermen came contrary
to what they used to do, with Hayes and Beggers on board
of us." (Kaempfer's "History of Japan," i. p. 84, 1690-2.
Eeprint.)
" The bager a very bad species of fish and supposed to be
of a poisonous quality." (Percival's " Account," p. 44, 1804.)
Bag-worm. — The name given to Isaria Psychidae, and
other members of the same genus. They form in the grub
state an exceedingly tough bag of silk into which twigs, small
AFEICANDEEISMS 43
pebbles, or other foreign materials are woven, in which they
suspend themselves from the food plant. In some cases the
female is wingless. The sheep-farmers attribute the death of
their stock sometimes to the swallowing of these insects.
See also Basket worms.
" The doorn-boom is the host of an innumerable lot of
pests, being often cleared of foliage by caterpillars of several
large moths and by Bagworms." (Sim's " Forest Flora of
Cape Colony," p. 212, 1907.)
Bakbakiri or Bush Shrike. — Laniarnis gutturalis. An
onomatopoetic name derived from the clear and varied call of
the male bird and the immediate answer of the female ; so
closely does the female's answer come after the call of the
male that the two sound like one call. Its cheery song
and rich green plumage make this bird a favourite with all
lovers of nature. See also Kook-a-vic.
" A rivulet . . . flows through it with a tinkling murmur
that mingles well with the . . . cry of the backbacery and the
tvnttering of the graceful sugar-birds." ("C. G. H. Liter-
ary Gazette," iv. p. 52, 1834.)
" Pleasant the rest under the orange boughs ... to listen
to the cry of the back-my-keerie (whip-poor-will)." (Godlon-
ton and Irving's "Kaffir War, 1851-52," p. 247, 1852.)
Bakleier or Baasbakleier. — (M. barkalahi, to fight;
kalahi, a fight, combat.) A fighter, bully.
Bakleislasr. — (M. barkalahi, to fight ; D. slag, a blow,
battle.) A fighting party, a fight.
Balderja. — (G. Baldrian; L. Valeriana; Capon's tail.)
A plant the root of which is aromatic.
Balstikker. — (D. bal, a ball; stikken, to stitch.) Sanse-
viera languinosa. The fine threads from the fibre of this
plant are used by certain native tribes to make fish nets.
" The emigrant Boers call this plant ballstikker."
(Distant's " A Naturalist in the Transvaal," p. 39, 1892.)
Bamboo fish. — Box salpa. A fish which lives among the
Sea bamboo (q.v.) and large Sargassa. It feeds only upon
algae. See also Stink-fish.
Bamboos. — Formerly deep, cylindrical, wooden vessels cut
out of a solid block of wood and used by the Hottentots to
hold milk or other liquids. According to Kronlein (Art.
* hoes) the name is applied to milk-baskets in Namaqua-
land which are made of woven rush or willow. The name
44 APBICANDEEISMS
has probably been transferred from the gigantic grass, to
which it is generally applied, to these domestic utensils, as
the result of the intercourse between South Africa and the
East; the slaves from the Malay Archipelago and from
Malabar were accustomed to use joints of the bamboo for a
similar purpose ; the transfer of the name to the Hottentot
articles would be an easy matter.
" They brought us three bambooses for which we gave
them some tobacco."
"A bamboos is a deep wooden vessel, something in shape
like a tea canister but cut out of a block of wood." (Camp-
bell's " Travels," i. p. 46, 1822.)
"A young man had gone into the country to sell bam-
bouses, which are a sort of jars made of willow wood."
(Backhouse's " Narrative," p. 565, 1844.)
" One of the present writers has seen (and partaken of)
rice cooked in a joint of bamboo, among the Khyens, a hill-
people of Arakan." (Yule and Burnell's " Glossary of Anglo-
Indian Words," Art. Bamboo, 1886.)
Banana, Wild. — Strelitzia angusta. The local name of
this plant in Natal, where, along the coast it grows in great
profusion, and in its foliage is not unlike the banana. See
Bird of Paradise flower.
"Although the strelitza is commonly designated as the
wild banana, it differs considerably from it in two remarkable
particulars. The flaps of the banana-leaf are pendulous,
whereas these open upwards; the branches of the former
spring from all sides of the trunk, these only from opposite
sides, forming a sort of fan as they spread upwards."
(Gardiner's " Journey," p. 229, 1806.)
Bandiet. — (F. bandit ; It. bandito, p.p. of bandire, to pro-
scribe, to ban.) A convicted criminal.
"Towards night water rose so many feet . . . as to . . .
go near to drown ... all the bandits in the lower yard."
(" South Africa a Century Ago," p. 219, 1901. Letter dated
12 September, 1799.)
Bandom. — (D. band, hoop, girdle ; am, about.) (1) An ox
with a white mark round the body ; (2) a bullet with a groove
round it ; (3) the word is also applied to a curiously marked
pebble which is striated with a succession of parallel ringg.
The specific gravity of this stone is almost identical with that
of the diamond, so that where this stone is found the diamond
is confidently expected.
AFEICANDBEISMS 45
" I noticed that occasionally the curious banddoom stone, so
often found in the Vaal Eiver with diamonds, and indeed often
considered by diggers as a sure indicator of ' stones,' was to be
met with." (Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo," p. 201, 1899.)
" A digger at Lombard's has had a stroke of luck. He
ordered his boy to sink a hole for water. At a few feet he
struck a layer of bantoms. The digger set to work washing
these, and in a short while had a 22-carat stone, followed by
another of less weight." (" Transvaal Leader," Weekly Ed.,
p. 17, 8 September, 1906.)
Bang. — (D. bang, afraid.) A word in common use in the
Midland and Western Districts, meaning fearful, afraid.
" So I started down a opening in the gleaming rows and
kept on twisting about, till I got bang at the thought that I
was lost." (" The Empire," p. 7, 11 February, 1899.)
Bangbroek. — (D. broek, trousers.) A coward, a poltroon.
Banja or Baing. — (M. banjak, many, much, very.) A word
in use all over South Africa ; sometimes employed adjectively
— en banje Jcerel, a fine fellow ; and sometimes as an adverb,
baije ver, very far.
" He offered to bring the water of two neighbouring
fountains to water his land, but all his arguments made no
impression on the lazy boor, who said it would be bye (super-
fluous) trouble." (Campbell's " Travels," p. 120, 1815.)
" ' In zehn Minuten sind wir da ' meinte Wuras. ' Dat
licht is nog bye ver' (sehr fern) meinte Johannes." (Wange-
mann's " Ein Eeise-Jahr in Siid-Afrika," p. 306, 1868.)
Banket. — (D. banket, sweetmeat, confection.) The gold-
bearing quartz reef is so called because of its fancied resem-
blance to a certain Dutch confection called Banketje, which
consists of broken almonds embedded in sugar — almond rock,
" It consists of four or five narrow veins of conglomerate
locally called banket (emphasis on the second syllable), a name
given by the Boers to the stuff on account of its similarity to
'Almond rock,' auriferous pebbles being the almonds, and
the sometimes soft and sometimes hard gold-yielding ore in
which they lie, being the sticky stuff." (Mather's " Golden
South Africa," p. 300, 1888.)
Banketje. — See above. Both words have the same origin
as the Enghsh word " banquet " ; they are derived through the
French from the Italian banchetto, dim. of banco, a table.
Bank Steenbras. — See Eiver Steenbras and Tiger-fish.
46 AFEICANDEEISMS
Bansela— (Z. bansela, to be kind to, to give to ; ngi
bansela, please give me something.) This word (cf. hasela)
has come to be equivalent to the English word "tip," a
gratuity, in Natal.
" Well, let us proceed there and instruct one of the inmates
to catch us some fish. They know how to do so for a bansela
though they never do so on their own account." (Turnbull's
" Tales from Natal," p. 23, 1901.)
Bantu. — (K. aha Ntu, people.) The name generally given
by ethnologists to the Kaffir peoples of South Africa.
" I see that it is the fashion with many eminent ethno-
logists to call this collection of tribes the Bantu tribes.
As a Zulu linguist I respectfully object to this Bantu or
Ahantu — Abantu simply means ' people ' in Zulu, and
is used in this sense, Abantu bamhlope, ' white people,' and
Abantu bamnyama, 'black people'. (Hoodie's "Battles,"
I. p. 578, 1888.)
Baobab. — Adansonia digitata. An African tree of enor-
mous growth and long life, regarded by Humboldt as being
" the oldest organic monument of our planet ". It is also
known as the " Cream of tartar tree " (q.v.).
" In the letter from Mr. Livingstone before quoted, he de-
scribes a tree met with by a party on the banks of the Limpopo
Eiver, within the tropics, which is probably the famed baobab
tree of North Africa." (Methuen's " Life in the Wilder-
ness," p. 275, 1848.)
" We spent a night at a Baobab which was hollow, and
would hold twenty men inside." (Livingstone's "Travels,"
p. 573, 1857.)
Baraputse. — (S. The people of the father of Putse.) The
Amaswazi are known to the Bechuanas by this designation.
It was adopted by the early Bechuana missionaries, but has
now been superseded by the designation " Swazies" (q.v.).
" There are the Baphiri lying about four hundred miles
from the Baraputse." (Appleyard's " Kaffir Language," p.
32, 1850.)
Barbadoes gooseberry. — Bhipsalis barbadensis is known
by this name in South Africa.
Barbel or Barber. — (1) The Bast London name for the
fish Galeichthys feliceps. See Catfish. (2) A fresh-water
fish.
" We were particularly successful among the barbel.
AFEICANDEBISMS 47
This fish (Glanis silurus) grows to enormous weight and
size in the larger African rivers." (Bryden's "Gun and
Camera in South Africa," p. 463, 1893.)
"Barbel, or more correctly 'catfish'." ("East London
Dispatch," 7 October, 1907.)
Barber. — (D. barbeel, barbel.) Barbus capensis. A large
fresh-water fish, considered by some to be good eating. In
appearance it is by no means prepossessing, the long fleshy
filaments which hang from the corners of its mouth giving it
a rather repelling appearance. See Witte visch.
" A few fish called barbers, of a long and eel-like sort,
with whiskers or feelers, were caught in the river." (Meth-
uen's " Life in the Wilderness," p. 67, 1848.)
" Here I first learned to eat the barba, a prodigy of fishes,
and to love it. Do you know the bull-head, the miller's
thumb we used to catch at home ? . . . Fancy this ugly beast
of any size between a half-pound and two hundredweight,
give it great teeth more cutting than a pike's, adorn its big
mouth with four long beards, and you will have the barba."
(Boyle's " To the Cape for Diamonds," p. 207, 1873.)
Barberton daisy. — Gerbera Jamesoni.
" When several bracts surround a head of flowers, as in
Protea, Barberton daisy, and others of their tribe, they form
an involucre." (Stoneman's "Plants and their Ways in
South Africa," p. 115, 1906.)
Barger. — See Blue fish.
" Four fishermen came . . . with Hayes and Beggers on
board of us." (Kaempfer's " History of Japan," p. 84. Re-
print, Vol. I., Orig. pub. 1727.)
Bark, To. — A slang term meaning to sit up at night to
watch the fire when camping out in the open veld.
" So from henceforth it was necessary that one of us
should sit up all night, or as it is called in this country bark.
The origin of the term is a little story : Two sailors lost in
the veld up country heard the lions roar all round them and
were greatly frightened. They had no means to light a fire,
and they could not boast a dog. So, turn and turn about,
the one of them slept and the other circled about him, bark-
ing as like a mastiff as he knew how. Hence the expression,
Our newcomer volunteered to bark first night." (Boyle's
" To the Cape for Diamonds," p. 346, 1873.)
Barker. — One who " barks " as above.
48 APEICANDEBISMS
" Uitkyk 10 p.m., and two hours' quiet sleep in the wag-
gon, even for the barker of the night." (Boyle's " To the
Cape for Diamonds," p. 348, 1873.)
Baroo. — Gyphia voluUUs. The Hottentot name of this
watery bulb, which is much esteemed by them for the mois-
ture which it contains even in seasons of protracted drought.
The Kaffir name is i Gontsi.
" The natives of the central and northern districts know
very well how to find such underground reservoirs of the
precious liquid, e.g. the ' Komaroo ' (Fockea) and Barroe
(Cyphia)." (Marloth's " Elementary Botany for South
Africa," p. 125, 1897.)
Barracouta. — Stromateus microchirus is so called at East
London. In the West Indies this is the appellation of a large
and voracious fish of the perch family — Sphyrmna barra-
cuda, while in Australia and New Zealand it is applied to
Thyrsites atun, the Cape of Good Hope Snoek (q.v.).
" We did not state the barracouta was called blue fish in
East London, but in Cape Tovra. " ("East London Dispatch,"
8 April, 1905.)
Barsje. — The Struis Bay name apphed to the Zeverrim
(q.v.).
Basela. — (K. basela, to kindle the flame of love, gratitude ;
ndi basela, give me some token of love to excite my gratitude.)
This and the word Bansela (q.v.) are practically synonymous
in the expressions given, though this word seems to be more
frequently applied to a something thrown in after a purchase
has been made.
"We are frequently met by Caffers who come running
down the hills . . . calling out bassella, which signifies a
present." (Backhouse's " Narrative," p. 240, 1844.)
" The Idutywa correspondent of the ' Transkeian Gazette '
says : I don't think a Postmaster's life is any happier than
the proverbial policeman's. I happened to enter our local
stamp shop the other day just in time to hear a native de-
manding a basela on a penny stamp he had purchased."
(" East London Dispatch," 1 April, 1905.)
Basket worms. — See Bag worms.
" The larvae of these forms (Psychida) are known as
Basket or Bag worms, as they inhabit a case or bag, which
they carry about with them." (Gilchrist's " South African
Zoology," p. 148, 1911.)
AFEICANDBEISMS 49
Baso. — (K. i Baso, a token of love, a present.) A present
or bonus.
" If a practice is made by the mines of paying a bonus
or baso to boys who present themselves in this way, it will
seriously hamper local recruiters." (" East London Dispatch,"
p. 6, 3 July, 1912.)
Bastaard. — (D. bastaard, bastard, base-born.) The de-
signation, neither euphonious nor euphemistic, given to the
offspring of mixed white and coloured parents, even though the
parents may have been united in holy matrimony. The
Griquas as a people were thus designated because of their
mixed origin.
" The coachman is generally one of those people known
in the Colony by the name of Bastaards, being a mixed
breed between a Hottentot woman and European man, or a
Hottentot woman and a slave." (Barrow's " Travels," i.
p. 49, 1801.)
"Among the Dutch of the Colony they (the Griquas) were
long known as The Bastards, a descriptive title given with
greater regard to fact than to courtesy." (Dower's "Early
Annals of Kokstad," p. 6, 1902.)
Bastard galjeon. — Another name for the Parrot fish
(q.v.).
Bastard geelhout. — (D. geel, yellow ; hout, wood.) Podo-
oarpus elongata — the real Yellow wood being P. Thunbergii.
Bastard gemsbok — (D. gems, a chamois.) Hippotragus
leucophcBUS is known by this name among the Dutch of
South Africa.
" This magnificent and exceedingly scarce antelope — the
bastard eland, or bastard gemsbok of the Dutch, sometimes
also called by them in bygone days the blacmwbok — was
formerly found within the Colony, but apparently only in the
Swellendam division, and in the neighbourhood of the Breede
Eiver." (Bryden's "Kloof and Karoo," p. 290, 1889.)
Bastard ironwood. — Olea foveolata, a common South
African forest tree.
Bastard-maid — Name given to a fish at Eiversdale and
Port Elizabeth.
Bastard saffraan. — ^In Natal Pleurostylia capensis is
known by this name.
Bastard white ironwood. — Cyclostemon argutus. The
natives make a drink from the fruit of this tree; the tree
4
50 AFEICANDBEISMS
is known by this name in the neighbourhood of Port St.
John.
Bast boom. — (D. hast, bark ; hoom, a tree.) Colpooon
compressum, the bark of which is used for tanning.
Basuto. — This is really a plural word (expressed by the
syllable Ba) . To speak of a Basuto is as bad as saying a
Zulus, and to add a final s for the plural is a pleonasm. The
same applies to several other names of native tribes.
Basuto pony. — These ponies, well known throughout
South Africa for their splendid quahties, are the descendants
of horses originally brought from Batavia by the Dutch,
more than a century ago ; and were secured in one way and
another by the Basutos from the Boers.
" How far nature and the care of the Basuto people com-
bined had succeeded in producing a pony war-horse capable of
great physical endurance and marvellous feats of activity, the
British troops well knew during the last Basuto War."
(Wallace's "Farming Industries of Cape Colony," p. 313,
1896.)
Batatas or Petaats. — (P. batata; Sp. patata; from the
original American word.) Ipomoea batatas. The tuberous,
edible roots of this convolvulaceous plant are well knovra
throughout South Africa; among English-speaking colonists as
" Sweet potatoes " (q.v.) ; among the Dutch the name batata is
used, often pronounced pataat or petaat. By Enghsh-speak-
ing people the world over, this word, in the form " potato," has
been transferred to quite another plant — Solanum tuberosum.
"A despatch of the end of this year refers almost ex-
clusively to the improvement of the Colony in the growth of
wine, indigo, olives, pattattas, etc." (Sutherland's " South
African Tribes," ii. p. 557, 1846.)
" Batatas and maize were often planted." (Livingstone's
"Journal,"!, p. 78, 1866.)
Bataviase or Baviaanse kweek. — (D. kweek, couch-grass.)
A species of quick-grass is so called in the Western Province.
" Bataviase (Baviaanse) kweek, dit groei diip in di grond
het dikka wortles." (Dijkman's "Kook, Koek, en Eesepten
Boek," p. 147, 1898.)
Baviaan's ooren. — (D. oor, an ear.) Eriospermum lati-
folium, Jacq. The tuber of this plant is used for abrasions
and sores. The name refers to the shape of the leaves.
Baviaan spinnekop. — (D. spinnekop, a spider.) These
AFBICANDEKISMS 51
large spiders belong to the genus Harpactira. See
Tarantula.
"I have seen here a rare spider, called by the natives
Baviaan spinnekop. It is covered with hair, looks like a
crab when running, and when frightened rolls itself up like a
ball. It has formidable fangs between the eyes half an inch
long." (" Queeastown Free Press," 21 November, 1879.)
" Locally known as Baviaan spinnekoppen (Baboon
spiders) either because baboons are supposed to be fond of
them or on account of the resemblance of the velvet-padded
feet to the fingers of a monkey." (" Science in South Africa,"
p. 178, 1905.)
Baviaan's touw. — (D. touw, a rope.) The name given
to several climbing plants whose thick, tough stems some-
times hang in such tangled masses of festoons from tree to
tree, as to make the bush all but impenetrable, until the axe
has opened a path through it. See Baboon ropes. In the
Transvaal the name is given to Ganthium Gueninzii, Sond.
= Plectronia sp.
" Bushrope, or Bavianstau, a species of creeper resemb-
ling a rope, grows here in abundance, and nearly envelops
some of the loftiest trees, to the destruction of their growth
and beauty." (Latrobe's "Journal," p. 152, 1818.)
"Among other parasitical plants the baviaan's touw
(baboon's rope) protruded itself in all directions, in a wild web
of tangled vegetation." (Pringle's "Narrative," p. 32, 1840.)
Bay, The. — Port Elizabeth, situated in Algoa Bay, is
generally so termed by the colonists.
" So devious was the journey that passengers from ' the
Bay ' did not hope to reach their journey's end before the
eighth day." (Boyle's " To the Cape for Diamonds," p. 46,
1873.)
" At ' the Bay ' we found wagons had been sent more than
400 miles to fetch us." (Eev. J. Edward's " Eeminiscences,"
p. 42, 1883.)
Beaker. — (D. beker, a cup, bowl.) A mug or tin can.
" Old Piet Koper brought a sheep and two bucks which
I bought for five beakers' sugar." (Baines' " South-West
Africa," p. 61, 1864.)
Beaters. — Heavy wooden instruments employed in the
early days of the Diamond Fields to break up the Yellow
ground (q.v.).
4 «
52 APEICANDEEISMS
" The ' yellow ground ' only extends to a certain depth ;
this is friable, and was easily broken up by means of shovels
and clubs known as heaters." (Matthews' " Incwadi Yami,"
p. 179, 1887.)
Bebroeide eiers. — (D. broeien, to brood, hatch; ei, an
egg.) The shrub known also as the Aarbeiplant (q.v.). This
name has reference to the red veining on the petals, which is
thought to resemble that on the yolk of partly hatched eggs.
Bechuana. — " The terms Bechuana (a variation of Bachu-
ana) and Sechuana are different forms of the same verbal
root, the former referring to people and the latter to language.
Their present generic use is generally allowed to be of foreign
origin, as it does not appear that the natives themselves
have any national epithet of so extensive an application, and
has thus been accounted for. It is probable that when first
visited by Europeans and asked concerning the people around
and beyond them, they would answer, ' Ba-chuana ' — they
are like ; and if their language were inquired of, they would
reply, ' Se-chuana,' it is like. The traveller, therefore, con-
stantly hearing these terms in answer to his questions, would
naturally suppose them to be national ones, and employ them
accordingly. By the Hottentot tribes the Bechuanas are
called Briquas, the goat people." (Appleyard's "Kaffir
Grammar," p. 31, 1850.)
" To the Caffre race belong the Bichuanas and the
Dammaras, together with the Kosas or Caffres proper, the
Tambookies and probably all the tribes on the eastern side
of the Continent as far as Delagoa Bay." (Burchell's
" Travels," i. p. 582, 1822.)
Becreep. — (D. bekruipen, to creep upon, to take by sur-
prise.) The anglicized form of the term applied by the Cape
Dutch to what is known among English hunters as stalking.
" The watchful monster did not charge as we expected,
and made off before we had time to becreep him." (Alex-
ander's "Expedition," ii. p. 8, 1838.)
"What we call stalking the Boers have a much more
correct term for — be-kruiping, or be-creeping ." (Chapman's
" Travels," ii. p. 110, 1868.)
Becreepins: cap. — This is a literal translation of the
Dutch name for the article — Bekruip-muts. The quotation
describes the method of using it.
" On the head of one man, I noticed an unusually large
APEICANDEEISMS 53
fur-cap. It was made of spring-buck skin, of a shape ex-
tending far behind the head, and intended to have as much as
possible the appearance of that animal's back. This was for
the purpose of deceiving the game and of enabhng the wearer
as he creeps along between the bushes, to approach the
animal within reach of his arrows. It is called a he-creeping
cap (Bekruipmuts) and is only worn when in pursuit of
game." (Burchell's " Travels," ii. p. 56, 1824.)
Bee cuckoo. — See Honey bird.
" They had also a most useful ally and assistant in carry-
ing out this work, in the honey-bird — the Bee cuckoo, of
Sparrman." (Stow's " Native Races of South Africa," p.
86, 1905.)
Beef-eaters. — The name given in Natal to Buphaga
erythrorhynca and B. africana.
" They are nearly allied to the starlings, and are sometimes
called Beef-eaters." (Woodward's " Natal Birds," p. 65, 1899.)
Beef wood. — The common name of Gasuarina equiseti-
folia. The name has reference to the red colour of the wood.
(Australian orig.)
Bee moth. — Acherontia atropos. See Groot bij.
" Mr. Trimen gave instances of the dread with which it
was regarded both by Europeans and the native Africans in
the Colony, many of whom stoutly alleged that the Bee moth
(as they term it) could kill a man with a single sting ! "
(Trans. S. A. Phil. Society, p. 12, vi.. Part ii., 1892.)
Bee pirate. — Palarus latifrons and Philanthus diadema,
insects which make great havoc among bees ; the former is
the better known of the two.
" The Bee pirate is, from what I can gather, an old-
established enemy of the honey bee in the whole of the Cape
Colony." ("C.(3-.H. Agric. Journal," p. 129, February,
1909.)
Beerbloem. — The name of a wild-flower.
" There is a flower very like an attenuated geranium, the
leaves creep along the ground, and the flower is on a long
stalk — local name beerbloem." (Hilda's " Diary of a Cape
Housekeeper," p. 189, 1902.)
Beer drink. — The natives are in the habit of gathering on
frequent occasions for the purpose of drinking "Kaffir beer,"
(q.v. ; see also Tywala) ; such a gathering is known as a
Beer drink.
54 AFEICANDBEISMS
" When the bride reaches her new home the event is
celebrated with a big dance and a beer drink." (Brown's
" On the South African Frontier," p. 213, 1899.)
Beer, Kaffir. — There are several different native beverages
undistinguishable except to the initiated, which pass by the
name of Kaffir beer; the chief of these is known to the
natives themselves as u Tywala. In making this beer they
have learnt from Europeans how to malt the grain, and the
regular process of fermentation goes on. This beer is of a
mildly intoxicating character, but when it is fortified, as too
often nowadays it is, by the addition of the villainous
" Cape smoke " (q.v.), it very speedily maddens the drinker
beyond all possibility of self-control.
" I have seen only one Kaffir drunk with their own native
beer." (Holden's "Past and Future of the Kaffir Eaces,"
p. 279, 1866.)
Beest. — (D. beest, beast, brute.) As employed in South
Africa this word is restricted to bovine animals, a cow, ox, or
bull.
Beestej^ras — (D. beest, beast, animal; CD., a cow or ox.)
" Many Free State farmers are of opinion that the grass-
veld in which cattle contract the disease (lamziekte) prin-
cipally consists of ' rooigrass,' ' zuurpol,' and beestegrass."
(" S. A. Agric. Journal," p. 39, July, 1912.)
Bee-tiger-moth. — Acherontia atropos (Death's head
moth) is thus designated from its habit of entering hives for
the honey ; a habit which the bees do not seem to resent.
" It is also called the Bee-tiger-moth as it frequents bees'
nests and steals the honey." (" C.G.H. Agric. Journal," xxxvi.
No. 4, p. 424.)
Begrafeniskoelc. — (D, begrafenis, a burial.) A special
cake prepared for funerals.
Begrafenisrijst. — (D. rijst, rice.) Eice prepared vdth
turmeric. Both this and the preceding word contain a refer-
ence to the custom, still in vogue in country districts, of pro-
viding a meal for those who had come long distances to be
present at the funeral, though now they are used quite apart
from funerals.
Bek. — (D. bek, a beak, bill, nose.) In Cape Dutch this
word is frequently used in the same sense as the English
slang word " cheek "— " Hou, uw bek ". " Shut up ! " " Don't
be cheeky!" Sir T. Shepstone's Proclamation of 11 March,
AFEICANDEEISMS 55
1878, was called by the Boers of the Transvaal the "Hou'
uw bek " Act, because it aimed at suppressing discussion of
the recent Annexation.
Bekprater. — (D. heh, beak, bill ; praten, to talk, prate.)
The term applied in Cape Dutch to a flatterer.
Belhambra. — (Sp. bel sombra, referring to the shade which
the thick foliage affords.) Phytolacca dioica, L. A colonial
corruption of the Spanish name of this soft-wooded tree.
" P. dioica is a tree, native of South America, and is com-
monly known as belhambra or ' bella-sombra '." (Wood's
" Handbook to the Flora of Natal," p. 110, 1907.)
Bell crane. — Bugeranus carunculatus. See Wattled
crane.
Bell heath. — See Orange heath.
Bellman. — A Eiversdale name for Umbrina capensis. See
Baardman.
Benauwde borst. — (D. benauwd, oppressed ; borst, breast,
chest.) In Cape Dutch asthma is so named. Of. Dutch
benaauwd op de borst, asthmatic.
"Most of the patients complained of an oppression at
the breast, and an anxiety about the heart (borst quaal en
benaauwde borst)." (Sparrman's " Voyage," ii. p. 173,
1785.)
Benauwde ziekte. — (D. benauwen, to oppress, distress;
ziekte, sickness.) The croup is sometimes so called.
" Wurgsiikte, of Benoude siihte, of Kroup." (Dijkman's
"Kook, Koek, en Eesepten Boek," p. 155, 1898.)
Berea. — The name given in 1835 by Captain Allen Gar-
diner, E.N., to the bush-covered hill running at the back of
the town of Durban, Natal, now occupied by the fine resi-
dences and beautiful gardens of the colonists. (Cf. Acts xvii.
10-11.)
"Decided on naming the Missionary Establishment
Berea, since notwithstanding ill success vrith Dingaan, the
word has here been gladly received." (Gardiner's " Journey,"
p. 80, 1836.)
Berg. — (D. berg, a mountain.) A mountain or hill.
" As there was no water to be obtained nearer than a mile
from the berg, we suffered greatly from thirst." (De Wet's
" Three Years' War," p. 25, 1908.)
Berg adder. — Bitis atropos. So named because generally
found on the sides of hills or on high ground.
66 AFEICANDEEISMS
"The Berg adder is as venomous as the Puff adder."
(Fitzsimon's " Snakes of South Africa," p. 243, 1912.)
Bergbaroo.— (D. herg, a mountain.) In the neighbour-
hood of Prince Albert Fochea capensis is known by this
name.
" The plant which is locally known as bergbarroe, is not
edible, while the tubers of three other species of Fockea, called
' Kambarroe,' are eaten raw by the natives or turned into pre-
serves by the rural housewife." (' ' The South African Journal
of Science," vi. p. 98, 1910.)
Bergbast. — (D. bast, bark, rind.) The name given in
the Transvaal to the tanning material obtained from the
Golpoon compressum.
Berg canarie. — Alario alario. See Namaqua canarie and
Blackhead.
" The ' Pietje ' and the Berg canarie are not unlike London
sparrows in plumage, but they sing with great vigour." (" Cape
Monthly Magazine," i. p. 222, 1870.)
Berg cypress. — Widdringtonia cupressoides. A shrub
growing on the mountains from Cape Town to Natal.
Berg eend. — (D. eend, a duck.) Casarca Gana. Gm.
" The Berg eendt is readily distinguished by its rufous
colour and grey head." (Layard and Sharp's " Birds of South
Africa," p. 753, 1875-84.)
Bergenaars. — Native rebels who had strongholds in the
mountains and lived principally by thieving.
" A number of disaffected people now began to leave the
country to join the Bergenaars or Mountaineers (as the dis-
affected party were called), who were getting from the colon-
ists what the Griquas attached to the Government were
unable to obtain." (Philip's "Researches," ii. p. 81,1828.)
Berg gans. — (D. gans, a goose. ) Chenalopex Mgypticus.
This fine goose is fairly common, ranging through the whole
of South Africa.
" The big berg gans (mountain goose) ... a magnificent
fellow whose harsh, noisy 'honk' warns us of his where-
abouts." (Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo," p. 93, 1889.)
Berghaan. — (D. haan, a cock.) See Dassie vanger.
" Suddenly starting as if from space comes a great black
mountain eagle. We know him at once for a Berghaan
(Cock of the mountain) or Dassie vanger (coney eater)."
(Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo," p. 273, 1889.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 57
Berghaas. — (D. haas, a hare.) Pedetes caffer. See Spring-
hare.
" In the mountains, between the clefts of the naked rocks,
resides a kind of jumping rat (Jerboa capensis), which the
farmers considered as a species of hare, and called it Berg-
haas or Springhare." (Thunberg's " Travels," i. p. 182, 1796.)
" It is sometimes, though less frequently, called the Berg-
hdas (mountain hare)." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 488,
1822.)
Berg kamomille. — (D. kamomille, camomile.) The Eivers-
dale name of Gamolepis pectinata, Less., where it abounds on
the mountains.
Berg-klapper. — (D. Happen, to clap, rattle.) Montinia
acris is known by this name because of the ratthng noise
which the seeds make in the dry capsule.
Berg patrijs. — (D. patrijs, a partridge.) Francolinus
africanus. See Greywing.
Berg roos. — (D. roos, a rose.) Protea nana vel rosacea
is so named in the Cape Peninsula.
Berg schildpad. — (D. schildpad, a tortoise.) A mountain
tortoise.
" See what Outa caught for the baasjes near the Khp Kop
this afternoon, a nice little berg schildpad." (" The State,"
p. 642, December, 1911.)
Berg sijsje. — (D. sijsje, a linnet.) Serinus albigularis.
See Dik-bek sijsje.
Berg slang. — (D. slang, a snake.) I have heard this name
applied to several different snakes.
" A boy died here a few days ago in consequence of the
bite of a small species of viper — Vipera inomata — called in the
Colony Berg slang, mountain snake." (Backhouse's " Narra-
tive," p. 167, 1844.)
Berg thee. — (D. thee, tea.) (1) Geranium incanum. (2)
Eiversdale District, Cyclopia Vogelii, Harv.
"This is the Berg thee of the colonists." ("Flora
Capensis," i. p. 257, 1859-1860.)
Berg winds. — The name given in the neighbourhood
of George to the hot, arid winds which are prevalent there
toward the latter part of the winter.
" The effect of berg winds cannot under ordinary conditions
be considered beneficial to forest vegetation." (Sim's " Forest
Flora of Cape Colony," p. 38, 1907.)
58 AFEICANDEEISMS
Berg zwaluw. — (D. zwaluw, a swallow.) The Dutch
name for the European Bee eater — Merops apiaster.
Bermuda grass. — Cynodon dactylon, known also as Kruis
grass (q.v.).
Bessing bosch. — A Transkeian corruption of bezem bosch
(q.v.).
"The usual abundant presence of Bessing bosch (Bhus
erosa and B. dregeana)." (Sim's "Forest Flora of Cape
Colony," p. 42, 1907.)
Beukenhout. — (D. beukeboom, a beech tree ; hout, wood.)
(1) Myrsine melanophleos. ,(2) In Pondoland Faurea arbor ea
is so called.
Bewaarplatsen. — (D. bewaarplats, a depository, store-
house.) In South Africa this term is applied to certain pieces
of land granted under Government licence to be used as
dumping places for debris or slimes from the mines. Origin-
ally the sites thus granted were not supposed to be auriferous,
or not sufficiently so to be profitably worked ; as the result,
however, of improved methods of gold recovery not a few
of these bewaarplatsen have now become very valuable.
Licences for such bewaarplatsen ceased to be issued in 1902.
" The companies which owned these bewaarplatsen now
contended that they should be allowed to convert them into
claims, as, by their enterprise, they had exploited the upper
levels and revealed the conditions which made the bewaar-
platsen valuable." (Fitzpatrick's "The Transvaal from
Within," p. 92, 1899.)
Bewertjies. — (D. beven, to shake, quiver.) A variety of
quaking grass.
Bezem bosch. — (D. bezem, a besom, broom.) Bhus dreg-
eana and B. erosa are so named because their rigid branches
are used as brooms. See Bessing bosch.
Bezem grass. — (D. bezem, a broom.) Eragrostis betsch-
uana is so named in Bechuanaland.
Bezemriet. — (D. bezem, a besom, broom ; riet, reed, rush.)
(Bestio dichotomus. Thunberg's " Flora Capensis," p. 89,
1823.) Bestio triticeus, Bottb.
Bid. — (D. bidden, to say one's prayers, to implore.) Some-
times this word is used euphemistically for curse, swear : Eij
hann goed bid — he can swear well.
Biessiespol. — (D. bies, a rush, reed.) A tussock of sedge
or rush.
APEICANDEEISMS 59
Biessiespol. — This word is one of several curious terms,
e.g. Doornlat, Mielieblaar, etc., employed when speaking of
a pretty girl. (Has the Malay word bisai, handsome, pretty,
neat, had any influence here ?)
Bietje or (dial.) Biekie. — (D. beetje, little, some.) (1) A
little, a small portion or space. (2) As sometimes used the
words seem to be reminiscent, if not an actual survival of the
German bitten, to request; ich bitte, if you please; e.g.
Boep en bietje ver horn.
Bietouw. — Haplocarpha lyrata, Harv. ; in the Queenstown
District, Dimorphotheca Ecklonis, D.C. ; and in Bechuanaland,
D. Zeyhere. With some show of reason these plants are
supposed to be poisonous to sheep. According to the " C.G.H.
Literary Gazette," p. 224, September, 1831, Osteospermum
was known as Bidow.
" Possibly the name Bietouw may be applied elsewhere to
a different plant." (Smith's " Contribution to South Africa
Materia Medica," p. 130, 1888.)
Big eyes. — A local name at East London for a small fish.
" I have seen the following fish caught upon it (i.e. ink-
fish or squid), sharks, white, black, and river steenbras, big-eyes,
rock-cod." (" Bast London Dispatch," p. 3, 21 November,
1905.)
Big jaw. — Actinomycosis of the bony structure of the jaw.
See Eay fungus disease, Lumpy jaw, and Wooden tongue.
Bijter. — (D. bijten, to bite.) The Cape name of Blennius
cornutus, L.
Bijvanger or Bijvreter — (D. bij, a bee ; vangen, to catch ;
vreten, to eat, swallow.) Dicrurus afer and D. ludwiggii
are both so called. See also Smoke-bird.
Bijwoner. — (D. bijwonen, to assist, be present at.) The
appellation by which authorized squatters on another man's
farm are known throughout South Africa. Frequently
enough, however, professing to farm on shares, they are mere
parasites, living at the expense of the wealthier and more
industrious farmer. The bijwoner system seems to discourage
anything like individual enterprise.
" The beiwoner — a sort of sub-farmer on the estate of a
richer farmer, who is expected to perform certain duties for
the privilege of running his stock." (Bryden's " Kloof and
Karoo," p. 253, 1889.)
Billet— The note by which the military assigned quarters
60 AFEICANDBEISMS
to their men. This word is in common use in the Colony
for an appointment or situation.
Billy. — An Austrahan word meaning a tin utensil used
for boiling water or cooking food.
" The sound comes ' B troop roll up for tea,' and every
man goes with his patrol-tin or hilly as it is usually called
and gets his tea and his whack of bread." (Browning's
" Fighting and Farming in South Africa," p. 103, 1880.)
Biltong. — (D. Ml, buttock ; cf . bilstuck, a round of beef ;
tong, tongue.) Strips of lean meat slightly salted and hung
up in the open air until they become quite dry and hard ; in
this form it becomes an invaluable adjunct to the commis-
sariat of the hunter or traveller. It is eaten uncooked, is
found to be very nourishing, and is easily assimilated even by
invalids.
" He lived almost entirely upon dried mutton and biltong."
(Lichtenstein's "Travels," ii. p. 67, 1815.)
" The merits of biltong are not sufficiently known and
appreciated. It is admirable provender for a campaign."
(Wood's "Through Matabeleland," p. 35, 1893.)
Bimbri kost. — The fruits of both Vitis capensis and F.
Thunbergii, often made into jam, are sometimes so called.
Binnegoed. — (D. binnen, within ; goed, things.) The en-
trails of an animal.
Binnelanders. — The Bastaards (q.v.) who crossed the
Orange Biver in the early part of last century, and located
themselves near where Philipohs now stands, called themselves
by this name.
"Amongst themselves they take the designation Biwwe-
landers — inhabitants of the interior." (Arbousset's "Narra-
tive," p. 10, 1846.)
Bird of paradise acacia. — Caesalpinia Gilliesii.
Bird of paradise flower. — The name is given in the Trans-
vaal to Strelitzia angusta. See Wild banana.
Bird's brandy. — Lantana salviae-folia, Jacq. is known
by this name ; it is used as a remedy in cases of ophthalmia
or " Sore eyes ".
Biscop. — (D. bischop, a bishop.) A variety of Chrysophrys.
The name is supposed to have reference to the curiously
grave appearance which the large head and peculiar facial
features of this fish give to it.
Bitter Almond. — Pygeum africanum is so called in Natal
AFEICANDEEISMS 61
and East Griqualand; it is known also as the Eed stink-
wood.
Bitter apple. — The fruit of several species of Solanaceae
are so called. See Snake-berry. This name is also given to
Gitrullus vulgaris, Sch.
" The bush commonly known as snake-berry or bitter
apple." (" East London Dispatch," 31 August, 1911.)
Bitter bark. — Bersama Tysoniana.
" Another remarkable tree that grows in the coast belt
and called Bitter bark or Wild quinine tree, is said by Kaffir
doctors to be a specific for fevers." (Henkel's " The Native
or Transkeian Territories," p. 55, 1903.)
Bitter blaar. — (D. blad, a leaf.) Brachylaena elliptica
is known by this name in the Eastern Province. It is also
called Salie (q.v.).
" Of leaf-galls one of the simplest is seen on the Bitterblar
or isidula." (" East London Dispatch," p. 5, 4 March, 1910.)
Bitter l<aroo. — Chrysocoma tenuifolia, Berg., the leaves
of which have a bitter taste.
" Plants which not only occupy the surface, but are
actively injurious in one or other of several ways. To the
latter belongs the bitter Karoo bosje, Chrysocoma tenuifolia
Berg., which fortunately is only eaten in times of scarcity,
as it produces stomach and bihary disorders." (Wallace's
"Farming Industries of Cape Colony," p. 94, 1896.)
Bitter- melon or Apple. — Gitrullus vulgaris Sch. See
also Tsama water-melon.
And the bitter melon for food and drink,
Is the pilgrim's fare by the salt lake's brink.
(Pringle's " Afar in the Desert," p. 90, 1828.)
Bitter wortel. — (D. wortel, a root, carrot.) Xysmalobium
undulatum, B. Br. The intensely bitter, carrot-shaped root
of this plant is used both by the Zulus and Cape Colony
natives as a medicine. The name is also borne by Gompho-
carpus crispus, B. Br., the natives using it in the same way,
that is, as a tonic.
Black-fish. — (1) Dipterodon capensis is so called in the
neighbourhood of East London. See Galjeon. (2) In Natal
the name is applied to Dinoperea queketti.
"Shaped much like the black-fish or galjeon." ("East
London Dispatch," 8 April, 1905.)
" Blackfish (the species with large eyes and mouth, and
62 APEICANDEEISMS
white spots) are unknown at the sister port." (" Natal
Mercury Pictorial," p. 154, 5 December, 1906.)
Black-gallsickness. — A form of sickness among cattle in-
duced by eating Tulp (q.v.).
" A large admixture of mucus and other elements along
with the bile causes the latter often to present the appearance
and consistency of Stockholm tar, which has given rise to the
name of Black-gallsickness." (" Science in South Africa," p.
350, 1905.)
Black haglet. — Majaqueus aequinoctialis. One of the
somewhat numerous names given by sealers and whalers to
this bird. See Stinker and Black night hawk.
Black hawk. — Lophocetus occipitalis is known by this
name in Natal. See Kuifkop valk.
Blackhead. — (1) In Natal Pycnonotus layardi is so named.
See Snake-bird and Top-knot or Toppie. (2) In the Eastern
Province of the Cape Colony the Alario alario is so called.
See Berg canarie.
" (Pycnonotus layardi.) Boys often call this bird the
Blackhead." (Woodward's " Natal Birds," p. 21, 1899.)
Black ironwood. — Olea laurifolia. The fruit of this tree
is a favourite food of the wild parrots.
Black ivory. — The name given by the Boers to captured
natives : technically such natives were apprenticed, but in
some cases they were little, if anything, other than slaves.
The quotations indicate a condition of things at the time of
which they speak, which, though disguised by other names,
was slavery pure and simple. See Inbooking.
"You have already been made aware that loads of black
ivory (young Kaffirs) are continually hawked about the
country and disposed of like so many droves of cattle." (G.
W. Steyn's Letter to Sir Philip Wodehouse, 13 March, 1866.
See Chesson's " Dutch Eepublics of South Africa," p. 18, 1871.)
" Some of them carried on an abominable system of trad-
ing in children obtained from friendly Kaffir tribes, whom
they attacked and plundered for the purpose of obtaining black
ivory and enriching themselves with cattle." (Moodie's
" Battles," II. p. 259, 1888.)
" I have known men who have owned slaves, and who have
seen whole waggon-loads of black ivory, as they were called,
sold for about £15 a piece." (Haggard's "The Last Boer
War," p. 39, 1900.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 63
Black jacks. — Bidens pilosa, L. The hooked seeds of
this weed are so called because of their colour. They are
also known as " Sweethearts," " Weduwenaars " (q.v.). The
Kaffirs call them Umhlaba-'ngubo, "the blanket stabbers".
"An innocent-looking plant . . . bearing a most aggra-
vating tuft of little black spires which lose no opportunity of
sticking to one's petticoat in m3rriads. They are familiarly
known as Black jacks." (Lady Barker's "A Year's House-
keeping in South Africa," p. 130, 1877.)
Black night hawk. — See Black haglet, Stinker, and
Stinkpot.
Black pigeon. — The Natal name of Golumha arquatrix.
" From its dark plumage (it) is popularly known as the
black pigeon." (Woodward's " Natal Birds," p. 130, 1899.)
Black rhinoceros. — Bhinoceros bicornis.
" The white is not so fierce or dangerous as the black
species, but both are moody, eccentric brutes." (Methuen's
"Life in the Wilderness," p. 138, 1848.)
Black sea-snake. — Hydrus platurus. See Zwart zee
slang.
Blacksmith plover. — Hoplopterus armatus. The name
has reference to its peculiar metallic call.
" The Blacksmith plover feeds on worms, insects, snails,
and similar animal matter, thus being a practical benefit to
the farmer." (Haagner and Ivy's " Sketches of South African
Bird Life," p. 136, 1908.)
Black south-easter. — A violent south wind heavily laden
with saline and other matter, prevalent at certain seasons of
the year round the South African coast.
Black spot. — Fusicladium dendrificum. A disease affect-
ing apples.
Black sun -bird. — Gynnyris amethystinus.
Black-tail. — Sargus rondeletii, known at Bast London
and Mossel Bay by this name ; this fish is called the Dasje
(q.v.) at Port Elizabeth and Knysna.
" A few friends fishing in the Buffalo Eiver . . . had some
excellent sport taking ... a black fish of about 9 lbs. and
black-tail of about 2^ lbs." (" East London Dispatch," 29
July, 1905.)
Black tea bush. — Eugenia Zeyheri is sometimes so called.
Black vulture. — Otogyps auricularis is generally known
by this name in Natal. See Koning aasvogel.
64 APEICANDBEISMS
" Suddenly a new arrival appeared on the scene, and the
others scattered, leaving the nevp-comer, a solitary BlacJc
vulture, to its lonely repast." (Haagner and Ivy's " Sketches
of South African Bird Life," p. 4, 1908.)
Blackwater. — A virulent type of malarial fever.
" Feeling that the clutch of the fell fever-fiend was upon
him, he fled to the mountains, but even there could not escape
and fell a victim to the dreaded blackwater on 30 July, 1897."
(Du Plessis' "A Thousand Miles in the Heart of Africa,"
p. 50, 1905.)
Bladder plums. — An excrescence, produced by fungi, on
several varieties of plum tree.
" The fungi which cause the formation of the well-known
Bladder plums in several species of the prune." ("East
London Dispatch," p. 5, 4 March, 1910.)
Blanket-vote. — The collective Kaffir vote is thus desig-
nated. The reference is, of course, to the blanket which has
gradually but generally superseded the more dignified Karos
(q.v.) as an article of apparel among the natives.
" There were a few muttered jeers about ' the niggers'
friend,' and getting into the assembly on the strength of
blanket votes, and so forth." (Mitford's " 'Tween Snow and
Fire," p. 230, 1898.)
Blasop. — (D. opblazen,to blow or puff up.) (1) Tetrodon
honkenyi — a species of fish common in South African waters,
which distends itself almost to bursting ; when thus inflated
it lies upon the surface of the water belly upwards and quite
helpless. It is also called the " Toad Fish " (q.v.). (2) This
name is also given by the Dutch to the male of Pneumora
scutellaris, and is descriptive of the large inflated bodies of
these insects. (3) It is also applied to a frog, because of its
habit of blowing itself up when irritated — Breviceps.
" Blaas-op, sn. poisonous fish." (" Patriot Woordeboek,"
p. 42, 1902.)
" The oppblazers (pneumiora), a kind of grasshopper, were
caught in the evening. . . . Their whole body is, as it were,
a bladder, and so empty that these creatures cannot be car-
ried about stuck through with a pin like other creatures."
(Thunberg's "Travels," i. p. 150, 1795.)
" The Pneumora, or as they are styled by the Dutch, the
Blas-op, are also common." (Fleming's "Kaffraria," p. 77,
1858.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 65
"Another very curious frog is the Blas-op. . . . The
Blas-op spends most of his time under ground, coming only
to the surface after very wet vyeather." (" East London Dis-
patch," p. 6, 23 October, 1908.)
Blatcham or Blatjang. — (M. bdClachdn, a condiment made
of pounded pravyns and small fish, pickled.) A relish made
with dried apricots, peaches, quinces, raisins, chillies, vinegar,
etc. The preparation is unHke the mixture so named among
the Malays proper, which consists of various small fish which
have been allowed to ferment in a heap and are then mashed
together.
" Ik verruilde een woollen kombaars voor twee sakken
mielies, en nu had ik toch voor dien tergenden honger mielies
en — begreep eens — blatjwng!" (Hofmeyr's " Twin tig Jaren
in Zoutpansberg," p. 38, 1890.)
"Blatjang made this way will keep for a year. I have
sent it to England several times, and have had orders for
another supply from those who prefer it to chutney." (Hilda's
"Diary of a Cape Housekeeper," p. 69, 1902.)
Blatsack. — (D. schouder-blad, shoulder-blade ; eak, a bag.)
A bag worn over the shoulder when hunting in which pro-
visions are carried. In the Midlands a shoulder of mutton is
called a "blad".
Blauwbaard. — (D.blauw,hlue; 6aarc?, a beard.) A variety
of lizard with a blue head. See Blauwkop salamander.
Blauw beestje. — (D. beest, beast, brute.) One of the
Ghrysomelidae, Haltica indigacea, found on vines. See
Ladybird.
Blauw blazjes. — (D. blcmw, blue ; blazen, to blow.)
Physalis. See Portuguese Man o' War.
Blauwblometje. — (D. bloem, a flower.) Felicia sp. A
well-known karoo bush, a composite having blue-rayed
flowers.
"A cineraria ... of a beautiful deep blue, on which the
Dutch have bestowed the euphonious name of blauwblometje
(little blue flower). Several irises . . . are among our prettiest
flowers." (Martin's " Home Life on an Ostrich Farm," p.
49, 1890.)
Blauw blometje. — Stories, tittle-tattle, nonsense.
" ' But,' said Triegardt, ' they told me such a lot of non-
sense (blauwe blommetjes) which meant nothing, that I did
not believe them '." ("The State," p. 654, April, 1911.)
5
66 AFEICANDBEISMS
Blauwbok. — See Bastard gemsbok.
" The Blauwbok (Hippotragus leucophcBus), an antelope
resembling the Eoan, but somewhat smaller and without the
black face markings." (" Science in Africa," p. 122, 1905.)
Blauwbok. — Gephalopus monticola, the smallest of the
South African bucks. See also Ipiti and Blue-buck.
" The woods also abound with ... an elegant little ante-
lope, not more than a foot in height, called the hlaawe bock
or blue buck." (Moodie's " Ten Years in South Africa," ii.
p. 139, 1835.)
Blauwboontjes. — (D. boon, a bean.) Bullets are some-
times so designated. Cf. the German, Blaue Bohnen zu
regnen, to rain bullets. (Grimm's " Marchen," 18th Ed., p.
399, 1882.)
Blauw bosch. — (D. blauw, blue ; 60s, a bush.) Boyena
pollens. When ripe the fruit of this tree is edible ; the seeds
are sometimes roasted and used as coffee.
Blauw katakuro. — The Knysna name of the Cuckoo
shrike, Grauculus caesius, a bird of very shy habit, found in
the coast bush from Knysna to Zululand.
Blauwkop salamander or Koggelmannetje. — A lizard —
fam. Humivagae — of somewhat striking colours, the head and
back being a bright blue and the throat of an exquisitely
delicate rose colour. See Koggelmander.
" The Boers call it the Blaauw kop salamander (blue-
headed salamander), and look upon it with feelings of awe
and horror. They will tell you solemnly, and they verily
believe it, that this reptile is deadly poisonous, and that from
it all the snakes obtainand renew their poison." (Bryden's
" Kloof and Karoo," p. 278, 1889.)
Blauw schimmel. — (D. schimmel, a grey horse.) A blue-
grey horse as distinguished from Rooi schimmel (q.v.).
" A blauw-schimmel paard is a dappled grey, and others
are distinguished as red or brown, according to their colour."
(Baine's "Gold Eegions of South-East Africa," p. 66,
1877.)
Blauwtong. — (1) Horse. There are two varieties of this
deadly disease known all over South Africa as "the Horse-
sickness," Dxxich, paarde ziekte : (a) The common form which
affects the lungs chiefly, and (6) the form called " dikkop "
(q.v.), thick head. The prominent symptom of this latter is
a swelling of the subcutaneous tissue of the head ; sometimes
AFEICANDEEISMS 67
the swelling is confined to the tongue and gives rise to that
form of the sickness known as blauwtong or blue-tongue.
(2) Sheep. A form of influenza affecting sheep, which is
thought to be nearly allied to the " Horse-sickness " (q.v.), if
not identical with that form of it which affects the head and
tongue more particularly. In bad cases the tongue becomes
purple and much enlarged. (See Wallace's " Farming Indus-
tries of South Africa.")
Blauw valk (D. valk, hawk, falcon.) The name some-
times given to Elanus coeruleus ; see Witte Sperwel ; but
more frequently perhaps to Melierax canorus, the chanting
goshawk.
Blauw vischvanger. — (D. vangen, to catch.) Alcedo semi-
torquata. A pretty little kingfisher found all over South
Africa.
Blauw zaad gras. — (D. zaad, seed, spawn.) Eragrostis
lehmanniana, Nees. See Eastern Province Vlei grass.
Blesbok.— (D. bles, blaze, a white mark.) Damaliscus
albifrons, extinct in the Cape Colony except in one or two
localities where it is preserved.
" The Blesbok is so called from having a white mark on
its forehead, similar to that which in horses is termed in
Dutch a bles, and by English horsemen a star or blaze."
(Burchell's " Travels," ii. p. 335 n., 1824.)
Bles hoender. — (D. bles, blaze, a white mark ; CD.
hoender, fowl.) A water-fowl with a bles or white spot
on the head ; it is often found on vleis.
Blesmol. — Georychus capensis. The name refers to the
white mark which this animal has on the front of its head.
See Cape mole.
" The second, called the Blaze-fronted mole (Bles moll,
Marmota capensis), is smaller, and white with brown spots."
(Thunberg's " Travels," i. p. 263, 1795.)
" There is another kind of mole-rat much resembling this
in colour and nature, but in size not exceeding the common
mole of Europe, it is also peculiar to this country, and is
known by the name of Bles moll (white-faced mole)."
(Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 57, 1822.)
Blik. — (D.blik, tin, dustpsLn; G.blech,tm.) Small tin cans,
used by labourers to carry tea or coffee in, are known as bliks.
Blikhuis. — (D. huis, a house.) A house built of galvanized
iron, common enough in most of our colonial towns.
5*
68 AFEICANDEEISMS
Blikoor. — (D. oor, an ear.) One of several nicknames given
to the Transvaalers by the Dutch of the Cape Colony, and
subsequently applied by the Transvaalers to their brethren of
the Orange Free State.
" Their Transvaal brethren do not hesitate to admit that
the Blihoors (nickname of Free Staters) are the best body of
men round Ladysmith." (" Cape Times," p. 7, 24 November,
1899.)
Blinde mol. — (D. blind, bhnd ; mol, a mole.) (1) An insect-
eating mole that is said to be blind. (2) The game of blind
man's buff.
Blinder. — A huge, curling wave, such as used to occur at
Durban and East London on the bars previous to the deepen-
ing of the channel by dredging.
" A wave properly called a blinder would curl up."
(Eussell's " Old Durban," p. 84, 1899.)
Blinde vlieg. — (D. blind, blind ; vlieg, a fly.) A large gnat
which draws blood.
Blind River. — A river whose waters only flow into the sea
in times of flood, but which at ordinary times is without a
mouth.
" The Kleinemonde over yonder were a blind river same
as now, with a stretch of beach of about 200 yards wide
'tween its lip and the sea foam." (Glanville's " Tales from
the Veld," p. 275, 1897.)
Blind snake. — Typhlops sehegellii.
" Several examples of the huge Blind snake, Typhlops
sehegellii were found together in Ehodesia in the heart of
a termite-mound." (" Science in South Africa," p. 158,
1905.)
Blind South-easter. — See South-easter and Black South-
easter.
" During a blind south-easter the top of Table Mountain
is devoid of any cloud, but the mountains to the north of
Table Bay are usually covered with fog or mist." (" Addresses
Joint B. and S.A.A.A.S.," i. p. 287, 1905.)
Blink. — (D. blinJcen, to shine, glitter.) To shine, applied
to cattle when in good condition — blink-fet.
Blinkblaar. — (D. blinken, to shine, glitter ; blad, a leaf.)
Bhamnus prinoides, a shrub \yith glossy, shining leaves.
Blink-blad Wacht-en-bietje. — (D. blinken, to shine,
glitter; blad, a, lea.i ; wachten, to wait, stay ; beetje, a little,
AFEICANDEEISMS 69
little bit.) Zizyphus mucronata is known by this name in
the Transvaal.
Blinkwater. — (D. blinken, to shine, ghtter.) The Cape
Dutch name for the Will-o'-the-wisp, and also for marine
phosphorescence.
Blistering bush. — Buhon Galbanum, L. See Wild celery.
" The other day a frierfd of mine had a more than usual
dose of blistering. . . . The awkward feature of this danger is
that one does not notice any effect on the hand until about
thirty or forty hours after one has touched the plant. Its
name is Bubon, or if any one prefers the colonial name ' Wild
celery '." (" Mountain Club Annual, Cape Town," p. 24, 1903.)
Blits. — (G. Blitz, lightning.) This word was probably
introduced into Cape Dutch by German servants of the Dutch
E. I. Company.
Blockhouse. — (G. Blockhaus, a small fort blocking the
entrance to a besieged town.) The round towers built in the
early days of the settlement in the neighbourhood of Cape
Town to protect the inhabitants.
Bloed pens. — (D. bloed, blood ; pens, paunch, stomach.)
(1) Dysentery. (2) A disease also to which lambs are sub-
ject.
" They are doing badly owing to the prevalence of . . .
bloed pens." (" Queenstown Eepresentative," 5 September,
1911.)
Bloemetjes. — (D. bloem, a flowerj. Small flowers gener-
ally.
" There was that wonderful valley of the lake with the
bloemetjes and the scent-laden avond bloem." (Argus'
" Christmas Annual," p. 12, 1904)
Blood fink. — (D. vink, a finch.) Pyromelana oryx is so
called in Natal.
" Mr. Tyrrel says that it is popularly known as the Blood
fink and that the male bird has several little brown females."
(Woodward's " Natal Birds," p. 70, 1899.)
Blood flowers. — The Natal name of Hcemanthus Nata-
lensis. Percival refers to a flower that I have not been able
to identify.
" The blood- flower takes its name from an opinion that
it stops the bleeding on being applied to the wounded part."
(Percival's "Account," p. 146, 1804.)
" Durban again conjured up a vision of the glorious
70 AFEICANDEEISMS
scarlet cockades of a plant — Hcemanthus Natalensis — the
blood-flower." (" Methodist Churchman," 19 June, 1906.)
Blood louse. — Schizoneura lanigera, known also as the
Woolly-aphis, is sometimes so called because when crushed
it gives a red stain.
Blood spoor. — The blood marks by which a wounded
animal is traced.
"A native man . . . came somewhat suddenly upon the
two wolves. He . . . shot both. The blood spoor was
traced a considerable distance." (" Queenstown Free Press,"
16 September, 1862.)
Bloodwood. — The Transvaal name of Pterocarpus ango-
lensis.
Blow out. — A large mass of detached auriferous quartz as
distinct from the reef, is known to the miners by this name.
" There is some doubt as to whether the quartz now
being worked is a legitimate reef, or is not rather a blow-
out." (Churchill's " Men, Mines, and Animals," p. 306, 1905.)
Bluebacks. — The notes of the Transvaal Government
issued in 1865. The impecunious condition of the Transvaal
at the time made these notes very much less than their face
value. Cf. the American term " Greenbacks ".
"Dit voorbeeld werd in Transvaal gevolgd, en blue-backs
in omloop gebracht tot een bedrag van £60,000." (Cachet's
" De Worstelstrijd der Transvalers," p. 437, 1882.)
" They were not at all anxious to return to the time of
blue-backs. (Martin's " At Home in the Transvaal," p.
501, 1884.)
" There was no money in the country except a little
English gold, and everything was by barter until 1865 when
paper money was issued called Blue-backs to the extent
of £1000." (Anderson's "Twenty-five Years in a Waggon,"
II. p. 58, 1887.)
Blue bell. — The beautiful hlac-coloured Gladiolus spatha-
ceus (and other species) is known by this name in the Caledon
and Riversdale Districts.
Blue-berry. — Vaccinium exul. Bolus, is so called in the
Transvaal.
Blue-bird. — (1) Phoebetria fuginilosa. This bird is also
known as the " Sooty albatross ". (2) In Natal this name is
given to Lamprocolius phoenicopterus and L. melanog aster.
"The Black albatross, or Blue-bird as the sailors call
APEICANDEEISMS 71
it, is common along our southern coast." (Layard and
Sharp's. " Birds of South Africa," p. 773, 1875-84.)
" This and the following species are popularly known as
Blue-birds." (Woodward's " Natal Birds," p. 63, 1899.)
Blue buck. — Gephalopus monticola. The smallest of the
South African bucks. See also Ipiti.
" An elegant little antelope not more than a foot in
height, called the hlaawe hock or blue buck." (Hoodie's
" Ten Years in South Africa," ii. p. 189, 1835.)
Blue crane. — Anthropoides paradisea. This elegant
bird, which is confined to South Africa, is of a uniform hght
blue colour, with a white head.
Blue disa. — Disa graminifolia, Ker.
Blue fish. — (1) In the neighbourhood of Cape Town this
name is given to Stromateus microchirus. See Barracouta
and Pompelmoosje. (2) At East London the name is applied
to another fish — Pimelepterus fuscus. Known lower down
the coast as Barger and in Natal as the Butter-bream. See
Fat-fish.
" The blue fish is partly herbivorous, partly carnivor-
ous in its feeding, and so far as I know is only caught with
ascidian (rock bait) upon our part of the coast." (" East
London Dispatch," 7 August, 1905.)
Blue ground. — The name given at Kimberley to the dark,
greyish-blue soil which forms the matrix in which the
diamonds are found. It is also called " blue-clay " or simply
"the blue".
" It was soon found, however, that the blue ground
(as it was called) also pulverized after short exposure to the
atmosphere, and that far from being barren of diamonds it
yielded even better returns than the upper layers of ' yellow
ground '." (Noble's " Handbook," p. 193, 1886.)
Blue jay. — Goracias garrulus, the European roller, a
rather uncommon bird in South Africa.
" The Eollers or Blue jays, as they are generally called
by the colonists, are very conspicuous birds in the more
tropical portions of South Africa, such as the northern part
of the Transvaal and Ehodesia." (" Science in South Africa,"
p. 140, 1905.)
Blue skin. — The Natal name of the fish Dentex Natalensis.
Blue water-lily. — Nymphcea stellata. The Lotus flower.
Bluff, The. — The termination of a ridge of lofty hills,
72 AFBICANBEEISMS
forming an abrupt promontory some 200 feet high on the
western side of the Bay of Natal. It serves as a magnificent
landmark and is known to seamen as " the Bluff of Natal,"
or simply " the Bluff ". A fine lighthouse has been built upon
the top of it.
" In the far distant horizon an object like a thin dark line
. . . extending into the Indian Ocean. . . . That thin line
enlarges and becomes better defined the nearer you approach ;
it is the Bluff of Natal." (Holden's " History of Natal," p. 6,
1855.)
Boart or Bort. — The name given on the Diamond Fields
to a coarse, dark-coloured variety of diamond ; it is useless
for the jeweller's purpose; but is employed in pohshing and
cutting other stones. Though in frequent use in South
Africa, this word is not an Africanderism.
" A piece of bort weighing 281 carats has been found this
week at the Pan." (" Queenstown Free Press," 7 November,
1873.)
" One might easily find month after month inferior stones,
splints, and boart, which would hardly pay for working the
claims." (Ellis' " South African Sketches," p. 50, 1887.)
" They would make the weights in their books tally by
taking out the bort (a cheap kind of carbon) and substituting
the purchased good stones for it." (Cohen's " Eeminiscences
of Kimberley," p. 142, 1911.)
Bobbetjes. — This word appears to be a South African
adaptation of the Cabob of the Anglo-Indian household, a
dish prepared in much the same way. Small pieces of mutton
and bacon are skewered on a stick and broiled. They are
sometimes called " Cats' meat," for a sufficiently obvious
reason. See Sassatjes.
" All the writing in the world will not induce Cape Colon-
ials to forgo . . . their carbonaatjes, boebootis, and sassatjes."
(" GraaflF Eeinet Budget," 23 July, 1900.)
Bobooti. — (This word is probably of Malay origin ; cf.
Malay bubur, pulpy matter, soup, pottage.) Finely cut meat
prepared with curry powder.
" 'Bobooti ' and ' frikadel ' and ' potato-pie ' are great im-
provements upon the minced meats of England." ("Cape
Monthly Magazine," I. p. 224, 1870.)
Boer. — (D. boer, a peasant, countryman ; G. Bauer ; Eng.
boor.) The rural descendants of the early Dutch settlers are
APEICANDEEISMS 73
generally known as Boers throughout South Africa. The word
is not so exactly defined in meaning now as in earlier days,
and is often employed of others than farmers or country folk.
" I am just returned . . . after having had occasion to
visit several African ' boors,' so they here call a set of hearty,
honest fellows, who, though they do not indeed differ in rank
from our Swedish peasants . . . are yet for the most part ex-
tremely wealthy." (Sparrman's "Voyage," i. p. 50, 1785.)
Boer biscuit. — Small loaves fermented with raisins are
first baked altogether then separated and dried in a very slow
oven.
" The provisions consist of meat cut in strips, salted,
peppered, and dried, or else of sausages and Boer biscuits."
(De Wet's " Three Years' War," p. 9, 1903.)
Boer boon. — (D. boon, a bean.) Scotia speciosa and
S. latifolia are so called.
" The Boerboontjes (Schotia speciosa) a leguminous shrub
with beautiful scarlet flowers growing in clusters out of the
old wood." (" Bunbury's Journal," p. 101, 1848.)
Boerboontjes. — In the Midlands a variety of broad bean
is so named. See also Platte Peters (q.v.).
Boer brandy or Boers. — See Cape smoke, Dop.
" For instance the price of a glass of Boers or whisky
is sixpence, though the former costs the hotel keeper consider-
ably less than half the price of the latter." (" Queenstown
Free Press," 22 June, 1884.)
Boer goats. — The ordinary goat is thus distinguished from
the Angora goat.
' ' The Boer goat ... is a strong, coarse, hardy, energetic
animal, strongly resembling the English goat." (Wallace's
" Farming Industries of the Cape Colony," p. 323, 1896.)
Boer handelaar. — (D. handel, trade ; handelaar, merchant,
trader.) Merchants trading with Dutch farmers, in earlier
days bartering goods for produce.
" We do not say, nor do we think, that none of the Boer
Handelaars at the Bay are fair dealing, honourable men."
("Queenstown Free Press," 7 February, 1865.)
Boer meal. — Coarsely ground wheaten flour, largely used
throughout South Africa for bread, porridge, etc.
" Bread we could not get, only the Boer's meal, i.e. the
flour of the country." (Koche's " On Trek in the Transvaal,"
p. 110, 1878.)
74 AI'RICANDEEISMS
" Then I found a little tea and Jackson some Boer meal
(coarse flour) ; of the latter we made a really very good
porridge, and had a few spoonsful round and a sip of tea."
(Baden Powell's " Matabeleland Campaign," p. 399, 1896.)
Boer met de varkens. — (D. varken, hog, pig.) Lit.
" Farmer with the pigs ". A school of porpoises is so desig-
nated along the coast.
Boer tobacco. — " The common plant grown in the country,
by the name of ' Boer ' or ' Transvaal ' tobacco, is a coarse
bastard variety from Sumatra." (Wallace's " Farming
Industries of the Cape Colony," p. 477, 1906.)
" No satisfactory tenders having been received for the
supply of boer tobacco . . . fresh tenders . . . will be received."
(" Queenstown Free Press," 30 June, 1863.)
Boer verneuker. — (CD. verneuk, to cheat, deceive.)
Itinerant traders who make it their business to barter nearly
worthless articles to Boer farmers for produce worth very
much more than the Boer receives.
" The boer verneuker s buy up as rashly and indiscrimin-
ately as ever." (" Queenstown Free Press," 24 February,
1863.)
" The Natal traders and Boer verneuker s (literally swind-
lers of the Boers) began to perceive that if they did not take
a decisive step, their trade with the Transvaal would soon be
lost." (Atcherley's " Trip to Boerland," p. 85, 1879.)
Boetebossi or Boeteklis. — (D. boete, penalty, fine ; bos,
bush ; Mis, bur, tangled knot.) Xanthium spinosum, so
called from the fact that a fine is the penalty for failing to
keep one's land free from this pest.
" Consider what destruction is made by a few, as for in-
stance 'dodder,' ' steekgras,' boeteklis." (" C. G. H. Agric.
Journal," p. 159, February, 1909.)
Boeti. — (D. broeder, brother. This is a nursery contrac-
tion of broedertje, broertje, httle brother. ) A pet name often
given to the eldest or favourite son.
"Na den strijd moet Moshesh den Gouverneur habben
toegeroepen : ' Boetie (Bro^r) wees maar niet boos. Wij zijn
beiden kinderen der koningin, en wij hebben maar gespeeld.'
Ben bloedig spel met jammerlijken afloop." (Cachet's " De
Worstelstrijd der Transvalers," p. 288 n., 1882.)
" There's a lot of things you don't know, bootie." (Glan-
ville's " The Diamond Seekers," p. 270, 1903.)
AFKICANDBEISMS 75
Bogwood. — Nuxia congesta, an indigenous evergreen.
See Witte salie.
Bok or Buck. — (D. bok, a goat.) This word is used
throughout South Africa to designate goats and antelopes
aUke, male and female ; e.g. boer-, spring-, bles-, gems-bok,
etc.
" Dit w. wordt voor beide geslachten gebruikt ; van daar
dat men van bokkemelk hoort spreken." (Changuion's " Proeve
van Kaapsch Taaleigen," p. 9, 1844.)
The following quotation is a gem, the writer is speaking
of the springbok : —
" Look at the photograph and you will see a queer white
streak on the back of the animal. This is really a fold in his
skin and he can open and shut it like a book — bok, do you
see? but he only does this when he is startled." ("Zoo-
Keepers and their Pets," " Boys' Own Paper," p. 109, Decem-
ber, 1910.)
Bokbaard. — (D. baard, a beard.) (1) A chin beard like
that of a goat. (2) In some parts of Griqualand East Festuca
caprina is known by this name.
"Festuca caprina. Nees, locally known as bokbaard, a
grass remaining green through the severe winter, yields ex-
cellent herbage on the mountain slopes." (" Eeport S.A.A.A.
Science," p. 209, 1908.)
Bokhal. — (D. bokaal, a beaker ; G. Pokal, a drinking cup ;
Gr. BavKoka, a vessel to cool water or wine in.) A tankard,
mug.
" One of the principal guests arises holding in his hand a
bokhal filled to the brim." (" Cape Monthly Magazine," i.
p. 45, 1870.)
" One hour later we were in the old voorhuis together
drinking bokals and making the rafters ring with song and
tale and laughter." (" Cape Times Christmas Number,"
p. 15, 1904.)
Bokhoorntjes. — (D. hoorn or her en, horn.) Applied in-
discriminately to the follicles of various Asclepiadacece in the
Eiversdale District.
Bokkum. — (D. bokking, G. Bucking, Buckling, smoked
herring, probably derived from G. pokeln, to pickle in salt.)
In South Africa this word is applied to various small fish
preserved whole.
" They (springers) make good table fare, but are more
76 AFEICANDEEISMS
frequently salted or smoke-dried (Bokkums) like the herring."
(Pappe's " Edible Fishes of the Cape," 2nd ed., p. 19, 1866.)
Bokman. — A labourer who levels the ground turned over
by the diggers.
Bokooi. — (D. hok, a goat, antelope ; ooi, a ewe.) In Cape
Dutch a she-goat.
Bokveld. — The name given to the Karoo Districts, which
at one time were the habitat of countless herds of almost
every species of gregarious antelope.
There is also a curious colloquial use of the word ; a per-
son who is dead is said to have gone to the Bokveld — Hij is
Bokveld toe. The sun having set is spoken of in like manner.
" Mr. Mong, the boode, had informed me that proper oxen
might be obtained in the Bokkeveld." (Burchell's " Travels,"
I. p. 134, 1822.)
Bolderwagen. — (D. "(a kind of) covered stage-coach,
covered wagon ". Calisch. The etymology seems to be
unknown.) A stage-coach.
" European carriages are used only in Cape Town and
its vicinity, nor is there any public conveyance except the
Bolderwagen (stage wagon) to Stellenbosch." (Burchell's
"Travels," i. p. 76, 1822.)
Bolletjes, Moss. — (D. most, must, new wine ; bolletje, a
little ball.) A sort of cake in the -preparation of which the
freshly fermented juice of grapes (must) is used.
"Moss bolletje. — So called from ' moss,' juice of the grape
in its first stages of fermentation, and 'bolletje,' a bun."
(Hilda's " Where is it ? of Eecipes," p. 143, 1904.)
Bolog:na- sausage tree. — See Sausage tree.
Bombay merchants. — See Arabs.
Bond, Africander. — (Cf. G. Bund, a league, union.) A
political organization formed in 1882, which sought to unite
the various Dutch elements of South Africa into a homo-
geneous whole. It worked vigorously and successfully for
thirty years, and on the consummation of union was merged
in the Nationalist party.
Bongolo. — (Kaf. im Bongolo, a mule.) A mule.
" Mr. . . . has been appointed one of the official Judges
of the South African Judges Association, his specialty being
mules, and none knows a bongolo better than . . . says the
Umtata paper." (" Queenstown Weekly Beview," 25 Novem-
ber, 1911.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 77
Bon kresan. — (F. Bon GhrStien ; as applied to a variety of
pear this name was evolved by French gardeners from the
Greek navxpea-ro<;, miiversal good.) The name given to a
well-known variety of pear.
Bonnet. — A slang name for a man employed in the
gambling hells in the early days of the Diamond Fields to
induce others to stake their money freely ; a decoy.
" Upon entering we encountered an individual (technically
called a bonnet) whose hateful duty it was to tempt men to
play by the lavish way in which he staked money which to all
appearance was his own, and to seduce the unwary into the
meshes of his employer's net." (Matthew's " Incwadi Yami,"
p. 119, 1887.)
Bont. — (D. bont, parti-coloured.) Variegated, motley.
Bontebok. — Damaliscuspygargus. This beautiful animal
which existed at one time in enormous herds in the Cape
Colony, has almost, if not entirely, disappeared.
" The buntebuch, something less, but more corpulent in
proportion than the hartebeest, is the antilope scripta of
Pallas, and the guib of buffon." (Sparrman's " Voyage," i.
p. 129, 1785.)
" Its colour is so beautiful, and its markings so distinct, as
to give rise to the name Bontebok or Painted goat." (Ley-
land's "Adventures," p. 81, 1866.)
Bontebok Flats. — An extent of country lying at the foot of
the Amatola Mountains, at one time the haunt of this buck.
Bonte canariebijter. — (D. bijten, to bite.) Dryoscopus
ferrugineus. See Zwart canariebijter.
Bonte elsje. — (D. els, an awl.) Becurvirostra avocetta.
The name refers to the peculiar shape of the bird's bill,
which is curved upwards.
"The Bonte elsje, lit. 'pied cobbler's awl,' occurs periodi-
cally in small flocks in the Colony." (Layard and Sharpe's
"Birds of South Africa," p. 673, 1875-84.)
Bonte haai. — (D. bont, parti-coloured ; haai, a shark.)
See Lui haai and Tiger shark.
Bonte kraai. — (D. kraai, a crow.) Gorvus scapulatus.
" The bonte kraai (pied crow) of the Dutch (Gorvus
scapulatus) is also pretty often seen." (Bryden's " Kloof and
Karoo," p. 15, 1889.)
Bontrok. — (D. rok, a coat.) The Mossel Bay name of a
species of Dentex referring probably to its varied colouring.
78 AFEICANDEEISMS
Bontrokje. — Pratincola torquaia, a species of Stone-
chat.
" The name Bontrok ... is perhaps derived from some
supposed resemblance to the Bontrokje, a species of stone-
chat." (Gilchrist's " History of the Local Names of Cape
Fish," p. 221, 1900.)
Bont slang. — ^(D. bont, parti-coloured ; slang, a snake.)
Homalosoma variegatum.
Bont span. — (1) A span of oxen of different colours.
(2) The name is also applied to the alternate pieces of flesh
and fat spitted on a stick for roasting.
" A skilful man would so arrange the meat on his spit as to
have alternate pieces of fat and lean and thus get what we
used to call a bont span." (De Wet's " Three Years' War,"
p. 11, 1903.)
Bont tick. — Amhlyomma hebrcBum, the tick which is now
known to communicate heartwater from a diseased animal to
a susceptible one.
" The large Bonte tick that destroys the teats of cows and
produces terrible sores on all animals." (Douglas' " Ostrich
Farming," p. 17, 1881.)
Bontveld. — A flat open country with low-growing shrubs,
grasses, etc. See Eland-veld.
" The intervening country, if not the usual bonte-veld or
Bland-veld, consists of a succession of sandy bults or ridges."
(Chapman's "Travels," ii. p. 16, 1868.)
Boode. — (D. bode; G. Bote, a messenger.) The official
messenger of a law-court.
" Mr. Mong, the boode, had informed me that proper oxen
might be obtained in the Bokkeveld." (Burchell's " Travels,"
I. p. 134, 1822.)
Booked. — See Inbooking.
" The children of the natives killed on the commando
were booked for a number of years until they had reached a
certain age, but they were seldom relieved when they reached
that period." (Hoodie's " Battles of South Africa," ii. p. 255,
1888.)
Boom. — (D. boom, a tree, pole.) In one or other of its
significations — tree or pole — this word appears in frequent
combinations : e.g. Kafir-boom, Dissel-boom, etc. Cf. English
Jib-boom.
Boom. — In the language of the share market a " boom "
AFEICANDEEISMS 79
is a rapid advance in the price of shares, produced by active
speculation, resulting from an increased output, large finds,
or the expectation of such things. The word is of American
origin.
" The materials for building other houses were already on
the ground, and the usual symptoms of a boom were discern-
ible." (Boyce's " Impressions," p. 292, 1898.)
Boom dassie. — (D. das, a badger.) Procavia arborea,
called also Bosch dassie. Moodie says that it inhabits hollow
trees and runs along the branches with great rapidity.
" The tree dassie which lives in trees and feeds upon the
leaves. Colonists know this dassie as the boom or bosch
dassie." (" Eastern Province Herald," 18 November, 1908.)
Boomgift. — (D. gift, poison.) The juice of a species of
Euphorbia used by the Bushmen of Namaqualand in the
preparation of their arrow poison.
" The poison for their arrows is obtained from different
substances, snake poison is used . . . they use also the
milky juice taken from a species of cactus called boom-gift
in Dutch — or Euphorbia — which grows in the Langeberg."
(" East London Dispatch," p. 7, 25 July, 1912.)
Boomplaats. — (D.plaats, a place.) The locality of a battle
fought in 1848 between the Dutch under Andries Pretorius
and the British under Sir Harry Smith, in which the Dutch
suffered defeat. The place was so named because it had a
few trees growing upon it, the surrounding country being
bare.
" Sir Harry Smith came up in person with a strong force
which met the Boer commando at Boomplaats and defeated
it after a short but sharp encounter, whereby British authority
became once more established in the Orange Eiver Sove-
reignty." (Hoodie's " Battles of South Africa," ii. p. 249,
1888.)
Boom singertje. — The name given sometimes to the
Cicada, and sometimes to a species of tree cricket.
Boom slang. — (D. slang, a snake.) Dispholidus typus,
Smith. A tree snake at one time considered to be non-
poisonous, but recently proved to be very poisonous, though
its poison is slow in working. It is found from six to ten
feet in length, and varies in colour from a vivid green to a
near approach to black.
" The natives of South Africa regard the Boom slange as
80 AFEICANDEEISMS
poisonous, but in their opinion we cannot concur, as we have
not been able to discover the existence of any glands mani-
festly organized for the secretion of poison." (Smith's
" Zoology of South Africa : Eeptilia," 1848.)
Boom, To. — The noise made by the cock ostrich during
the breeding season. See Brooming.
" In the characteristic ' bromming ' or booming of the
cock during the pairing season, the neck becomes greatly in-
flated by the filling of the food pipe with air." (" S.A.
Agric. Journal," p. 24, January, 1912.)
Boom, To. — To work up a keen general interest in some
particular shares, candidate, or undertaking.
Boord. — (D. boomgaard, an orchard.) An orchard. In
Cape Dutch the word has been contracted into this form.
Booted eagle.' — Eutolmmtus pinnatus.
" The booted eagle — a handsome bird, which shows light,
crescent-shaped markings in its outstretched wings — may
often be seen hereabouts." (" Cape Times," p. 9, 14 Septem-
ber, 1912.)
Bootlace fern. — Vittaria lineata, Sw. This single Cape
species is thus popularly known on account of its bootlace-
like appearance.
" The bootlace fern usually found on mossy stumps in
the forest and looking more like a hank of green bootlaces
than anything else." ("Bast London Dispatch," p. 7, 17
February, 1911.)
Border, The. — The Districts of King Williamstown and
East London are often spoken of as " The Border " or " The
Frontier," because they are situated between the Colony
proper and the native territories.
"King Williamstown, or 'King' as it is sometimes
shortly termed . . . has also the chief command of the native
trade, extending beyond the Border and north to Basutoland."
(Noble's " Handbook," p. 102, 1886.)
Borer. — A small beetle which bores its way into wood, and
by its depredations renders it sooner or later quite useless.
" Coffee enterprise seemed dying out fast, no planting going
on, the trees suffering from an insect, the borer, and from
the leaf disease (Hemiteia Vastratrix), which has played such
havoc in Ceylon." (Matthews' " Incwadi Yami," p. 323, 1887.)
" The native woods of the country are attacked by a small
beetle, commonly known as the Borer, which is brown in
AFEICANDEEISMS 81
colour and about a quarter of an inch in length." (Brown's
" On the South African Frontier," p. 316, 1899.)
" An insect called the iorer drills holes into your house's
beams and rafters and uprights." (Du Plessis' " In the Heart
of Africa," p. 55, 1905.)
Borri. — Turmeric, used to colour rice for the table.
" In such cases the man is rubbed with horri or turmeric."
(Stavorinus' " Voyages," ii. p. 136, 1798.)
Borstrok. — (D. borst, the breast ; rok, a coat.) In Holland
this" name is given to what is known among the fishermen of
the south-east coast of England as a " Guernsey ". In the
Colony it is applied to a lady's corset or stays.
Bosch dassie. — See Boom dassie.
Bosch druif. — (D. bosoh, wood, forest ; druif, a grape.)
Vitis capensis is known by this name in the Western Pro-
vince.
Bosch duif. — (D. duif, a pigeon, dove.) Columba phceo-
nota.
Bosch guarri. — (Kaf. um Gwali.) Euclea lanceolata, a
common shrub all through the Colony and Natal.
Bosch lory. — (" The word lory is a corruption of the
Malay nuri, a parrot." — Yule and Burnell's " Anglorlndian
Glossary".) Hapaloderma narina, one of the Trogonidce
whose habitat is the dense bush. Curiously enough Ar-
bousset (" Narrative," p. 222, 1846) gives the name " fiscal "
to this bird.
Bosch luis. — (D. luis, a louse.) A variety of the " Tick "
family.
" A noxious little insect annoying both to man and beast,
the acarus sanguisugus, which Dr. Clarke supposes to be the
kind of louse which of old plagued the Egyptians. The
Dutch colonists of the Cape call it the bosch luis, or wood-
louse." (Arbousset's " Narrative," p. 68, 1846.)
" Dat bosluizen de oorzaak zyn van meer dan een bekende
veeziekte, is'Q feit dat geen verstandige boer meer zal ontken-
nen." (" Mossel Baai Advertiser," 30 July, 1912.)
Bosch musikant. — Ploceus bicolor is so called on account
of the many sweet notes in its somewhat weird song.
" It is called the Bush musician, or Bos musikant in the
English or Dutch vernacular." (Haagner and Ivy's " Sketches
of South African Bird Life," p. 66, 1908.)
Bosch peper. — Piper capense, L. " A kind of pepper
6
82 APEICANDEBISMS
which partakes of the qualities peculiar to the genus."
Pappe.
Bosch taaibosch. — (D. taai, tough.) Rhus Icevigata,
used by the natives for making pipes.
Bosch vaal-bosch. — (D. vaal, sallow, tawny.) Termin-
alia sericea, Burch. The Transvaal name of this tree.
Bosch vark. — (D. varken, a hog, pig.) Potamochmrus
choeropotamus, a nocturnal, forest haunting animal.
" Two species of wild hog are met with in Southern Africa
— Sus larvatus, the Bosch vark, bush pig, which is about
two and a half feet high and five feet long, and has a tuber-
cular excrescence covered with coarse hair on the face."
(Backhouse's " Narrative," p. 213, 1844.)
" This boar was what is generally known in colonial par-
lance as the Bosch vaark ; without the offal it weighed up-
wards of 130 lbs." (" The Queenstown Free Press," 5 Sep-
tember, 1860.)
Bosch veld. — See Bush veld.
" Het Transvaal-gebied wordt verder onderscheiden in :
Hoogveld, Bosch veld en Gebroken veld." (" De Worstelstrijd
der Transvalers," p. 332, 1882.)
Bosch vogel. — (D. vogel, a bird; cf. Eng. fowl.) An-
dropadus importunus. Le Vaillant states that it builds on
branches of large trees and lays four or five eggs marked with
oUve colour. It has a clear, shrill, single piping note, and it
will readily come to anyone who knows its call and can imi-
tate it. See Pilawit.
" The Boschvogel as it is called is not very rare in the
neighbourhood of Cape Town." (Layard and Sharpe's " Birds
of South Africa," p. 214, 1875-84.)
Bosjesman's doom. — (D. doom, a thorn, prickle.) Sarcc-
caulon Burmcmni, D.G., is known by this name in Nama-
qualand.
Bosjesman's thee. — Gatha edulis, Forsk. See Bushman's
tea. An infusion of its leaves is used for coughs, asthma,
etc. A rare shrub in South Africa known only from the
Queenstown and Cathcart districts. Stachys rugosa, Ait.,
is also known as " Bushman's tea " in the Cradock Dis-
trict.
" Methyscophyllum. . . . This is the Bosjesman's thee oi
the colonists. The leaves chewed to, excess by the Bosjes-
men have intoxicating effects : a moderate infusion is said to
AFEICANDBEISMS 83
be as good as tea, and also as a remedy for asthma." (" Flora
Capensis," Vol. i. p. 463, 1859-60.)
Bosjestroop. — (D. stroop, syrup, treacle.) This syrup,
which is used for the relief and cure of coughs, is made by
boiling the mixed honey and dew taken in the early morning
from the calyx of Protea mellifera.
Bosmannetje. — (CD. mannetje, dim. of man.) Gerco-
pithecus lalandii, tree monkeys numerous in the wooded parts
of Knysna and Pondoland, are so called by the Dutch.
" 1654, 24 April. This morning there was found in the
mountain a dead hosmannaken, called in Batavia ourang-
outangh." (Van Eiebeeck's "Journal," Hoodie's "Ee-
cords," p. 60, 1841.)
Boss up ! — A corruption of the Cape Dutch Pas op ! — Take
care ! look out ! Cf. G. Passen Sie auf!
" Wherefore extra precautions should be observed, or as
the Dutch hunters say boss up." (Nicolls and Eglinton's
" The Sportsman in South Africa," p. 81, 1892.)
Boter bloem. — (D. boter, butter ; bloem, a flower.) Gaz-
ania pinnata var. integrifolia. The flower is yellow, and an
infusion of the whole plant is used as a preventative of mis-
carriage.
Boterboom. — (D. boom, a tree.) Cotyledon fascicularis.
Ait. Sometimes it is called " Boter-bosch ".
" The Cotyledons have thick, succulent leaves, and stout,
soft stems ; some of them are arborescent shrubs about eight
feet high ; they are called in the Colony Boter-booms, Butter
trees." (Backhouse's "Narrative," p. 113, 1844.)
Bottle-brush. — Galistemon speciosum, G. regulosum, and
G. rigidum. The name has reference to the shape of the
flowers, which is like that of the brush used for cleaning bottles.
" Galistemon, the bottle-brush of Cape Gardens . . . are
natives of New Holland." ("Cape Monthly Magazine," i. p.
88, 1857.)
Bottle licence. — A licence to sell liquor in quantities of
not less than a bottle.
Bottle store. — A store or shop at which liquor is sold under
a "bottle licence".
" The houses generally, if they are not bottle stores (i.e.
public-houses) are either dry goods stores or mining syndicate
offices." (Baden Powell's " Matabeleland Campaign," p. 25,
1897.)
6 *
84 AFEICANDEEISMS
Bougys.— (P. houge ; " coquillage servant de monnais aux
Indes," Boiste.) A species of cowry.
" Cowry s and bougys for which they are eager." (" Memo,
of Van Eiebeeck's, 1672," Hoodie's "Eecords," p. 247,
1841.)
Bovenland. — (D. boven, above, over, up.) Applied in Cape
Dutch to the country in the neighbourhood of Gape Town.
See Onderveld.
" Over the whole colony the words boven (upper) and boven-
land are used to signify those parts of it which are nearer to
Cape Town, and often Cape Town itself ; while onder (under)
and onderveld are the terms applied in contradistinction."
(Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 88, 1822.)
Boys. — Coloured labourers, whether Hottentot, Bastard, or
Kaffir, and whatever their age, are invariably termed " boys "
throughout the whole of South Africa.
" The boisterous singing of a lame Irish cobbler who was
' keeping it up ' with two Hottentot boys neither of whom
was under fifty years of age." (Harris' " Wild Sports," p. 15,
1839.)
Braaking. — (D. braak, fallow; cf. G. brack.) The term
applied to the ploughing of virgin soil.
"Ploughing of virgin soil or braaking is done in Sep-
tember after rains." (Wallace's " Farming Industries of the
Cape Colony," p. 468, 1896.)
Braakland. — Land which has been ploughed for the first
time, or which has been lying fallow for several years.
Braambosch. — (D. braambosch, bramble.) Bubus pin-
natus, the Cape bramble.
" The roots are astringent, and used as a decoction for
chronic diarrhoea, etc. The fruit of this species of bramble ov
Blackberry-bush (Braambosch) is equal in flavour and taste
to that of Europe." (Pappe's " Florse Capensis Medicse
Prodromus," p. 12, 1868.)
Braiding. — (D. bereiden, to prepare.) The rubbing pro-
cess by which skins are rendered soft and fit for use. See
Breying.
"A process commonly termed braiding which they per-
form by constantly rubbing it in their hands, greasing it, and
thumping it with large sticks or stones, till it becomes soft
and pliable." (Methuen's "Life in the Wilderness," p. 259,
1848.)
Brak. — (D. brak, saltish.) The term is applied to soil or
AFEICANDEEISMS 85
water in which there is an excess of soda or salts. This excess
in the soil seems to be due to the combined action of capillary
attraction and free evaporation from the surface. A curious
phenomenon about the "brak" springs, which occur very
frequently in South Africa, is that they often run strongly in
time of drought and are weakest after heavy thunder rains : a
phenomenon still awaiting satisfactory explanation.
"Though water is struck almost everywhere round the
house, much of it is hrah or salt." (Boyle's " To the Cape for
Diamonds," p. 170, 1873.)
"Like some of our Boers in brack districts, when they
first get a draught of pure water complain of its being taste-
less and mawkish." ("Cape Monthly Magazine," ii. p. 47,
1875.)
" The ground must be brack, a peculiar kind of soil,
which, though loose and friable, is not porous." (Martin's
"Home Life on an Ostrich Farm," p. 82, 1890.)
Brak bosjes. — (D. bos, bush, tuft.) Plants of several
varieties are thus designated : (1) In the Karoo it is applied to
a species of Mesembyranthemum, the leaves of which are
employed in dressing skins. (2) In the quotations it is applied
to Atriplex halimus, L. (3) Salicornia fruticosa is so called
at Eiversdale.
" The part where we now halted was covered principally
with such shrubs and plants as afford alkali : these were the
Kanna-bush and another whose name of Brak-boschjes
(brackish bushes) indicates that their nature has been well
observed by the inhabitants."
" A shrubby species of atriplex, probably the A. candicans.
Yet the name of brak-boschjes does not belong exclusively to
this plant." (Burchell's " Travels," ii. p. 21, 1824.)
"When first our oxen were under the necessity of eating
brak-bushes we felt a little dismayed." (Backhouse's " Narra-
tive," p. 502, 1844.)
Brakje. — (D. brak, a setter ; G. Bracke, a bloodhound,
setter. ) As employed in the Cape Colony this word is almost
exactly equivalent to the English words, mongrel, cur.
" Paulus Kruger brought his fist down heavily on the table,
while he roared ' Allermachtig ! are my brothers to have no
liberty of action ? Must they walk down the hills while the
Booibaatjes march up and make mince-meat of them ? Have
these brakjes not bayonets to plunge into us and turn our
86 AFEICANDBEISMS
insides out ? ' " (Nesbitt's " For Eight and England," p. 159,
1900.)
" Thus all they had to depend on was these small brak-
hies (mongrel dogs) and their own kerries." ("East London
Dispatch," p. 7, 12 April, 1906.)
Brakveld — (D. hrah, saltish.) Veld largely composed of
saltish shrubs.
"Cattle grazing on braJcveld show but little craving
for bones." ("S.A. Agric. Journal," p. 37, July, 1912.)
Brakvij. — (D. vijg, a fig.) The fruit of a species of Mes-
embryanthemum.
Brand. — (D. brand, fire, conflagration, fuel.) An area of
veld from which the grass and small herbage has been burnt.
" A similar statement is made of brands where the young
grass withers as the result of dry weather." (" S.A. Agric.
Journal," p. 38, July, 1912.)
Brandblaren. — (D. branden, to burn ; blad, a leaf.)
Anemone vesicatoria Prantl. The leaves when bruised are
very effective for blistering purposes.
" This genus is exclusively South African. The species
are extremely acrid and the commonest (K. vesicatoria and
K. rigidd) are popular colonial remedies for rheumatism, etc.
The bruised leaves applied to the skin raise an effective blister.
Popular name Brand-blaren." (" Flora Capensis," Vol. i.
p. 4, 1859-60.)
Brandbosjes. — (D. bos, bush, tuft.) Mohria Thuri-
fraga, Sw. The leaves of this fern are pulverized, made into
an ointment with fat, which is very serviceable in bums and
scalds.
Branddam. — An open tank or reservoir in which water
is kept for the purpose of extinguishing fires.
" It (the water) is distributed to Brandtdams at different
parts of the town by means of open furrows." (" Graaff
Eeinet Advertiser," 16 September, 1900.)
Brandewijn bosch. — (D. brandewijn, brandy.) Grewia
flava.
" An attempt at distiUing a spirit from the berries of what
they therefore call the Brandewijn bosch (brandy bush) had
succeeded." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 364, 1822.)
Brandwacht.^ — (Q. Brandwache, a fire watch, a guard-
ship.) An old term which was revived during the Boer War
of 1899-1902. It had reference to the old custom of giving
AFEICANDEEISMS 87
alarm by means of beacon fires, but it was applied by the
Boers to the system of outposts adopted by them during the
war.
" It would have been impossible for the prisoner to have
escaped us as he did not know the positions of the brand-
wacht." (" Graaff Keinet Advertiser," 25 September, 1901.)
Brandziekte. — (D. ziehte, sickness, disease.) This dis-
ease is also known as "Scab". It is "the result of an ab-
normal and unhealthy condition of skin due to irritation
caused by myriads of microscopic, mite-like insects or acari ".
(Wallace's " Farming Industries of the Cape Colony ".)
" They are subject also to a cutaneous disease that works
great havoc among the bovine tribe. It is called by the
farmers hrandt - siekte, or burning disease." (Barrovy's
" Travels," i. p. 263, 1801.)
" Brandt- siekte, a disease which immediately seizes such
animals (goats) when placed on sour grass farms." (Boyce's
"Notes on South Africa," p. 138, 1838.)
Brandzolder. — (D. zolder, a loft, garret ; Lat. solarium, a
flat roof, a balcony exposed to the sun.) A loft immediately
under the thatch of a building, with a thick mud or brick
floor, to protect the under part of the building should the
thatch catch fire. The Brand-zolder is usually used for the
storage of farm produce. It is of interest to know that in
Tusser's " Fine Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie " (Ed.
Eng. Dial. Soc. 57/5) the word soller is used for a loft or
garret in which garden or farm produce was husbanded : —
Maides, mustard seeds gather, for being too ripe,
And weather it well, er ye giue it a stripe :
Then dresse it and laie it in soller vp sweete,
Least foistiues make it for table vnmete.
Palsgrave has " soller, a lofte, gamier " ; and the Prompt.
Parv. gives " Garytte, hay solere ".
" The house having been built with what the Dutch call a
brandt-solder, the fire, after having destroyed the whole of
the pitched roof, had burnt itself out, without actually de-
scending as far as the supporting beams." ("At Home in
the Transvaal," p. 456, 1884.)
Breadfruit. — Encephalartos caffer, Lehm. The name
sometimes given in the Eastern Province to this and other
members of the Gycadacece family.
"Our local cycads are commonly called ' KaflQrbread,'
88 AFEICANDBEISMS
Breadfruit tree." (" East London Dispatch," p. 3, 24 De-
cember, 1908.)
Bread, Kaffir or Hottentot. — This is made from the stems
of several species of Gycadacece. The mode of preparation
is somewhat pecuhar ; the stems are first of all buried for
some time, after which the mucilaginous centre is taken
out, dried, then pounded and made into cakes. See Bread-
fruit.
" It (Encephalartos cycadifoUus) is the smallest of all our
South African Kaffirbreads." ("East London Dispatch," p.
3, 24 December, 1908.)
Bread -palm. — Another Eastern Province name for the
Cycadacem. See Broodboom.
" Our local cycads are commonly called . . . Bread-palm."
(" East London Dispatch," p. 3, 24 December, 1908.)
Bredi. — A dish of meat and vegetables served up in a sort
of mush.
" Breedi signifies in the Madagascar tongue spinage ; the
word is brought hither by the slaves ; and at present through-
out the whole Colony, every sort of vegetable, which like
cabbage, spinage, or sorrel, is cut to pieces and dressed with
cayenne pepper, is included under the general term breedi."
(Lichtenstein's "Travels," ii. p. 82, 1815.)
Breying. — (D. bereiden, to prepare.) This is an Anghcized
form of the Cape Dutch word breien, to prepare skins. See
Braiding.
" The trunk of a tree is fixed up near the hut, for the
purpose of preparing (or as they call it breyen) leathern
riems." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 351, 1822.)
Breypaal. — {D.paal, a pole.) A pole upon which riems
are prepared.
" Such an apparatus is called by them, and by the
colonists, who also make use of it, a brey-paal." (Burchell's
"Travels,"!, p. 351, 1822.)
"The native was sentenced to be pegged out to a bray-
paal and receive twenty-five lashes with a stirrup leather."
(" Queenstown Free Press," 3 March, 1863.)
Bridal wreath. — The name given on the Border to Cle-
matis brachiata ; but more commonly to Deutzia crenata.
"We have the white feathery plumes of the Clematis or
Bridal tvreath as we call it in these parts." (" East London
Dispatch," p. 5, 23 July, 1909.)
Brief je. — (D. brief, a letter.) A note or letter ; sometimes
AFEICANDEBISMS 89
it is used of the "Pass" which a native must have v?hen
passing from one part of the country to another with stock.
" I desire to send a letter to one of my friends at Selukwe,
so I take advantage of the travelling post-office — that is, I
stop one of a party of boys and give him a briefje, as it is
called in Kaffir pigeon-Bnghsh (and in Flemish)." (Tangye's
" New South Africa," p. 184, 1896.)
Brilling. — (D. brullen, to roar ; G. briillen, to roar, bellow.)
A colonial corruption of the Dutch word ; it is employed to
denote the peculiar growling noise which cattle and other
animals make when enraged or in pain, a noise very different
from either a roar or a bellow.
" Bagman ran and was barking, when out came two lion-
esses brilling savagely, at which the Kaffirs all fled at the
top of their speed." (Baldwin's "African Hunting," p. Ill,
1894.)
Brillzand. — (D. brullen, to roar ; zand, sand.) A small area
of fine white sand on the western side of the Asbestos Moun-
tains in Griqualand West, which emits a curious sound when
men or animals pass over it.
" The sound which the sand produces if people or animals
walk over it is not like that of the so-called 'musical sand,'
but a kind of roaring noise, on account of which it is called
Brillzand." ("Trans. S.A. Phil. Soc." p. Ixx, viii. Pt. i.
1893.)
Brinjelas. — The fruit of the egg-plant, Solanum melongena,
L., known in Natal as brinjals. In these forms the word is
from the Portuguese ; its history is well worth study as showing
the extraordinary modifications a word can undergo without
change of meaning. (See Yule and Burnell's " Anglo-Indian
Glossary".)
" The nopal or prickly pear . . is in abundance ; as also
bringalls and different kinds of cole and cabbage." ("Percival's
Account," p. 143, 1804.)
" Sometimes they bring a few fresh beans or bunches of
cabbages, or Berinjelas, the fruit of the egg-plant and most
delicious when cut in slices and fried in oil." (Monteiro's
" Delagoa Bay,'' p. 54, 1891.)
" Less well-knovsm species are the Egg-plant or Brinjal."
(Wood's " Handbook to the Flora of Natal," p. 90, 1907.)
Briquas. — (Hot. Goat men.) The name given by the
Hottentots to a tribe of the Bechuanas known as the Bacha-
90 AFEICANDEEISMS
pins. The name appears in Sparrman's map but too near the
west coast.
"By barter for beads and tobacco they annually obtain
from the Bachapins (called Briquas or Goat men in the
Hottentot language) a number of oxen." (Burchell's
"Travels,"!, p. 364,1822.)
British Kaffraria. — The country lying between the Keis-
kama and the Kei Elvers. This territory was first annexed
to the Cape by Sir Benjamin D'Urban in 1835, when it
formed a part of what was then called " The Province of
Adelaide". The following year it was restored to the Kaffirs
under the humane but mistaken policy of the then Secretary
of State for the Colonies — Lord Glenelg. In 1847 British
Sovereignty was again proclaimed over the territory, when it
received the name of "British Kaffraria". It remained a
separate dependency of the British Crown until it was incor-
porated with the Cape Colony in 1865.
" There is little doubt that the Eesident Agent at Block
Drift now sees the uselessness of endeavouring to carry out
the late arrangements of the Government with regard to
British Kaffraria." (Ward's " Five Years in Kaffirland," ii.
p. 129, 1848.)
" The country from the Keis kamma to the Kei has been
also annexed to the British Crown, under the title of British
Kaffraria." (Smith's "Sketches of South Africa," "Wes.
Meth. Magazine," p. 58, 1849.)
Brittle wood. — Nuxia tomentosa Sond. is known by this
name in the Transvaal.
Broek band. — (D. broek, trousers.) The waist-band of a pair
of trousers.
" Blocks three feet square were got out at Broek band,
i.e. 'waist-deep'." (Baines' "GoIdEegions of South-East
Africa," p. 113, 1877.)
Broek- en -baatje. — (CD. trousers and jacket.) A wild
flower which is supposed to bear some resemblance to these
articles of apparel.
Broeks. — (D. broek, trousers.). The common form of the
word among the English colonists of the Eastern Province
of the Cape Colony ; a pair of trousers.
"Socks of course he wore none, and the tanned broeks
had sHghtly contracted in their washing." (" Queenstown Free
Press," 4 December, 1861.)
AFEICANDBEISMS 91
Broer. — (D. broeder, a brother.) This word is frequently
employed in folk-lore tales and ordinary conversation as
Uncle Remus — Mr. Chandler Harris' friend — uses the word
"Brer". Instead of BrerFox, Brer Eabbit, etc., we have
Broer Jakhals, Broer Wolf, etc.
Bromgras. — (D. bron, a spring ; gras, grass.) (1) Bromus
mollis, the " goose grass '' of the rye grass fields of Great
Britain. (2) Water-cress is also known by this name.
Bromkos. — (D. bron, a spring ; host, food.) A water-plant
used as a salad.
" 'n Koppi sop van bronkors, 'n Koppi tesuiker en 'n Koppi
asyn saam tot'n stroop gekook en by telepeltjies inge." (Dijk-
man's " Kook, Koek en Eesepten Boek," p. 126, 1898.)
Brom vogel. — (D. brommen, to mutter, grumble; vogel, a
bird.) Bucorax cafer — the Turkey Buzzard. The name has
reference to its monotonously repeated call — " boom-boom ".
" The brom vogel is a very dark-plumaged vulture, like a
turkey-cock, with red wattles and a bare brown neck ; they
go in pairs only and generally accompany a flock of common
vultures." (King's "Campaigning in Kaffirland," p. 245,
1855.)
Bronze bream. — The Natal name of Gantharus Aeneus.
Broodboom. — (D. brood, bread ; boom, a tree.) Zamia
caffra, Thumb. (" Flora Capensis," p. 429, 1823) = Enceph-
alartos Gaffer, Lehm. See Bread palm.
Brooks. — (D. broek, trousers.) A common South African
corruption of the Dutch name for a pair of trousers.
Brooming:. — (D- brommen, to mutter, grumble.) This
word is used of the noise made by the ostrich. See Booming.
"After a good rain ostriches soon begin to make nests;
the males become very savage and their note of defiance —
brooming as it is called by the Dutch — is heard in all direc-
tions." (Martin's "At Home on an Ostrich Farm," p. 110,
1890.)
" In the characteristic bromming or booming of the cock
during the pairing season, the neck becomes greatly inflated
by the filling of the foodpipe with air." (" S.A. Agric. Journal,"
p. 24, January, 1912.)
Brown, The. — " Into the brown," a sporting phrase refer-
ring to the brown stripe on the side of the springbuck and
other antelopes, into which the sportsman strives to place his
bullet. It also is used of the moving mass of bucks.
92 AFEICANDBEISMS
" These people (the Boer hunters) never can resist the
temptation of pumping a stream of lead ' into the brown ' of
any troop of game within sight." (Nicholson's " Fifty Years
in South Africa," p. 210, 1898.)
Brown Afrikander, Large. — Gladiolus Grandis, Thunb.
Brown canary. — Ghrysomitris totta. See Pietje canary.
Brown kingfisher. — Halcyon albiventris. See Bush
kingfisher.
Bruin kapell. — (D. bruin, brown; CD. kapell (cobra di)
capello.) Naia flava. See Geel slang.
Bruin kommetje-gat kat. — (D. bruin, brown ; CD.
hommetje, a small basin.) Herpestes pulverulentus. See
Zwart muishond.
Brul padda. — (D. brullen, to roar ; pad, a toad ; G. Padde,
a frog. So also Mid. Bng., see Skeat.) Bana adspersa, the
largest of our South African frogs, with a voice nearly as
deep and powerful as that of a calf. The strength and hoarse-
ness of the sound it emits have won for it its name, which
English-speaking colonists more often render " Bull-podder ".
" Den brul-padda, wiens geluid doet denken aan een brul-
lenden os, hoort men dikwijls." (Cachet's " De Worstelstrijd
der Transvalers," p. 346 n., 1882.)
" The enormous frog (Pycicephalus adspersus, Dr. Smith)
called the brul-pad or bellowing toad, from the noise it makes
resembling the bellowing of a bull." (Stow's " Native Eaces
of South Africa," p. 59, 1905.)
Brul vogel. — (D. brullen, to roar ; vogel, a bird.) Botau-
rus Stellaris, L. The bittern is thus designated, because of
the peculiar hoarseness of its cry.
Brummer fly. — Gynomyia picti/acies, Bigot. An insect
somewhat like the common house-fly, but considerably larger.
It is useful in the destruction of locusts ; its larva, deposited
on the thorax of the locust, speedily finds its way through the
soft skin under the neck, it then lives upon the fatty part of
the insect, which it ultimately destroys.
Brusher. — The Natal name for a large species of Sargus.
Brying. — (D. braden, to roast, broil.) To toast meat on
a fork, or to roast it in the ashes.
" These remained by the fire brying bones on the coals."
(Glanville's "The Fossicker," p. 166, 1891.)
Bucliu. — (Hot.). Barosma betulina, B. crenulata, B.
crenata, B. serratifolia. These plants, which were in con-
AFEICANDEEISMS 93
stant use among the Hottentots in their uncivihzed condition,
are still prized by many colonists for their valuable medicinal
qualities.
" Men and women powder themselves all over with Buchu."
(Medley's " Kolben," i. p. 150, 1731.)
" Careb, eine Art Kraut (Quecke) worans Buchu, wohlrie-
chenden Streupulver bereitet wird." (Kronlein's " Wortschatz
der Khoi-Khoin," p. 17, 1889.)
Buchu azijn. — (D. azijn, vinegar.) A domestic medicine
prepared by macerating buchu leaves in vinegar.
Buchu brandy. — Brandy in which buchu leaves have been
steeped ; it is taken internally for stomachic disorders and ap-
plied externally for rheumatism.
"We found the larger species of bukku one of the most
aromatic, medicinal plants in the country, and justly esteemed
for its healing properties. Its leaves steeped in brandy or
vinegar, and the bottle placed in the heat of the sun, emit
an unctuous juice by which the fluid is rendered as thick as
honey, and applied particularly for the healing of contusions,
sores, and all external complaints. The Hottentots also
use it for inward hurts." (Latrobe's " Journal," p. 160,
1818.)
" A coarse kind of spirit termed ' Bucca brandy,' made I
believe from the seeds of a bush of that name growing in the
veld." (Lucas' " Camp Life and Sports in South Africa,"
p. 136, 1878.)
Buchu, To. — The fragrant leaves of the Buchu plants were
dried and pulverized by the Hottentots, who then sprinkled
it plentifully over their cattle and over their own persons.
" I was therefore greased and boghoued for the first time
in my life." (Le Vaillant's " Travels," ii. p. 804, 1796.)
Buck. — (D. bok, a goat.) The South African name, with-
out reference to sex, for goats and antelopes generally. See
Bok.
"Often on the march we saw large herds of buck and
' wilde beests '." (Penn's " How I Volunteered for the Cape,"
p. 177, 1879.)
Buck, of a wagon. — The side-rails of the wagon, which
help to give compactness to the load, are known as the " buck "
of the wagon.
" The damage done to the wagon was serious . . . the
buck, or overlapping grating, was broken off and the dissel-
94 APBICANDEEISMS
boom was split in two." (Atcherley's "A Trip to Boerland,"
p. 83, 1879.)
Buck doctor. — The name by which the Government
veterinary surgeon is known among the rural population of
the Midlands, because the earliest efforts of these "Vets"
were directed to the stamping out of contagious lung disease
among goats.
Buck fat. — The common Cape name for goat lard, an
article in great request in country homes for a variety of pur-
poses, medicmal and culinary.
" For hoarseness in children. Blue-gum leaves fried in
buck-fat or goat-lard with a little turpentine to soften it,
rubbed into the chest, or applied on a linen rag as a plaister
is excellent." (Hilda's "Diary of a Cape Housekeeper," p.
282, 1902.)
Buck fever. — An excitably nervous condition into which
young sportsmen sometimes work themselves to the detri-
ment of their shooting.
"When shooting on foot in thick bush, whether the
animals be dangerous or not, a thorough recovery from a very
common disease, usually known as buck fever, and which is
peculiar to the young and uninitiated hunter, is the first
essential." (Nicolls and Eghnton's " Sportsman in South
Africa," p. 73, 1892.)
Buckload. — A buck-wagon load.
" Queenstown Market. Firewood (buckload) 38s."
(" Queenstown Free Press," 9 May, 1860.)
Buck sail. — The "sail" or canvas covering of a buck-wagon.
" A buck-sail stretched over the tilt of two wagons gave
a shady room between, in which we sheltered from the mid-
day heat." (Baden Powell's " Matabeleland Campaign," p.
436, 1897.)
Buck, To. — (D. bokken maken, to cut capers.) What is
known in Australia as " buck-jumping" is spoken of through-
out South Africa simply as " bucking ". The action consists
in springing from the ground, bringing the four feet together,
and, while in the air, arching the back so suddenly and
acutely, that none but riders of considerable experience can
retain their seats in the saddle.
" First, never mount a bucking horse if you know it ;
secondly, the moment your horse begins to buck throw your-
self off." (Barter's " Dorp and Veld," p. 37, 1852.)
AFKICANDEEISMS 95
" The horses possess fair opportunities of putting their
bucking propensities into play." (Mann's "Natal," p. 135,
1859.)
Buck-wagon. — The large wagon employed throughout
South Africa for transport purposes ; clumsy in appearance
it is admirably adapted to the needs of the country and to the
state of the roads.
" Enormous buck-wagons are now made for the diamond
fields. They require twenty oxen, and contain a sitting, a
bed-room, and a kitchen, and a huge canvas covers the whole,
and spreads out into side tents for servants and horses."
(Anderson's " Twenty-five Years in a Waggon," i. p. 57, 1887.)
Buffalo.— Bos Gaffer.
" There are some wild buffaloes about this place, of which
we saw several, but they were so very shy that we could not
approach them." (Paterson's " Narrative," p. 9, 1789.)
Buffalo sfrass. — The Natal name for the large-leafed grass.
Setaria sulcata, Baddi.
" The Buffalo grass has a large, broad, corrugated leaf
and is greedily eaten by horses and cattle." (Chapman's
" Travels," ii. p. 467, 1868.)
Buffalo's friend. — Buphaga africana. See also Beefeater.
" Hunters call this bird the Buffalo's friend, and no
doubt, besides ridding the animals of ticks, it helps the game
in another way, by raising an alarm cry when danger is
near." (Woodward's " Natal Birds," p. 66, 1899.)
Buffelsbal. — Gardenia Thunbergia, a favourite garden
tree because of its strongly scented, white flowers.
Buffels doom. — (D. buffel, a buffalo ; doom, a horn.)
Ziziphus mucronata is so called.
" Some species of trees, easily distinguishable from afar,
are also peculiar to moist situations . . . such as . . . the
Buffalo thorn (Zizyphus bubalinus)." (Burchell's " Travels,"
II. p. 29, 1824.)
" B. Gapensis (Buffels doom), the only species, is a tree
12 to 14 feet high." (Stoneman's " Plants and their Ways in
South Africa," p. 263, 1906.)
Buffel vogel. — (D. vogel, a bird.) Buphaga africana.
See also Buffalo's friend.
" In any case the stalk required caution, and with those
watchful buffel vogels about extreme care was essential."
(Bryden's " Travel and Big Game," p. 187, 1897.)
96 APEICANDBEISMS
Buggy.— (CD. Bokkie.) In South Africa this term is
applied to a two-seated Cape cart with a folding hood.
Buig-mij-niet. — (D. buigen, to bend.) Buxus Macowani
Oliv. The Cape box — the name refers to the brittle char-
acter of the wood.
Buik plank (of a wagon).— (D. huih, belly.) The flooring
of the body of the wagon is so called.
" The planks of the bottom (huih plank) were two inches
thick." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 140, 1822.)
" The enraged brute struck his powerful horn into the
huih plank (the bottom boards) with such force as to push
the wagon several paces forward." (Andersson's " Lake
Ngami," p. 27, 1857.)
Bull eye. — Bra/ma raii, the name given to this fish in
the neighbourhood of Cape Town.
"I think Bra/ma raii may be the correct name for the
Cape Town Bull eye . . . but if it is, then I think it is fairly
certain that the Bull eye and our well-known ' Bully ' are
not identical." ("East London Dispatch," 14 August,
1905.)
Bull grunter, — Pristipoma multimaculata. The Natal
name of a fish similar in size and habits to the common
grunter but spotted more ^thickly, and with a spotted, blunt
head.
" I should like to know if anyone has recently taken a
bull grunter in the bay." ("Natal Pictorial Mercury," p.
668, 1906.)
Bull head. — Felis caffra. See Wilde kat.
Bull Klip-fish. — Clinus taurus. The name has reference
to the fierce aspect of this fish.
" Mingling with G. superciliosus and its sub-species . . .
is the Bull klip (0. taurus )." (" The South African Journal
of Science," vii. p. 217, 1911.)
Bull podder. — See Brull padda.
Bully. — (1) The East London name of a small fish —
Gobius nudiceps — found in almost every rock-pool along the
coast. (2) The name is also given to a bird — Serinus sul-
phuratus. See also Geel-seisje and Glass eye.
" I think that our bully is one of the blennies, or of the
gadoidei which much resemble them." ("East London
Dispatch," 14 August, 1905.)
" The Geel-seisje of the Boers and Bully of the Colonial
AFRICANDBEISMS 97
boys." (Haagner and Ivy's " Sketches of South African
Bird Life," p. 84, 1908.)
Bult. — (D. buU, a hump, hunch.) A ridge or hillock.
" A succession of sandy bults or ridges." (Chapman's
" Travels," ii. p. 16, 1868.)
" De ligging op een platten, langen heuvel of bult, 4800
voet boven de zee, is niets schilderachtig maar zeer gezond."
(Cachet's " De Worstelstrijd der Transvalers," p. 370, 1882.)
" Though hidden from vievr by a slight bult he was then
ascending, he could tell it was approaching him." (Turn-
bull's " Tales from Natal," p. 149, 1901.)
" Most of the vines are big and strong, especially on the
bultjes, where they are simply splendid, and bear very
heavily." (" S. A. Agric. Journal," p. 236, August, 1912.)
Bunga. — (K. uku Bungana, to consult in secret council.)
The Transkeian designation of the Transkei General Council,
partly representative and partly nominated by Government,
which meets to consider and arrange for native education,
upkeep of roads, breeding of cattle, and native interests
generally in the district over which it has jurisdiction.
"Bunga, the representative council for certain native
districts." (" Bast and West Magazine," p. 425, 1906.)
" The Bunga has jurisdiction over an area fifty per cent
larger than Basutoland and containing three times as many
inhabitants." (" East London Dispatch," p. 4, 2 May, 1912.)
Burg. — In Cape Dutch this word is applied to a gelded
pig. The Patriot Woordeboek says that a Burg is an
" ostracized pig " !
Burgher. — (D. burger, a citizen of a burg or fortified
town.) One who enjoys the rights of citizenship and is
under obhgation to render military service when required by
the Government to do so.
" The services of the Burgher Cavalry are not likely to
be for ever again demanded." (Burchell's " Travels," ii. p.
217, 1804.)
" Two leading burghers, Paul Kruger and Dr. Jorissen,
went to England and protested against the annexation."
(Eussell's " Natal," p. 241, 1891.)
Bush, The. — (D. bosch, wood, forest.) Lai^e areas
covered with trees, which might reasonably be called forests,
e.g. the Pirie Bush at the foot of the Amatol as.
" The soil . . . having been covered to a large extent by
7
98 APEICANDEEISMS
a thick forest of trees (usually termed bush) for many
years, is in parts richly charged with decayed vegetahle
matter." (" The Castle Line Guide to South Africa," p. 69,
1888.)
Bush -baby Galago maholi. This pretty little animal
is scarcely larger than a rat ; it has exquisitely soft fur, large
dark-brown eyes, and round erect ears. It makes an engag-
ing pet. See Nacht apie.
" The thunder of the surf upon the shore near by, and the
occasional cry of a bush-baby, alone broke the awful still-
ness." (Turnbull's " Tales from Natal," p. 81, 1901.)
Bush -buck. — Tragelaphus scrvpta sylvaticus. Cape
Colony.
" There are several other small antelopes, as for example,
the steenbok, rhebok, and bush-buck, which are holding
their own and rather tending to increase since a close time
has been instituted." (Wallace's " Farming Industries of
the Cape Colony," p. 246, 1896.)
Bush country. — Country that is well wooded.
Bush dassie. — See Bosch dassie and Boom dassie.
" Bush dassie flesh was the staple food for the Hotten-
tots. This little creature makes its home in a hollow tree.
He feeds and gets about his business at night." (" East
London Dispatch," p. 5, 20 December, 1911.)
Bush fig. — Ficus cwpensis is so called.
Bush flea. — A variety of Pulex is so called in Natal.
" The Bushflea is quite content to share your camp
blanket, if you do not resent his liberty of action." (Eussell's
" Old Durban," p. 503, 1899.)
Bush goat. — Gamaroptera olivacea. In Natal this bird
has received this name from the striking similarity of its
note to the bleating of a lost kid.
"This warbler is called the Bush goat on account of the
plaintive goat-like call to which the bird gives utterance."
(Haagner and Ivy's " Sketches of South African Birds," p. 79,
1908.)
Bush kingfisher. — Halcyon albiventris. This bird feeds
largely on insects and crabs as well as fish. See Brown
kingfisher.
Bush lory. — See Lory.
" Who does not know the raucous call of the bush
lourie ! " (" Bast London Dispatch," p. 4, 4 December, 1908.)
AFRICANDBEISMS 99
Bushman bells. — Hollow spheres made of skin with small
stones inside ; large ones were fastened by the Bushmen to
the upper arm and shoulders, while smaller ones were fastened
on the belt and worn round their waists at dances. The
noise they make is like that of peas in a bladder.
" The last instruments we shall notice were those which
have been termed Bushman hells." (Stowe's " Native Eaces
of South Africa," p. 110, 1905.)
Bushman drawings or paintings. — These drawings are
to be found in caves all over South Africa ; various animals
are dehneated with force and spirit, and with such accuracy
of outline and detail as to evoke admiration. The materials
employed appear to be charcoal and various ochres, the
colours even after the lapse of a number of years are some-
times exceedingly vivid. For some good reproductions see
Bent's " Euined Cities of Mashonaland," 1893.
" In the course of travelling I had frequently heard the
peasantry mention the drawings made by the Bosjesmen, but
I took it for granted they were caricatures only . . . and it
was no disagreeable disappointment to find them very much
the reverse." (Barrow's "Travels," i. p. 200, 1801.)
" At Tygerpoort ... a very fine assortment of Bushmen
drawings may be seen . . . one easily recognized the out-
lines of a bushman, baboon, horse, eland, koodoo." (Wallace's
" Farming Industries of the Cape Colony," p. 17, 1896.)
" The writer has in his possession a copy of the first
chromolithograph ever printed in South Africa. ... It was
not only the first chromolithograph, but one of the earliest
reproductions of Bushman paintings in this country." (" The
State," p. 761, December, 1909.)
Bushman grass or " Dwa grass". — Aristida brevifolia,
" on which all stock thrive and grow quickly ". (Noble.)
Bushman rice. — The larvae of several species of termites
are sometimes so called, because in appearance they are not
unlike rice grains and were a favourite article of food with
the Bushmen. See Eijst mieren.
" The ordinary food of these people consisted of roots,
berries, wild plants, locusts, larvae of ants — now commonly
called 'Bushman rice' by European colonists." (Theal's
"Portuguese in South Africa," p. 12, 1896.)
" Kert went into a transport of joy at finding some ' Bush-
man's rice,' a species of ant . . . looking like gentles with
7 *
100 AFEICANDEEISMS
feet." (Farinis, "Through the Kalahari Desert," p. 107,
1886.)
Bushman's candle. — Sarcocaulon Burmanni and S. Pater-
soni. See also Candle-bush and Kers-bosje.
" Two Sarcocaulons (Gercmeacea) whose thick cuticle . . .
is rich in hydrocarbons and burns with a yellow, smoky flame ;
it is commonly known as the Bushman's ccmdle." (The
" Gardener's Chronicle," p. 401, 11 December, 1909.)
Bushman's or Hottentot's poison bush. — Acocanthera
venenata. This plant was used by the Bushmen in making
poison for their arrows. The Kaffirs use it for the cure of
snake-bites, and in Lower Albany cattle are given water to
drink in which the leaves have been steeped to prevent the
effects of change from sour to sweet veld.
" The Bushmen take the wood of the plant and pound it
to a rough powder, which they put into a clay pot and boil
for some time, keeping the lid on as the fumes are noxious,
but stirring the liquid occasionally. They then take out the
wood and simmer the remainder till it is reduced to a cupful
of a glutinous fluid. They then take it to a Euphorbia tree
and shed in the fresh juice, and when they are mixed the
poison is ready. It is a brownish substance such as you see
in a bee-hive." (Andrew Smith's " Contribution to South
African Materia Medica," p. 33, 1888.)
" This is the Bushman's poison bush (^Acocanthera vene-
nata)." ("East London Dispatch," p. 6, 10 November,
1911.)
Bushman's tea. — Catha edulis, Forsk. The leaves of this
plant when chewed to excess are intoxicating. See Harvey's
" Genera of South African Plants ". See Bosjesman's thee.
Bushmen. — (CD. bosjesmam,, bush dweller.) A race of
yellowish-brown, hollow-backed, woolly-headed pigmies,
supposed to have been the original inhabitants of South
Africa. They live by the chase and upon various wild plants,
insects, andihoney. Their weapons of offence are the bow and
arrow ; the heads of the arrow are coated with a poison so
deadly that the slightest wound made by them is almost
certain death. They are now almost extinct in South Africa.
" There is another kind of Hottentots who have got the
name of boshiesmen from dweUing in woody or mountainous
places." (Sparrman's " Voyage," i. p. 197, 1785.)
" With each of the companies a few Bosjesmen might be
AFEICANDEEISMS 101
intermixed if they will take service." (Sutherland's " South
African Tribes," i. p. 4, 1845.)
"The wandering tribes' called Bushmen. ... By the Bech-
uanas they are called Baroa . . . and by the Kaffirs Abatwa."
(Appleyard's " Kaffir Grammar," p. 15, 1850.)
Bush musician. — See Bos-musikant.
Bush partridge. — The name given in the Transvaal to
Francolinus suhtorquatus. See Swempi.
" My companions called it (Coquifrancolin) the bush
partridge." (" South African Field," p. 141, 30 July, 1909.)
Bush quail. — Turnix lepurcma, a somewhat uncommon
bird found in Great Namaqualand and the North-Western
districts. See Button quail.
" I shot another violet-winged courser, and Dove a brace
of tiny bush quail {Turnix lepurana), dainty creatures,
scarcely bigger than sparrows, which fly very fast, and lie
more closely, I think, than any of the close-lying African
game birds." (Bryden's " Gun and Camera," p. 158, 1893.)
Bush tea. — The leaves of several shrubs are gathered,
dried, and used as a substitute for tea under this name. The
common Bush tea of the Western Province is Cyclopia
Vogelii, Harv.
" In most of these Colonial stores bush tea can be
bought. It costs sixpence a pound, looks Hke the clippings
of a privet hedge, including the twigs, and is said to be a
tonic." (" Everyday Life in Cape Colony," by X. C, p. 122,
1902.)
Bush-tick berry. — The fruit of Osteospermum monili-
ferum, Linn. ("Flora Capensis," Vol. iii. p. 436 n.)
Bush veld. — (1) Veld composed largely of bush. (2) The
Low Country, as it is also called, in the Transvaal.
" Minstens de helft van Transvaal wordt ingenomen door
het Boschveld, de met mimosa's, acacia's, euphorbien en derge-
lijke geboomten dicht bezette streek, die zich van Magaliesberg
tot aan den Limpopo, in Noordelijke en Noordoostelijke
richting uitstrekt." ("De Worstelstrijd der Transvalers," p.
333, 1882.)
" Their farm is of about 5000 acres in extent, on the
border of Bush veldt, where there are scattered bushes, with
spots of good earth here and there." (Indicus, " Labour, etc.,
in South Africa," p. 19, 1903.)
" Between the goldfields and the nearest port lay the
102 AFEICANDEEISMS
Bushveld, and game enough for all to live on. " (Fitzpatrick's
" Jock of the Bushveld," p. 14, 1907.)
Bush willow. — Both Gombretum erythrophyllum and C.
salicifolium are known by this name.
Bushy or Broad-tailed meerkat. — Cynictis penieillata.
See Geel Meerkat, Eooi Meerkat, and Meerkat.
Butcher bird. — Lanius collaris. The appropriate popular
name of one of the most voracious of the smaller South
African birds. An old English name for the shrike or butcher-
bird was wariangle ; G. Wwrgengel, the worrying or destroy-
ing angel. In Germany it is also known as the Neuntodter,
the nine-killer. Other South-African names are Jack Hanger,
Laksman, Kanariebijter, and Fiscal, all indicating its murder-
ous propensities.
" A kestrel was frequently met with, and also the common
Butcher bird or shrike." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 502,
1822.)
" I observed many of the thorn trees covered with dead
insects . . all beautifully spitted on the long mimosa thorns.
I knew at once that it was the larder of the little cruel
Butcher bird." (Anderson's " Twenty-five Years in a
Waggon," I. p. 145, 1887.)
" Another of our feathered eccentricities, the butcher bird,
called by the colonists Jack Hanger, likes to eat his game
high." (Martin's " Home Life on an Ostrich Farm," p. 252,
1890.)
Butter bream. — The fish known at East London as the
" Blue fish " (q.v.) is known by this name in Natal.
" I noticed last week an unusual number of butter-
bream at the market. ... It is not a bream at all, but of
quite another tribe, with a smaller mouth." (" Natal Mer-
cury Pictorial," p. 767, 1906.)
Butter bush. — A variety of Euphorbia. See also Boter-
boom.
" All along these stony hillocks . . . there grow very curious
euphorbia bushes called the butter bush. If you break off a
twig a thick juice escapes, very sticky, and exactly like
newly churned butter." (" Cape Monthly Magazine," ii. p.
335, 1871.)
Butter vogeltje. — (D. vogel, a bird, fowl.) Parisoma sub-
cceruleum, a small bird which is often burdened with the
upbringing of the deserted offspring of the Golden cuckoo (q.v.).
AFEICANDEEISMS 103
Button quail. — Turnix lepurana. See Bush quail.
" This diminutive little game bird is known in Bechuana-
land and the Transvaal as the Button quail, and scarcely
exceeds four inches in length." (Distant's " A Naturalist in
the Transvaal," p. 107, 1892.)
By. — (D. bij, by, with, in.) In localities where Dutch is
prevalent this word is often used by English-speaking colonists
in the Dutch sense, e.g. to the question, " Where is your
father ? " the answer will be, " He is by the house," the mean-
ing being, " He is in the house " — " He is at home ". Cf. G.
Er ist bei mir — " He is at my house ".
By and by. — The name by which cannon are known to the
natives of Natal. It is said that inquiring in the early days
what these cannon were, they were informed that they would
learn by and by, hence the name, which seems to the native
to represent the noise of the explosion — a primitive striving
after meaning.
" They (the Zulus) are not acquainted with these mighty
engines from experience, but have heard of the artillery
practice at Pietermaritzburg, and hold them in mortal dread ;
they believe that the fearful bye and bye eats up everything."
(Shooter's " Natal," p. 112, 1857.)
" We laugh at their bai-nbai ; what are guns, big or small,
against the broad shield and devouring spears of the ever-
conquering Amazulu ? " (Mitford's " The Gun-runner," p. 212,
1893.)
Cabbage tree. — The name given in Natal to Gussonia
Thyrsifolia. See Noois boom. G. spicata and G. umbellifera
are also so called. In the Transvaal the latter is known as
Cabbage wood.
" The cabbage tree here grows very tall, without branches,
except a bunch at the top ; the thick, soft stalk when boiled
resembles our cabbage in taste." (Percival's]" Account," p. 148,
1804.)
" One of the most remarkable of the Natal trees is our only
representative of the Ivy family, and is known as the Gabbage
tree, and to the Dutch as the Noje's boom." (Chapman's
" Travels," ii. p. 447, 1868.)
Cadjang. — (M. kachang, beans ; a name applied to legu-
minous plants generally.) DoUchos sinensis, a leguminous
shrub which bears a small round pea.
" The cadjangh having fairly sprung up is perished."
104 AFEICANDEEISMS
(Eiebeeck's "Journal," 29 January, 1653; Liebrandt's
"Precis Archives C. G. Hope," Part i. p. 64, 1897.)
Calabash. — (The word is probably of Persian origin. See
New English Dictionary, in loc.) The fruit of a cucurbita-
ceous plant, the shell of which, when thoroughly dried, is
used for holding liquids.
" I also obtained a calabash, a few pounds of powder."
(Damberger's " Travels," p. 43, 1801.)
" It (the Kaffir snuff-box) usually consists of a small round
calabash." (Shooter's " Kaffirs of Natal," p. 8, 1857.)
Calabash pear. — So named from its shape.
"The large calabash pear, baked in the oven and served
with sugar 'and cream, was delicious." (Hilda's " Diary of a
Cape Housekeeper," p. 15, 1902.)
Calabash pipe. — A pipe the bowl of which is made from
the shell of a pecuUarly shaped calabash.
Calabash milk. — Sour milk which has been prepared in a
calabash. See Amasi.
" This (stamped mealies) with calabash milk forms the
staple Kaffir food." (Lownde's " Everyday Life in South
Africa," p. 87, 1900.)
Calander. — (F. calandre, a weevil ; M. Lat. calandrus,
" gryllus, cicada, circulio," Du Cange. The name was not
unknown in England two hundred years ago ; vide Bradley's
"Family Dictionary," ii. — "Preserving corn, mites, weevils,
colanders ".) Phlyctimes callosus, a small beetle which does
great damage to the vines. See Kalander.
" Vom Korn-Wurme. Die Hollander nennen sie Klandres,
sowohl auf dem Vorgebirge als in Ost-Indien." (Kolben's
" Beschreibung," p. 358, 1745.)
" The insect pest of the vineyard known by the name of
the calander, Phlyctimes callosus, has been successfully
checked at Groot Constantia by the application of a moderate
dressing of hme to the soil." (Wallace's " Farming Industries
of the Cape Colony," p. 148, 1896.)
" Sparrman the naturalist mentions the little weevils
{colandra) which are still so troublesome amongst the vines "
(Trotter's " Old Cape Colony," p. 62, 1903.)
Camdeboo. — (Hot. gam, green; ckabisip, height, elevation.
Tindall's " Vocabulary of the Namaqua-Hottentot Language,"
pp. 96 and 101.) The hilly country immediately beneath the
Sneeuwbergen, forming part of the Graaff Eeinet District.
AFEICANDEEISMS 105
" The division called Camdeboo, a Hottentot name signify-
ing green elevations, applying to the projecting buttresses
which support the Snowy Mountains and which are mostly
covered v?ith verdure." (Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 115, 1801.)
Camdeboo stinkwood. — Geltis Kraussiana, aiuseful timber
tree. See Cannibal stinkwood.
Camel. — The AngUcized Dutch name for the Giraffe
(kameel) generally employed by South African hunters.
Sometimes this grand animal is spoken of as Cameleopard,
an erroneous rendering of Camelopard, the animal, that is,
which was supposed to be part camel and part pard. One old
writer describes it as a " beaste not very often seene, yet very
tame and of a strange composition, mixed up of a libarde,
harte, buffe, and camele ". See Kameel and Giraffe.
"In an hour or two we were on fresh spoor of camel."
(Dryden's " Tales of South Africa," p. 201, 1896.)
" The Boers as soon as they became acquainted with the
tall giraffe, forthwith dubbed it in their quaint way, ' kameel '
— the camel ; and as the camel the giraffe is still known
throughout the length and breadth of the South African
hunting veldt." (Selous and Bryden's " Travel and Big
Game," p. 170, 1897.)
Camel tree or thorn. — Acacia hirtella and A. giraffes.
See Kameel doom.
" Here the new and interesting forms of some scattered
trees of Camel-thorn or Mokaala gave a most picturesque
and remarkable character to the landscape." (Burchell's
" Travels," ii. p. 292, 1824.)
" We were lying unconcerned in the shadow of the great
camel tree, when Commandant De Villiers got the report that
some burghers were hemmed in at Colenso." (Kestell's
" Through Shot and Flame," p. 26, 1903.)
Camp. — (1) A locality occupied by the tents and wagons of
gold or diamond diggers. (2) Enclosed portions of a farm.
" Pniel, by official designation, is a camp. Just a camp
it' is indeed, and one very disorderly." (Boyle's " To the
Cape for Diamonds," p. 78, 1873.)
" The camp with its troubles, its stifling heat, its fever
and its odours, all left behind, and ahead the delight of the
open plain and meandering river." ("Queenstown Free
Press," 12 February, 1884.)
Camphor hout. — (D. hout, wood.) Tarchonanthus cam-
106 AFEICANDEEISMS
phoratus ; sometimes, on account of the light colour of its
foliage, called. Vaalbosch and Wild sage.
Camp, Ostrich. — One indirect benefit conferred upon
South Africa by the ostrich feather industry, was the neces-
sity which it involved of fencing in those parts of the farms
on which the ostriches were to run ; these fenced enclosures
were called Ostrich camps.
" He purchased three birds to establish a camp at
Somerset East in 1853, but one was killed and the other
two driven away by dogs." (" Queenstown Free Press,"
25 September, 1877.)
" Ostriches of which great numbers stalked soleninly about
in their camps." (Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo," p. 221,
1889).
" Sometimes three or four large pieces vrill be divided off
for the convenience of keeping cattle or ostriches separate ;
these are not called fields, a term never heard in this part,
but camps. (Lowndes' " Everyday Life in South Africa,"
p. 90, 1900.)
Camp off a farm, To. — To make enclosures as above.
Canaan. — See Nijlstroom.
Cancer bush. — Sutherlandia frutescens, B. Br. This
plant was supposed by the Dutch to be a remedy for cancer.
Candelabra cactus. — Euphorbia grandiflora.
Candelabra flowers. — The popular name of several species
of Brunsvigia.
"Plants with large bulbs, popularly Candelabra flowers."
(Harvey's " Genera of South African Plants," p. 382, 1868.)
" Brunsvigia or candelabra flower — pinkish red, on long
pedicels, and not too many of them." ("East London Dis-
patch," p. 5, 27 May, 1910.)
Candle bush. — See Kers-bosje and Bushman's candle.
" No matter how bright the fire of candle bushes, the
scherm was lonely at night." (Scully's " Between Sun and
Sand," p. 115, 1898.)
Cane -rat. — Thryonomys swinderenianus, an animal be-
longing to the rodents, very destructive to the sugar-cane in
the Natal plantations. It is also called Ground pig and riet
muis (q.v.).
" The cane-rat or ground-rat that feeds upon the sugar-
canes is properly more of a porcupine than a rat. It is a
species of Aulacodus." (Brook's " Natal," p. 116, 1876.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 107
" There are also jackals, wild or hunting-dogs . . . cane-
rats, hares, rabbits, rock-rabbits, and field and house rats
and mice." (Eussell's " Natal," p. 34, 1891.)
Cango. — (1) Originally the name of the district. (2) The
best kind of Cape brandy, produced in the Oudtshoorn Dis-
trict, is locally known by this name.
" Two fellows had been drinking pretty freely (principally
Gango and 'Cape smoke') and became very quarrelsome."
(Browning's "Fighting and Farming in South Africa,"
p. 119, 1880.)
" Gango, I may explain, is the best kind of colonial made
brandy." (Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo," p. 84, 1889.)
Cango caves — Beautiful and extensive caves of world-wide
fame discovered in 1780. They are situated in the Zwaart-
berg range, twenty miles from Oudtshoorn ; the largest is
600 feet long, 100 feet broad, and 70 feet high. From the
roof depend splendid stalactites which are met from below by
equally fine stalagmites, like the whitest marble.. The caves
extend for more than a mile into the mountain.
"Calling in Mr. Poleman he gave me an entertaining
account of a journey he had made some time ago to a re-
markable cave in Kango, a part of the District of Zwellendam,
from whence he had brought some very singular stalactites."
(Latrobe's " Journal," p. 61, 1818.)
Cannibalism. — There appears to be no doubt that under
the stress of necessity this disgusting practice has been
adopted by one or two scattered remnants of native tribes
in South Africa, and perhaps persisted in when the necessity
had ceased ; but it has never prevailed to any great extent.
" Gannihalism in connexion with any of the South African
tribes appears to have been first observed by the Eev. T. L.
Hodgson during one of his journeys in the Bechuana country.
See his Journal under date 4 August, 1823, as contained in
his memoirs of Mrs. Hodgson." (Appleyard's "Kaffir
Grammar," p. 41, 1850.)
Cannibal stinkwood. — Celtis Kraussiana. The first part
of this name appears to be a corruption of Camdeboo (q.v.) ;
it is applied to a variety of stinkwood, the wood of which is
woolly, porous, and useless to the cabinet-maker.
" There is a variety of this wood known under the name
of the Cannibal stinkwood." (Mann's "Natal," p. 156,
1859.)
' ' What rhyme or reason, what sense of satisfaction can there
108 AFEICANDEEISMS
be in such a name as Cannibal stinkwood applied to a grace-
ful, handsome tree, whose bark gives out an aromatic though
pungent perfume ? " (Barker's "A Year's Housekeeping in
South Africa," p. 325, 1877.)
" Geltis rhamnifolia, Prest. Camdeboo stinkwood." (Wal-
lace's " Farming Industries of the Cape Colony," p. 132, 1896.)
Canteen.^ — (F.cantine; It. caniiwa, a cellar, cave.) This
word is applied very generally throughout South Africa to
public-houses ; it was probably introduced in the first place
by the military.
" So long as the coloured population are . . . demoralized in
large towns in the neighbourhood of canteens, we cannot ex-
pect much improvement in the mass." (Boyce's "Notes on
South Africa," p. 134, 1838.)
" But the inns sadly need reformation — they are in fact
little better than canteens. " (Barter's " The Dorp and the
Veld," p. 9, 1852.)
Canteen-keeper. — The proprietor of a drinking saloon.
" We would call for certificates of character from every
canteen-keeper." ("C.G.H. Literary Gazette," p. 243, 1
February, 1832.)
"The canteen-keeper sent for his boys to turn him out."
(Haggard's " Jess," p. 19, 1887.)
Cape, The. — Originally used of Cape Town and the neigh-
bourhood only, the term was soon employed to designate the
Cape Colony as a whole and indeed South Africa generally.
" Cape Town is termed The Gape by colonists." (Philip's
" Eesearches," i. p. 19 n., 1828.)
" The road from Port Elizabeth is a fair sample of those
generally travelled over at The Gape." (Nicholson's "The
Cape and its Colonists," p. 21, 1848.)
Cape badger. — Mellivora ratel. See Eatel. The name
is sometimes given to the Dassie. See Klip-das.
" The ratel (Gape badger) will attack and kill porcupines
in their earths." (" East London Dispatch," 16 August, 1907.)
Cape boys. — This designation has various significations.
(1) As employed at first it meant the men of the so-called
" bastard " class, descended from a variety of races and living
chiefly in the Western Province. (2) As employed during
the Matabele Campaign and often since, it refers to natives
of the Cape and Natal Colonies without distinction, including
Ama-Xosa and Ama-Zulu.
AFEICANDEEISMS 109
" Cape carts driven by Malays and Gape boys rattled up
and down the streets in numbers." (Couper's " Mixed
Humanity," p. 20, n.d.)
" This force was, however, augmented by about 150 Gape
boys, chiefly Amaxosa Kaffirs and Zulus." (Selous' " Sun-
shine and Storm," p. 59, 1896.)
" Bastards aus Sklaven . . . und Hottentottinnen sind die
sog. Gape boys." (Meyer's " Sprache die Buren," p. 6, 1901.)
Cape canary. — Serinus canicollis, Swain. A pretty little
songster found in large numbers in favourite haunts.
" The Gape canary is a greenish bird, with a very pretty
soft note, quite different from the piercing screech of his
terrible yellow brother in English homes." (Martin's " Home
Life on an Ostrich Farm," p. 18, 1881.)
Cape cart. — A strongly built, two- wheeled vehicle, having
a hood, and a pole instead of shafts. It is drawn by two or
more horses, and is splendidly adapted to the country and
roads.
" Do you know what a Gape cart is ? It is a peculiar
but pleasant institution, something like what was once in
England called a 'white-chapel,' on a pair of high wheels,
with a cosy leather or canvas hood, and drawn by a pair of
horses. It can hold four people easily, and can be made to
hold six." (Statham's "Blacks, Boers, and British," p. 52,
1890.)
Cape chestnut. — Galodendron capense. A beautiful in-
digenous tree.
" The Wild chestnut of the Cape colonists is not a com-
mon tree in Natal, but is occasionally met with, and unques-
tionably is one of the finest, well deserving its name for its
exquisitely pencilled, delicate pink flowers." (Chapman's
"Travels," li. p. 450, 1868.)
" It is very seldom that the Gape chestnut and the Wild
fig become altogether devoid of leaves." (" East London
Dispatch," p. 7, 12 April, 1912.)
Cape cobra. — Naia flava. See Spuug kapell and Glee
slang.
Cape cormorant. — Graculus capensis, Gray. See Duiker
and Trek duiker.
Cape cranberry. — Dovyalis rha/mnoides and D. rotundi-
folia. The fruit of a plant nearly allied to the Kei apple (q.v.).
" Besides the names given . . . Granberry is applied to
110 AFEICANDBEISMS
both." (Sim's "Forest Flora of Cape Colony," p. 132,
1907.)
Cape doctor. The. — A common name for the strong
South-easters (q.v.) which at one season of the year are very
boisterous round the South-African coast. In the eariier days
of the Colony when the Cape was used by Anglo-Indians as
a sanatorium, they were wont to term these winds the Gape
doctor and they still retain the name.
" For it is here that the celebrated South Easter . . . blows
its strongest, and the Cape doctor's strongest is no joke."
(Statham's " Blacks, Boers, and British," p. 54, 1881.)
" That rough but benevolent South-east wind, owing to
its kindly property of sweeping away the germs of disease, is
called the Gape doctor." (Martin's " Home Life on an Ostrich
Farm," p. 15, 1890.)
Cape Dutch. — "The Taal" (D. taal, language), as it is
called by the Dutch of South Africa, has for various reasons
diverged very considerably from the language which was its
main source, both in vocabulary and in grammar. Great
efforts have been made in recent years, and not without some
success, to eliminate what are deemed foreign elements and
so to restore to it some of its lost purity. See Afrikaans.
" The Dutch language as generally spoken by the bastard
Hottentots and emancipated slaves in the Colony, and by the
Bastaards and the Griquas beyond, as well as by the Dutch
themselves in the country districts, is very different from the
Dutch as used in Holland. The difference partly consists in
corrupt forms of words, in the adoption of foreign words and
misappropriation of their own, and partly in barbarous modes
of expression by which they bid defiance to all rules of gram-
mar, or, in other words, set all reputable usage at nought.
Professor Changuion of Cape Town has lately published a
Grammar at the close of which will be found ' Proeve van
Kaapsch Taaleigen,' where the peculiarities of Gape Dutch
usage are exposed." (Appleyard's "Kaffir Grammar," p.
10 n., 1850.)
Cape ebony. — Both Euclea pseudebenus and Heywoodia
lucens are so named.
Cape edelweiss. — Lanaria plumosa. So called because
of the dense coating of soft white hairs which covers its
branches and flowers.
Cape Flats. — A stretch of flat, sandy country lying between
AFEICANDEEISMS 111
Cape Town and Somerset West, which has the appearance
of having been, at no very distant period, covered by the sea.
" The Dutch denominate one part Kaapsche Duinen (Cape
Downs) and another Kaapsche Vlakte {Gape Flats)." (Bur-
chell's " Travels," i. p. 58, 1822.)
Cape gannet. — Sula capensis. See Malagas.
Cape gooseberry. — Physalis peruviana. The fruit, which
is in great request in most South African homes, is contained
in an inflated capsule. The plant, though not indigenous,
grows wild in most parts of the country. See Pampelmoose.
" The physalis {Gape gooseberry or winter cherry) is
here a most delicious fruit." (Owen's "Voyages," ii. p. 238,
1833.)
" The Gape gooseberry, which is perhaps the most delici-
ous fruit for canning and preserves that the whole world has
to show." (Wallace's "Farming Industries of the Cape
Colony," p. 172, 1896.)
Cape grasses. — See quotation.
" Several species of Bestiacece are gathered and exported
as so-called Gape grasses, i.e. Elegia, Thamnochorius, Hypo-
discus, Gannamois." (Edwards and Marloth's "Elementary
Botany for South Africa," p. 182, 1897.)
Cape hen. — The sailor's name for Majaqueus eequinocti-
alis.
"The Gape hen is a constant resident in Table Bay."
(Layard and Sharpe's " Birds of South Africa," p. 766, 1875-
84.)
Cape hemp. — Leonotus leonurus. See Dagga.
Cape honeysuckle. — Tecomara capensis, Spach. See
Orange creeper.
" In the flower beds English violets peep out beneath the
. . . flaming scarlet of the Gape honeysuckle." (Devereux's
" Side Lights on South Africa," p. 10, 1899.)
Cape jessamine. — Jasminum angulare, Vahl., and J. glau-
cum, Ait.
" The Gardenia Thunbergia or the wild Gape jessamine
being in the height of its blossom, gave out so powerful a
scent, that, in the evening, it could be felt at the distance of
several miles." (Barrow's " Travels," ii. p. 81, 1804.)
Cape lark. — Macronix capensis. See Cut-throat lark
and Kalkoentje.
Cape lilac Melia Azedarach. See Seringa.
112 APEICANDERISMS
" Melia Azedarach, Linn. . . . Bead-tree, Gape lilac, Indian
lilac," etc. (" Eeport S.A.A.A. Science," p. 274, 1904.)
"In Cassia and Gape lilac they (lenticels) extend across
the stem." (Stoneman's "Plants and their Ways in South
Africa," p. 31, 1906.)
Cape lobster. — Palinurus (Jasus) lalandii. The Cray-
fish so common in Table Bay. See Kreef.
" The Gape lobster (Cancer arctos) has no large claws
and is craggy all over." (Thunberg's " Travels," i. p. 240,
1795.)
" ' Crayfish ' or ' Kreef t ' is also plentiful all through the
summer. We also call it Gape lobster." (Hilda's " Diary
of a Cape Housekeeper," p. 47, 1912.)
Cape mahogany. — Trichilia emetica. The flowers of
this tree which open in November are strongly scented.
Cape mole — This name seems to have been applied to
two different animals, both of which are peculiar to South
Africa : they differ in several important features from the real
mole, and appear to be a connecting hnk between the mole
and the rat. They resemble the former in its subterranean
habits, but belong to the Order BodenticB. (1) The Sand-
mole, Bathyergus maritimus, is as large as a half-grown
rabbit, it burrows in the sand of the Cape Flats and similar
localities, and makes riding on the Flats a somewhat excit-
ing pastime. Its food consists of bulbs and roots. (2) The
Bles-mole, Georychus capensis, closely resembles Bathyer-
gus but is much smaller, and is a great nuisance in gardens.
The popular name refers to the white face of the animal.
" The animal is a very large kind of mole-rat and nearly
as big as a rabbit. It is peculiar to this Colony and is called
Zand moll (sand mole)." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 66,
1822.)
" Some parts of the road were so full of the burrows of
the Gape mole, Bathyergus maritimus, as to make riding
very unpleasant." (Backhouse's " Narrative," p. 132, 1844.)
" There is another kind of mole-rat peculiar to this country
. . . known by the name of the Bles moll (white-faced mole)."
(Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 57, 1822.)
" The Gape mole (Bathyergus capensis) is very common in
gardens here, and very mischievous . . . devouring great quan-
tities of bulbs and roots." (Bunbury's "Journal," p. 203,
1848.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 113
Cape mulberry.— -The mulberry grown in the Cape is an
imported tree.
" I both sent and took home specimens of the Cape or
wild mulberry, and every other variety grown in the Colony ;
and by careful comparison and investigation, those who had
been in Japan and China at once fixed upon the Cape mul-
berry as identical with the tree most prized in Japan for pro-
ducing the highest quahty of silk." ("Queenstown Free
Press," 2 January, 1871.)
Cape nightins^ale. — A humorous name for the frogs which
are so vociferous on a stormy summer evening.
" The very smell of the water and the din of the huge
frogs, Cape nightingales, as we call them, revived them."
(Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo," 1889.)
Cape of Qood Hope. — When first discovered by Bartholo-
mew Diaz, he named this Cape Cabo Tormentosa, because,
baffled by storms, he was unable to weather it ; subsequently
he doubled it without being aware of it. King John of Portu-
gal, seeing in the doubhng of the Cape the promise of a new
route to the wealthy orient changed the name to Cabo de
Bona Esperanza — Cape of Good Hope.
" The name of the Cape itself reveals the spirit of hopeful
enterprise which enabled the Portuguese to achieve-so much."
(Taylor's "Words and Places," p. 23, 1878.)
Cape parson. — (Estrelata macroptera. The dark plumage
of this bird has suggested this name to the sailors.
Cape partridge. — 'Francolinus Africanus, Steph. South
Africa possesses neither a true partridge nor a true pheasant
among its birds.
" In the Cape Colony the two best-known species are the
Cape redwing {Francolifms levaillam,ti) and the greywing
or Cape partridge (F. Africanus)." (Haagner and Ivy's
" Sketches of South African Birds," p. 125, 1908.)
Cape Peninsula. — That part of South Africa connected
with the mainland by the sandy flats which run from Table
Bay to False Bay — the Cape of Good Hope proper.
Cape people.— The coloured people of mixed blood in the
Western Province of the Cape Colony are thus designated.
" Cape people . . . who look like negroes, but are a
mixture of Dutch, Hottentots, and Bushmen." (Ealph's
" Towards Pretoria," p. 58, 1900.)
Cape pheasant. — The two birds most commonly so called
8
114 AFEICANDBEISMS
are Pternistes Swainsoni and P. nudicollis. The name is
sometimes given to other birds.
"There are two genera of'Prancolins . . . Francolimis,
Pternistes. To the former belong the ' partridges ' and to
the latter the ' pheasants '." (Haagner and Ivy's " Sketches
of South African Bird Life," p. 125, 1908.)
Cape pig:eons. — Daption cwpensis. The name which this
bird bears in the neighbourhood of Cape Town.
" On the 19th of May we saw for the first time the birds
called Gape pigeons." (Stavorinus' " Voyages," ii. p. 30,
1798.)
" Th(3 merry little Gape pigeon now visits the ship in
large flocks, and crowds astern in hopes of finding food."
(Drayton's " Tales of the Outspan," p. 31, 1862.)
Cape plane. — Ochna atropurpurea, known in the Eastern
Province as the Silverbark (q.v.). Dutch name Boodehout
(q.v.) ; also Ochna arhorea.
Cape robin. — Gossypha caffra, a bird that resembles the
English robin somewhat, but is without the red breast.
" The so-called Gape robin — Bessonorius phcenicurus,
one could almost reckon upon finding about the gardens or in
the thickets by the river, and its song at eventide was an
acceptable echo of the popular home bird." (" Scientific
African," p. 87, 1896.)
Cape saffron. — Sutera atropurpurea, Hiern. The flowers
are used to make a yellow dye. See Geelbloemetjes.
" L. crocea is called Gape saffron." (Stoneman's " Plants
and their Ways in South Africa," p. 260, 1906.)
Cape salmon. — (1) At the Cape this name is applied to
Otolithus cequidens, Guv. See Geelbek. (2) On the east
coast — Port Elizabeth, East London, etc., Elops saurus is
thus designated. (3) In Natal and by deep-sea fishermen
Scicena aquila is so called. See Kabeljauw.
" Under this name the ' Geelbek ' has been eulogized.
Dr. Pappe says, ' the flesh is dry, but fit for salting, it forms
food for the poor and lazy '. Why call it the Gape salmon?"
(" Science Gossip," p. 64, 1865.)
" Our Gape salmon {Elops saurus) must not be confounded
with the geelbek or yellow-mouth (Otolithus cequidens)."
("East London Dispatch," 14 August, 1905.)
" The Kabeljauw (ScicBna aquila) is sometimes called
Cape salmon by the deep-sea fishermen." (Ibid.)
AFKICANDEEISMS 115
Cape sheep. — A parti-coloured, lop-eared animal, with a
large proportion of rough, wiry, brown hair among its wool ;
the broad flat tail, which consists almost entirely of pure,
sweet fat, weighs ordinarily from 6 to 15 lb., but frequently
even the latter weight is considerably exceeded. It has been
suggested that this breed is a modified or crossed variety of
the Siberian goat or " Mouflon " of Asia.
" The sheep which the savages breed in the Eastern parts
are of a species known under the name of the Gape sheep.
They have acquired considerable reputation from the size of
their tails ; but this has been greatly exaggerated, their ordin-
ary weight is not above 4 or 5 lb." (Le Vaillant's " Travels,"
II. p. 80, 1796.)
" The native sheep is in high favour with the butcher,
who will buy a mixed flock of Gape sheep . . . and merinos
when he would not look at a flock of the latter by themselves."
(Wallace's " Farming Industries of the Cape Colony," p. 331,
1896.)
Cape sheep. — Diomedia exulans. The name given by
sailors to the Great albatross.
" Another sea bird found round the coast of Africa is the
splendid wandering Albatross, sometimes called the Great
albatross, and more familiarly known to sailors by the curious
designation of the Gape sheep." (Bryden's " Animals of
Africa," p. 119, 1900.)
Cape smoke. — A brandy manufactured in nearly all the
vine-growing districts of the Colony.
' ' Already in imagination were they revelling in the luxuries
of Gape smoke or brandy and sheep-tail fat." (Methuen's
" Life in the Wilderness," p. 250, 1848.)
" White brandy which is sold under the name of Gape
smoke. This abomination ... is a poison calculated to burn
the inside of a rhinoceros." (Hutchinson's "In Tents in the
Transvaal," p. 169, 1879.)
Cape sumach. — See Bergbast and Pruimbast.
" The experiments in the propagation of Gape sumach have
been continued, not, I regret to say, with much success."
(Sim's " Forest Flora of Cape Colony," p. 304, 1907.)
Cape teak. — Strychnos A therstonei.
Cape tulip. — Homeria collina is known by this name in
the Western Province.
" I introduce this plant, the Morcea Gollina, Thhg. (which
116 AFEICANDBEISMS
is known to almost every child in the Colony as the Capi
tulip)." (Pappe's " Florae Capensis Medicse Prodromus," p
37, 1868.)
Cape trumpet flowers. — Tecomara capensis, Spach. The
name refers to the shape of the blossoms. See Cape honey-
suckle.
" Here I first saw in blossom that beautiful scarlet-flowerec
climber the Gape trumpet flower {Tecoma capensis) which is
very abundant in bushy places in Caffraria." (Backhouse's
" Narrative," p. 261,1844.)
" Here also is a beautiful climber bearing scarlet flowers,
called the Gape trumpet flower {Tecoma capensis)." (T,
Smith, " Wes. Meth. Magazine," p. 61, 1849.)
Cape Willow. — Salix capensis, growing upon the banks ol
rivers and streams in all parts of the Colony.
Carbonatje. — (Sp. carbonado ; D. karbonade, flesh roasted
on the coals.) Thin slices of meat roasted on a pointed stick
or a fork, and, as prepared by the Dutch housewife, a dish for
an epicure.
" Our Hottentot cooks having some broiled mutton carbon-
aadtjes (chops or steaks) it was not long before supper was
finished." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 229, 1822.)
Cardinal pecker. — Dendropicus cardinalis.
" The Gardinal woodpecker {Dendropicus cardinalis) is
the commonest and most widely distributed of the South
African woodpeckers." (Haagner and Ivy's "Sketches of
South African Bird Life," p. 34, 1908.)
Carpenter. — This word seems to be a corruption of
Kaapenaar ; Dentex argyroxona is so called in East London.
See Kaapenaar and Silver fish.
Carpenter bees. — Xylocopa sicheli drills long galleries
into dry wood which it divides into cells.
Carrion flowers — The flowers of the genus Stapelia are
so called because of the fetid odour which some of them ex-
hafe ; so much does it resemble that of carrion that carrion-
loving insects often deposit their eggs upon them.
Carrot fern. — Asplenium rutcefolium, Kze.
Cartel. — See Katel.
Catawba grape. — An American name given in Natal to a
variety of grape having a peculiar strawberry-like flavour.
" Several species of American grape vine are in cultivation,
one of them known here as the Catawba is really the
AFEICANDBEISMS 117
'Isabella,' of which there are many varieties." (Wood's
" Handbook to the Flora of Natal," p. 33, 1907.)
Caterpillar catchers. — Gampophaga hartlauhi is so named
in Natal, caterpillars being its favourite food.
" This family of birds is sometimes called Caterpillar
catchers." (Woodward's "Natal Birds," p. 10, 1899.)
Catfish. — (1) In the neighbourhood of the Cape Octopus
vulgaris is thus designated. (2) Glarais Gariepinus, a mud-
loving, fresh-water fish of the Siluridce family is also so called.
This latter is also known as the Plattekop, Devil fish, etc.
(3) At East London the name is given to Galeichthys feliceps.
See Barbel.
" The gentlemen of our party lighted upon a most horrible
creature called a catfish, but which ought more properly to
have been named ' a sea devil ' if there be such a thing — as
it was all arms and legs, and huge goggle-eyed head." (" Cape
Monthly Magazine," ii. p. 135, 1871.)
" There is another strange, mud-loving fish which swarms
in many of the larger South African rivers. I mean the
Catfish, one of a class of fish known to naturalists as Silu-
roids." (Bryden's "Animals of South Africa," p. 196,
1900.)
" Ayres found a two-pound Catfish (Clarias) in the
stomach of one individual." (Stark and Slater's " Birds of
South Africa," iv. p. 57, 1906.)
Cat's eye. — A curiously marked stone found in large
numbers at the Vaal Eiver diggings. The valuable stone
found in Ceylon, and named by the Portuguese Olho de gato,
of which Cat's eye is a translation, was so named because
of its glowing internal reflections and greenish grey colour ;
the Vaal Eiver stone seems to have been so called because of
the peculiar circular markings which characterize it.
" This substance (CrocidoHte) has been by some minera-
logists considered as alhed to that which is called Cat's eye."
(Burchell's "Travels," i. p. 334 n., 1822.) (Burchell refers
to the Ceylon stone.)
" Chrysoberyl is quite abundant for so rare a stone. The
prevailing variety is yellow, but the opalescent (precious)
cat's eye . . . also occurs." ("Eeport S.A.A.A. Science," p.
291, 1907.)
Cat's meat. — See Bobbetjes.
Cat's thorn. — See Kat doom.
118 AFEICANDEEISMS
"A species of creeper called cat's thorn." (Latrobe's
" Journal," p. 101, 1818.)
C.C. — These letters stand for Cape Colony and also for
Civil Commissioner.
The 0.0. of Oaledon sent to disperse
This horde of banditti, a small Burgher force.
(Hudson's "Features in South African Frontier Life," p. 96,
1852.)
Cedarboom.^ — Callitris arborea, Schrad. These trees are
practically confined in South Africa to the mountains of the
Clanwilliam District, known in consequence as the Cedarberg ;
the name is, however, incorrectly applied, the true cedars,
of which there are three species, belonging to the genus
Cedrus.
Ceded territory. — Immediately after the attack of the
Amaxosa Kaffirs upon Grahamstown in 1819, a large force of
British troops entered Kaffir territory to punish this daring
inroad into the Colony. Having defeated the Kaffirs, the
country from the Keiskamma to the Great Fish Eiver was
made a neutral zone, between the Kaffirs and the Colony.
This tract of country was then, and for some years after,
known as the Ceded territory.
" It has sometimes been designated ' neutral,' at other
times ceded territory, and by the Acting Governor (Sir
Eufane Shaw Donkin) ' newly acquired territory '." (Kay's
"Caffrarian Eesearches," p. 494, 1833.)
" Of this tract a considerable portion, extending from the
Fish Eiver to the Keiskamma, and formerly known by the
name of the Ceded territory, has by proclamation by the
Governor, Sir Harry Smith, been recently annexed to the
Colony." (T. Smith's " Sketches," " Wes. Meth. Magazine,"
p. 58, 1849.)
Cess or Ciss. — (CD. sis or sies.) An expression of disgust
in common use, occasionally elaborated into " pooh-ga-ciss ".
" I have lost more cattle from the attacks of hyenas than
I have from lions or leopards, and as to sheep, cess, I've had
nearly a whole flock worried by them." (Drayson's " Tales
of the Outspan," p. 67, 1862.)
Ceylon pumpkin. — A large, oval-shaped pumpkin with
orange-coloured flesh. The Kaffir name, u Solontsi, is a cor-
ruption of Ceylon.
AFEICANDEEISMS 119
Ceylon rose — Nerium Oleander. The Natal name of
this pretty flowering shrub.
" The streets (of Graaff Eeinet) are spacious, intersecting
at right angles. Many of them are planted on each side with
lemon trees interspersed with acacia and oleander or the
Ceylon rose." (Iron's "Settler's Guide to the Cape of Good
Hope and Natal," p. 96, 1858.)
" I find that the Ceylon rose is, as I suspected, the other
poison with which the Damaras tip their arrows in war."
(Chapman's "Travels," ii. p. 15, 1868.)
Chad or Shad. — The East London name of Temnodon
saltator. See Blft.
Chains, The. — That portion of Simmonds Street, Johan-
nesburg, which is closed to vehicular traffic, and reserved for
the operations of stock and mining speculations.
Chaka. — A merciless savage of great ability, under whom
the originally small Zulu tribe became a dreaded power. At
the height of his power he had an army of 100,000 warriors.
He was murdered at Dukuza in 1828 by Dingaan and
Mahlangana his brothers. No more sanguinary monster has
stained the page of history.
" So fell TshaJca ... in sanguinary executions and in
refined cruelties, he outstripped all who have gone before him
in any country in the world. He was a monster, a compound
of vice and ferocity, without one virtue, except that of valour,
to redeem his name from the infamy to which history has
assigned it." (Hoodie's "Battles of Southern Africa," i. p.
406, 1888.)
Chamsgeslacht. — (D. Cham, Biblical pr. name. Ham ;
geslacht, race, generation.) An opprobrious term applied to
Malays and coloured people.
Chandelier lily. — Brunsvigia gigantea. Heist.
" We noticed here a gigantic species of a plant from its
singular form . . . called the Chandelier. ... Its root is a
bulb." (Latrobe's "Journal," p. 165, 1818.)
" A grand family of plants — the Amaryllidacece — of which
our Chandelier lily {Brunsvigia Josephince) is an example."
("Cape Monthly Magazine," in. p. 122, 1871.)
Chandelier plant. — A species of Euphorbia.
" We . . . crossed a tract of land covered with aloes, called
likewise the chandelier plant." ("Scenes, etc., in Albany
and Cafferland," p. 4, 1827.)
120 AFEICANDEEISMS
Chap. — See Tjap.
Charm sticks. — Part of the equipment of the Kaffir witch
doctor. See also Dolossi.
" Umlangeni's flight was ... so precipitate that many
of his charm sticks had been left behind." (Grodlonton's
" Kaffir War," 1850-1851, p. 356, 1852.)
China spider. — I have not been able to identify this
spider.
" The gaily painted China spider (?), as it is commonly
called in South Africa, is another example of deceptive colour."
("Trans. S. A. Philosophical Soc, i. ii. p. 41, 1879.)
Chinkering ching. — Ornithogalum thyrsoides. The
popular name of this plant in the Western Province. The
name is supposed to represent a somewhat peculiar sound
produced by rubbing two flower-stalks lightly one upon the
other. See Viooltjes. The plant is now known to be poison-
ous to horses.
" Tinterinties is a name given to a species of Ornithogalum,
with a white flower, from the sound it produced when two
stalks of it were rubbed together." (Thunberg's " Travels,"
I. p. 153, 1795.)
" The Ghinkerinchee, Chincher-and-ching , ' Viooltjes,'
as that beautiful white flowering bulb, the Ornithogalum
thyrsoides, is variously called in South Africa, occurs over a
wide area. The flower heads are now known to be a deadly
poison when eaten by horses." ("C.G.H. Agric. Journal,"
p. 6, July, 1904.)
Chok. — Aquila rapax, also called the Coo vogel (q.v.).
Chook. — The name given in the neighbourhood of King
William's Town to several varieties of weaver-bird ; e.g.
Hyphantornis olivaceous, etc.
Chor-chor. — Pristipona bennettii. The name is onoma-
topoetic and refers to the curious noise which the fish makes
when taken from the water. It is also known by several
other names : Grunter, Varkje, Oortje, and in Natal as the
Eock grunter.
Chowrie. — (Hind, chauhri.) The tuft of hair at the end
of the tail of an ox, fastened to a handle and used as a fly-
flapper.
" These tails sell very high and are used mounted on
silver handles for chowras or brushes, to chace away the flies."
(Stavorinus' " Voyages," iii. p. 179 n., 1798.)
AFEICANDBEISMS 121
" It was necessary to wave a chowrie in front of one's face
to keep the swarms of flies ata distance." (Brigg's " Sunny
Fountains and Golden Sands," p. 214, 1888.)
Christ=thorn. — The popular name of Euphorbia splendens,
an exceedingly thorny plant, the bright red flowers of which
are supposed to resemble drops of blood. It is an introduced
plant.
Christmas bee or beetle. — The various Gicadm, which
fill the air with deafening shrillness about Christmas time,
are so called in some localities.
" The Christmas bee or cicada is another familiar insect
of which only the male has the power of ' song ' ; and it must
be confessed he is exceedingly persistent in the exhibition of
his accomplishment, for a noisier insect it would be hard
to find." ("Bast London Dispatch," p. 7, 16 February,
1912.)
Christinas bush. — Pavetta caffra is known by this name.
Christmas rose. — Helleborus niger.
" In the Christmas rose leaves and leaflets take the place
of ovaries and ovules." (Stoneman's "Plants and their
Ways in South Africa," p. 117, 1906.)
Christmas tree. — Pavetta lanceolata, Eck. (1) This
shrub blooms in pure white about Christmas time. (2) The
name is also given in the Eastern Province to a plant of the
order Sapindacece Aitonia capensis, its various coloured,
lantern-like fruits and narrow evergreen leaves suggesting
the name.
Chutney. — (Hind, chatnl.) A strong, hot relish, origin-
ally brought from India.
Cinnamon dove. — Harplopelia larvata. See Lemon dove.
" The Cinnamon dove ... is an inhabitant of the forests
of the Cape ranging from Knysna to Natal, and the Trans-
vaal." (Haagner and Ivy's " Sketches of South African Bird
Life," p. 114, 1908.)
City of the Saints. — A nickname given in early days to
Grahamstown.
" I hope we may find more catholicity of sentiment pre-
vailing than what I have been led to expect in that so-called
City of the Saints." (" Cape Monthly Magazine," iir. p. 88,
1871.)
Civet Icat. — Viverra civetta.
" As to . . . the African civet cat, I much doubt if it be
122 AFEICANDBEISMS
to be found at the Cape of Good Hope." (Sparmann's
"Voyage," i. p. 151, 1785.)
Claim. — At Kimberley a i " claim " was a piece of diamond-
iferous ground measuring thirty feet each way "claimed" by
those who "pegged it off".
" Thirty feet square was and is the measure of a claim,
and not more than two claims could be held by one person."
(Boyle's " To the Cape for Diamonds," p. 87, 1873.)
Clap. — (D. hlap, a slap, snap.) The term applied to the
noise made by a whip, or by a bullet when it hits the mark.
" As the drivers clap their long whips and the teams . . .
move briskly over the way, all eyes are upon them." (Silver's
" Handbook to South Africa," p. 225, 1876.)
" The bullet clapped loudly, and I saw her stagger, but
recovering immediately she went on." (Selous' "Wander-
ings," p. 232, 1895.)
Clapart leeuwerk or Bartailed lark. — (D. leeuweriJc, a
lark ; cf. Scotch laverock and Chaucer's laverokkes, " Eomaunt
of the Eose," 1. 662.) Mirafra apiata.
Clapper. — (D. Mapper, a coconut; M. Kelapa, Klapa.)
The fruit of Strychnos pungens and 8. spinosa, called
also Wooden orange (q.v.).
" We had a capital lunch from some wild fruit about three
times the size of an orange, called a clapper. It has a hard
shell outside, which one must batter against a tree to crack
or break." (Baldwin's "African Hunting," p. 187, 1890.)
Clapper. — The name given to Grotalaria Burkeana in
the neighbourhood of Graaff Eeinet, the seed-pods of which
make a rattling sound when shaken by the wind. See
Stiefziekte bosje.
Clapper bill. — Anastomus lamelligerus. See the African
Open-bill.
"Now flit past a number of those very remarkable birds
aptly termed clapper bills (Anastomus lamelligerus). " (Schil-
hng's "With Flashlight and Eifle," i. p. 75, 1906.)
Click beetle. — Various species of the Elateridce are so
named because of the curious click which they make when
jumping.
" The giants of these click beetles range from Abyssinia
to Port St. John in the Cape Colony." (" Science in Africa,"
p. 167, 1905.)
Clicks, Kaffir. — These curious sounds do not appear to
APEICANDEEISMS 123
have belonged to the Kaffir language originally, but to have
been acquired from the Hottentot tribes with whom the
Kaffirs had intercourse. Among the Kaffirs the clicks em-
ployed are three in number : viz. (1) The C or dental click.
(2) The Q or palatal click. (3) The X or lateral click.
Kronlein, in his " Wortschatz der Khoi-Khoin," says that the
Namaqua Hottentots have a fourth click, which he calls the
cerebral, being produced far back in the throat.
" One peculiarity of their language is so singular that it
has not failed to attract the attention of all travellers. Most
of their (the Hottentots) words are pronounced with a
smack or clucking sound, produced by the quick retrac-
tion of the tongue from the teeth of the upper jaw, or from
the palate against which it had been pressed. Words of
more than one syllable are accompanied or divided and
rendered special and emphatic in their application by two
clucks, and these accents, if we may so term them, are sounded
in three different ways as the word or subject requires, by
striking the point of the tongue more or less backward
against the palate." (Philip's " Eesearches," i. p. 15, 1828.)
" The dialect now spoken by the frontier Kaffirs partakes,
to a certain extent, of the Hottentot cluck, a peculiarity not
to be found among the tribes further back." (Pringle's
" Narrative," p. 93, 1840.)
Clingstone. — A term applied to peaches, etc., when the
flesh of the fruit is closely attached to the stone. See Taaipit.
Clompje. — See Klompje.
" His neighbours, however, were continually losing
small and large clompjes of sheep." (" Queenstown Free
Press," 19 February, 1884.)
Clover, Boer. — Medicago nigra, called also Dutch or
Cape clover ; it has a single flower.
Clover bur. — Medicago denticulata. The bur adheres to
the wool of sheep and detracts considerably from its value.
Clover, Stink. — Melilotus officinalis has a spray of flowers
and a purplish stripe up the centre of the leaf.
Cluster pine. — Pinu? pinaster, an exotic tree which has
become naturalized on the Cape Peninsula.
C.M.R.— See F.A.M.P.
Coach. — The vehicle, sufficiently described in the quota-
tion, by which travellers who were in a hurry found their
way to the diamond fields in the early days.
124 AFEICANDEEISMS
" Packed up our kits and in the afternoon embarked . . .
in the coach for Bulawayo. The coach is a regular
Buffalo Bill, Wild West, Deadwood affair, hung by huge
leather springs on a heavy, strong-built under-carriage,
drawn by ten mules. Our baggage and three soldier ser-
vants on the roof ; two coloured drivers (one to the reins, the
other to the whip). Inside are four transverse seats, each
to hold three, thus making twelve ' insides '." (Baden
Powell's " Matabeleland Campaign," 1896, p. 12, 1897.)
Coal.— The word is commonly used in the Colony in the
Bible sense; "having a live coal in his hand," Is. vi. 6.
A glowing wood cinder ; a meaning which has become
archaic in the English of the homeland.
" The coffee is the most delicious you ever tasted in your
life, the roostekoeks too that have been roasting on the
coals." (Hick's " The Cape as I Found It," p. 170, 1900.)
Coalwood. — Lachnostylis capensis.
Coast pheasant or partridge. — Francolinus natalensis is
so called in Natal. See Namaqua pheasant.
" Francolinus natalensis is the Coast partridge of Natal
or ' Namaqua pheasant ' of the Transvaal." (Gilchrist's
" South African Zoology," p. 255, 1911.)
Cob or Mealie cob. — The rachis on which the mealies
grow and from which they have to be " stripped ".
' ' Two odoriferous Fingoes sat . . . round a heap of
cohs, hammering away at it with, kerries." (King's " Cam-
paigning in Kaf&rland," p. 202, 1865.)
"A man wishing to have some mealies for seed, applied
to his neighbour who had obtained a supply just before, but
found he had planted the whole without knocking it off the
cohs." (Dugmore's " Eeminiscences," p. 16, 1872.)
Cockscomb. — A fine mountain of the Winterhoek range
in the District of Uitenhage ; rising to a height of 5400 feet,
it is sighted by mariners from the East a long way at sea.
At one time it was known as the ' Grenadier's Cap ' (q.v.).
" The sailors call it the Cockscomb mountain, a name
which gives a good idea of its outline." (Bunbury's
"Journal," p. 127, 1848.)
" The Cock's Comb, seen on the road to Hankey, is
about 6000 or 7000 feet high, and is one of the highest
points in the range." (Freeman's " Tour," p. 52, 1851.)
Coffee blight — Hamelia vastatrix. This blight destroyed
AFEICANDEEISMS 125
the whole of the coffee plantations in Natal and effectually
ruined a most promising industry.
" Coffee was grown successfully for a time near Durban.
The cause of the breakdown of the industry was twofold.
First the appearance of the hlight known as Hamelia
vastatrix. Second the impetus given to tea growing."
(McNab's " On Veldt and Farm," p. 305, 1897.)
Coffee palm. — Phoenix recUnata, Jacq. So called because
the Settlers (q.v.) roasted and ground the seeds and used it
as coffee.
" Phoenix reclinata,Jacq., locally known as the Wild palm
or Wild coffee." (Sim's "Forest Flora of Cape Colony," p.
341, 1907.)
Colley. — This name, which in England (Somerset) is
given to the blackbird, is occasionally used in South Africa
of the Muis-vogel (q.v.).
" We got here plenty of birds ... as colley s with bluish
plumage, crests, and long tails." (Alexander's " Expedition, "
I. p. 182, 1888.)
"It is not unlike a gigantic Goly ; it also climbs and flies
like the colies, which it strongly resembles in its general
habits." (Anderson's "Birds of Damaraland," p. 204,
1872.)
Colonial. — A word often used in South Africa for
"colonist".
"There are said to have been 70,000 Europeans and
Colonials in Natal, mostly the former." (Indicus' "Labour,
etc., in South Africa," p. 52, 1903.)
Colour, To find or get. — To find at the bottom of the pan
in which soil, supposed to be gold bearing, has been washed,
a slight streak of the precious metal.
" Finding the colour in several places, but . . . unable
to prosecute any researches to a successful issue." (Baine's
"Gold Kegions of South-East Africa," p. 124, 1877.)
" When a miner sees this yellow streak, he exclaims that
he has got colour." ("Adventures in Mashonaland," p. 168,
1893.)
Coloured people. — ^The people of mixed African and
European blood, chiefly resident in the Western Province, are
thus designated. They are most of them descendants of the
old slaves.
" The hunters and wagon-drivers . . . generally half-breeds,
126 AFEICANDEEISMS
who are known by the distinctive title of coloured people, in
differentiation from the natives up country." (Schulz and
Hammond's "New Africa," p. 15, 1897.)
Colour span. — A span of oxen the individuals of which are
of the same colour or markings.
"Many farmers possess colour spans, but in that district
there was not such a perfectly marked and symmetrical
colour span as Gert Potgieters." (Watkin's "From Farm
to Forum," p. 20, 1906.)
Comb duck. — Sarcidromis melanonota. See Knobbilled
duck.
Comberse. — (D. Jcombaars, a coverlet, rug ; the word has
the same derivation as the English word " Compress ".) A
blanket, rug. The sun is sometimes spoken of as " De arm
mens sij combers " — the poor man's blanket.
" The bed's . . . clothing consisted of ... a felt comberse
or quilt sewn up in a sheet of cotton print and apparently
never washed." (Lucas' "Life and Sport in South Africa," p.
137, 1878.)
Come and I'll kiss you. — A name occasionally given in
Natal to the well-known Wacht en bietje thorn (q.v.). It
appears to be the literal rendering of the Zulu name.
"Then there was the cachis with spikes three inches in
length, and the Gome and I'll kiss you, a bush armed
with almost equally formidable thorns." (Kingston's " Hen-
dricks the Hunter," p. 5, 1894.)
" The natives sometimes call a thorn bush which Europeans
name ' Wait-a-bit,' by the expressive name, " Come and I'll
kiss you." (Kidd's "The Essential Kaffir," p. 37, 1904.)
Comitje. — (D. kdm, a bowl, basin.) A small basin.
" The meal usually consisted of kid's flesh . . . little com-
mitjies, or bowls of milk, being placed by the side of each
person." (Lucas' " Life and Sport in South Africa," p. 136,
1871.)
Comitjes. — (D. kom, a bowl, basin.) The basin-like de-
pressions in the veld, which in some places are very numerous.
This seems to be the origin of the names Committees Drift
and Committees Flats.
" Colonel Smith's force was distributed into three divi-
sions . . the left under Colonel England at Gommatty's
Drift." (Alexander's " Western Africa," ii. p. 8, 1840.)
" Passing the Debe Nek we came upon a plain full of
AFEICANDBEISMS 127
strange holes like large basins, hence this plain is called
Commatje Flats." (Ibid. p. 74.)
" The road crosses the Gommitje (Anglic^, bason) Flat, so
called from being dotted in every part by little circular hollows
varying from 1 foot to 4 feet in diameter and from a few
inches to 2 feet in depth." (Godlonton's " Kaffir War,
1851," p. 97, 1852.)
Commandant. — (D. kommandant, commander.) As usu-
ally employed in South Africa, the Commandant is the leader
of a Commando (q.v.), or the military governor of a town or
district.
" Commandant Opperman reports on the insubordination
of the inhabitants." (Sutherland's " South African Tribes,"
I. p. 68, 1845.)
Commandeer, To. — (CD.) To compel men to military
service ; to seize for military purposes such articles as may
be required, with or without compensation.
" The night previously the Boers had commandeered the
natives and compelled them to fight." (" The Times," 1 Feb-
ruary, 1881.)
" The offices of one of the gold-mining companies were
similarly commandeered and assigned to us as offices." (Baden
Powell's " Matabeleland Campaign," 1896, p. 26, 1897.)
Commando. — An armed force raised by levying upon the
men available in a given district, for the repression of native
raidings, the recovery of stolen property, the pursuit and
punishment of marauders. The word is now used with a
considerable degree of laxity.
" The master himself was at this time absent on Commando,
or mihtia service against the Caffers in the Zuurveld." (Bur-
chell's " Travels," ii. p. Ill, 1824.)
Commando Tax. — A tax established in the Cape Colony
by Government Proclamation, 4 December, 1812, " for the
maintenance of a corps for the defence of the frontier ".
" The pay of the military body, an expense which the
whole Colony had to meet in the shape of a Commando Tax,
without any return whatever." (" C.G.H. Literary Gazette,"
III. p. 181, 1833.)
Commando vogel. — ^dicnoemus capensis, or Stone plover,
more commonly known as the Dikkop (q.v.). Why it
is called the Commando vogel I have been unable to as-
certain.
128 AFEICANDBEISMS
Compass Berg. — The highest mountain in the Cape
Colony, being 7800 feet high. It is situated in the Graaff
Eeinet Division and forms part of the Sneeuwberg range.
It is still often spoken of in the neighbourhood by its earlier
name, " Spitzkop ".
"The Compass Mountain which Governor Plettenberg
ascended in 1778. The name by which it is known at pre-
sent was then given because with the assistance of the map
the whole country may be reconnoitred from it." (Lichten-
stein's "Travels," ii. p. 18, 1814.)
" This is called by the colonists Spitzkop (the Peak) . . .
it has been in latter years very unnecessarily re-named Gom-
pasberg." (Burchell's " Travels," ii. p. 124, 1824.)
Compound. — (Yule andBurnell — "Anglo-Indian Glossary "
— make out a strong case for the Malay origin of this word :
kampong, kam/pung, rendered by Crawford " an enclosure,
a space fenced in, a village, a quarter or a subdivision of
a town ".) In South Africa this term is applied to enclosures
within which the labourers in the diamond mines at Kim-
berley are confined ; they are arranged in the form of a square,
a row of wooden huts running along each side, with a large
open space in the middle. The whole is covered over with
fine wire netting to prevent the " boys " employed within
throwing diamonds over to friends outside.
" Most of them dwell in the southern and western suburbs
which are called the Chinese campon." (Stavarinus' "Voy-
ages," I. p. 263, 1798.)
" The men sign articles to remain in these compounds for
a certain period, usually six months, and are not allowed to
leave for any cause till the time has expired." (Cook's
" Mission Tour," p. 25, 1893.)
Compound system. — The requirements of the labourers
confined in the compounds are met within the compound,
provisions being made for the supply of all necessaries, even
to hospital and church accommodation ; no intoxicating
liquors are allowed, and the result is that many of the labourers
have very substantial sums of money to receive at the expir-
ation of their articles. Thfe system works advantageously
both for employers and employed.
" The Compound system saved the mines from the clutches
of the illicit diamond buyers." (" The Empire," 11 December,
1897.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 129
Concertina fish. — A fish belonging to the genus Drepane
is so named in Natal on account of its curiously telescopic
lips.
" The fish portrayed this week is locally known as the
Concertina fish. ("Natal Pictorial Mercury," p. 141, 1906.)
"I think it likely 'John Dory' has discovered a fish new
to science in the Concertina fish." (" East London Dispatch,"
26 June, 1906.)
Cong^ella. — (Z. um Kangela, a place for beholding.) This
name, which refers to the view obtained from this point across
the Bay, is given to a suburb of Durban, Natal. It was the
site of the Boer camp when, under Andries Pretorius, they
opposed the occupation of Natal by British troops under
Captain Smith in 1842.
"We passed through a smaU village belonging to the
Dutch called Kongela, but there seemed to be very few in-
habitants in it, as they were all out in the country." (Letter
signed Joseph Brown, Bugler Twenty-seventh Eegiment,
given in Chase's "Eeprint of Natal Papers," ii. pp. 207-212.
The letter bears date 12 May, 1842.)
Cookies. — (D. hoek, a cake, gingerbread. ) A common name
applied to comestibles as varied as the lightest and sweetest
production of the professional pastry-cook and the dough cake
roasted on the coals of a wood fire at the wayside outspan.
In Scotland this word is applied to a sort of fine bread.
" Cookies or unleavened cakes of coarse meal, baked on
the grid-iron." (Barter's " The Dorp and the Veld," p. 107,
1862.)
"I sat down to his simple fare after raking the cookie
from the fire-place, whence it came baking hot, with wood
cinders embedded in its steaming crust." (G-lanville's " Tales
from the Veld," p. 61, 1897.)
Coolie. — As used in Cape Dutch this word is applied to
coloured porters and labourers and not to Hindu or Chinese
labourers exclusively.
" ' Wat is bier te doen ? ' vraag hy an een van die koelies
wat daar staan kyk." (" Catharina die Dogter van die Advokat
deur Klaas Waarsegger, Jr.," I, Cap.)
Coolie Christmas. — The curious designation given in
Natal to the ceremonies observed by the Indian immigrants,
known in India as the " Mohurrum ".
"The Coolie Christmas celebration at Umgeni (Natal)
9
130 AFEICANDEBISMS
last Monday ended in a serious riot." (" Graaff Eeinet Ad-
vertiser," 2 May, 1902.)
" The festivities in connexion vyith the Hindoo's festival
Mohurrum, knov^n locally as the Coolie Christmas, com-
mences to-night" — Durban telegram. ("Bast London Dis-
patch," 18 March, 1905.)
Coolieing, To go. — To hawk vegetables, etc.
Coo vogel. — Aquila rapax. The Tawny eagle.
"The Senegal eagle, coo vogel of the Boers {Aquila
senegalla), was another familiar eagle with us." (Bryden's
"Kloof and Karoo," p. 150, 1889.)
Copper fish. — At East London Cantha/rus emarginatus
is so named.
"The much rarer copper fish is of a coppery colour . . .
and has a bright blue iris round the pupil of the eye." ("East
London Dispatch," 7 August, 1905.)
Coral creeper. — The name given in the neighbourhood of
Port Elizabeth to Microloma tenuifolium.
Coral snake. — Aspidelaps lubricus, a beautiful red and
black banded snake.
Coringa. — An inferior cigar at one time imported largely
from India into Natal. It probably derives its name from the
seaport so named.
Corkwood or Cork-tree. — Commiphora Harveyi and
C. carycefolia are both known by this name, which refers
to the lightness of the wood of these two trees. In Natal
Erythrina tomentosa, B. Br., a handsome tree, with large
woolly leaves, is known by this name.
" The Kaffir-boom and the Cork-tree {Commiphora) are
the most conspicuous of our deciduous trees." (" East London
Dispatch," p. 7, 12 April, 1912.)
Corn boer. — An insect of the locust tribe which is
common in the corn lands is thus designated by the Hottentot
farm labourers.
"During the time of supper a large reptile (!) of the
locust kind was creeping up the inside of the tent ; it is called
by farmers and Hottentots the corn boer because it is most
frequently seen among com at the time of harvest."
(CampbeU's " Travels," i. p. 14, 1822.)
Cornland crow. — The Natal name of Heterocorax
capensis.
" As this bird is very partial to cultivated ground it is
AFEICANDEEISMS 131
often called the Gornland crow." (Woodward's " Birds of
Natal," p. 1, 1899.)
Com pit. — A deep hole (isisele) is often made by the
Kaffirs in the middle of their cattle kraals, somewhat in the
shape of a large jar, having a narrow neck and a small open-
ing. Into this, for safe keeping, they put their mealies and
corn ; the top is then secured against the intrusion of damp,
and the whole is hidden by the accumulations of the
kraal.
" At this time not a beast was to be seen in the deserted
kraals. In the corn pits were also to be seen scores of
human skulls. The author of this state of things we after-
wards learnt to be Moselekatse." (Eev. J. Edwards' " Ee-
miniscences," p. 56, 1883.)
Cotton plant. — See Wild cotton.
Crab eaters. — Halcyon albiventris has received this name
in Natal. See Brown kingfisher and Bush kingfisher.
" This bird ... is very fond of crabs, from which it, as
well as its congeners, are called crab eaters." (Woodward's
" Natal Birds," p. 93, 1899.)
Crab's eyes. — Abrus precatorius, L. A creeper growing
in the Zoutpansberg with small red and black seeds.
Crackers. — Trousers of prepared sheep-skin, largely used
in the early days by the settlers, and so named because of
the cracking noise which they made at every move of the
wearer.
" Old Crackers alias leather breeches." (" C.G.H. Liter-
ary Gazette," p. 238, 2 September, 1833.)
" You, General Juana . . . would laugh to see our motley
group, with every costume of a mean kind which can be
imagined . . . the 72nd 's men with crackers, their pipe-clayed
belts left behind." (" Autobiography of Sir Harry Smith,"
II. p. 348. Letter dated 5 April, 1845.)
Cradle. — An instrument devised in the early days of the
diamond industry for washing and sorting the stones.
" To dig them up, to carry them in buckets to the river
and there wash them in cradles of varied ingenuity is the
rough work of 'wet diamond digging'." (Boyle's "The
Savage Life," p. 13, 1876.)
Cradock bricks. — A not uncomplimentary nickname ap-
plied to the men of the town and district of Cradock.
" The welcome apparition of the Cradock bricks suddenly
9 *
132 AFEIOANDEEISMS
dashing to their aid . . . turned despondency into triumph."
(Dugmore's " Eeminiscences," p. 44, 1871.)
Crape -flowers. — An Eastern Province name for the beauti-
ful Nerines — Ord. Amaryllidacem.
" The beautiful pink Nerines or Crape-flowers that are
such a treat to look upon when the rays of the setting sun
get amongst them." (" East London Dispatch," p. 6, 18 Octo-
ber, 1912.)
Crassula. — In Cape Town this name is very commonly
but erroneously applied to Bochea coccinea, D.G., a beautiful
crimson flowered crassulaceous plant found on the top of
Table Mountain.
Crayfish. — See Cape lobster.
"A species of bray fish (? crayfish) and different sorts of
crabs are plentiful and tolerably good." (Barrow's " Travels,"
I. p. 31, 1801.)
Cream of tartar tree. — Adansonia digitata. This tree
is sometimes called the " Monkey bread tree " and the " Cala-
bash baobab tree ". The fruit has a grateful acid flavour.
See Baobab.
" The tree is also called the Cream of tartar tree."
(Anderson's " Twenty-five Years in a Wagon," i. p. 230, 1887.)
"We measured a tree called Cream of tartar 61 feet
round the bole ; but there are many very much larger."
(Baldwin's " African Hunting," p. 295, 1894.)
Crethi en Plethi, — (Heb. ''n'15 {Erethi), from JT^I
{Karath), to cut down, to exterminate ; and T'!??' {Plethi),
from n^S (Palath) to fly, be swift. The Crethi and Plethi
were the king's body-guard, literally the executioners and
couriers. (See 1 Kings i. 38-44.) The phrase is occasionally
employed in ordinary speech by the Dutch of South Africa,
as it is employed in Germany, with the meaning of ol ■n-oWoi,
Jan en zijn Maat, the tag-rag and bob-tail.
" Kreti und Pleti nennt sie die ubrigen Einwohner, sie
sollte doch auch bedenken, was sie selbst f ruber gewesen ist."
(Konig's "Eine Miethkaserne," p. 28.)
Crocidolite. — (Grk. /c/so/w'?, the nap on woollen cloth;
\l,do<;, a stone.) There are two varieties of this stone
found in South Africa, the one bluish in colour, sometimes
called " blue asbestos " (see Doeksteen) ; the other and more
common, a golden brown. The latter is often used for pur-
AFEIOANDEEISMS 133
poses of ornament. In the quotation from Burchell the stone
is accurately described by this great naturalist, though not
mentioned by this name.
"A beautiful kind of stone is found sometimes of a blue
and sometimes of a silky golden colour. . . . It is a species
of asbestos in a less mature and flaxen state, with compact
fibres of a flinty hardness, either transverse or obhque, straight
or wavy. . . . When cut and polished this stone exhibits a
very beautiful appearance." (BurcheU's " Travels," i. p. 334,
1822.)
" A cross made of South African gold mounted in croci-
dolite and ivory." (« The Cathohc Press," 7 April, 1888.)
Crocodile. — Grocodilus niloticus. These animals are of
frequent occurrence in the rivers of Natal ; they seem to differ
from the alligator in the formation of the mouth. The
canine teeth in the jaw of the true crocodile pass into a
notch in the upper jaw, while those of the alligator have no
such arrangement.
Crombec. — (D. krom, crooked, curved ; Early Eng. crumb,
crooked ; bek, beak, bill.) Le Vaillant's name for Sylvietta
rufescens, which has a long curved bill.
" The Crombec (Sylvietta rufescens), known to the Boers
as the Stomp-stertje (stump-tail)." (Haagner and Ivy's
" Sketches of South African Bird Life," p. 80, 1908.)
Cross snake. — I have not been able to ascertain what
snake this is.
" The Eev. G. H. R Fisk exhibited a snake caught near the
Black Eiver, probably a young specimen of the Cross snake."
(" Trans. S.A. Phil. Soc," Vol. v. Part ii. p. vi, 1893.)
Crownberry. — The East London name for the fruit of
Bovyalis rhamnoides. See Cape cranberry.
" Besides the names given . . . Crownberry is in use at
East London and may have originated in the crown-like
calyx of D. rhamnoides." (Sim's "Forest Flora of Cape
Colony," p. 132, 1907.)
Crown duiker. — Graculus africanus, Gray. See Long-
tailed cormorant.
Crowned crane. — See Kaffir crane and Mahem.
Crow, To. — (Hot. gora, to dig.) A corruption of the
Hottentot word. It refers to the mode of digging holes em-
ployed by the Damaras. They take a pointed stick in their
right hand, pierce the ground with it, clearing away the
134 AFBICANDEEISMS
broken soil with their left hand, and having to " crow " holes
for house-building, for water, roots, etc., in this primitive
fashion, they become very expert at it.
" This method of digging is called in the Dutch patois crow-
ing the ground ; thus crow water means water that you have
to crow for, and not an open well or spring. (G-alton's " Tropi-
cal South Africa," p. 79, 1853.)
" The Damara wife costs her husband nothing for her
keep, because she crows her own ground nuts." (Wood's
" UnciviHzed Eaces," i. p. 318, 1878.)
" She takes ... a sharp pointed stick, garnished at the
top with a piece of soft stone, with this last implement she
can the more easily crow up their dinner." (Bryden's " Tales
of South Africa," p. 47, 1896.)
Crow water. — Apparently a corruption of gora water
(q.v.). See quotation above.
Curfew bell. — In not a few South African towns a bell
is rung at 9 o'clock at night, after which no native is allowed
about the streets unless provided with a proper "pass".
This bell is generally known as the Curfew hell.
" The Curfew bell was not brought into operation until . . .
a year or two later." (Eussell's " Old Durban," p. 495, 1899.)
Curly curly. — Another name for the Jig-a-jig (q.v.).
Cut one's stick, To. — A slang expression meaning to run
away, to sneak off.
" I seed the sun shine on the curve of his body as he
turned to come down, and I cut my stick." (Glanville's
" Tales from the Veld," p. 278, 1897.)
Cut-throat lark. — Macronix capensis. (1) The throat of
this bird is a bright, orange red, which contrasts somewhat
strikingly with the other colours of the bird — hence the name
which it bears amongst the English colonists. By the Dutch
the bird is known as the Kalkoentje (q.v.). See also Cape lark.
(2) In Natal Macronix croceus is thus designated.
"This handsome pipit which is called the Cut-throat
lark by the Bnghah colonists, ' Kalkoentje ' by the Dutch,
is common throughout all the open country of the Colony."
(Layard and Sharpe's " Birds of South Africa," p. 630, 1875-
84.)
Cut- worm. — Caterpillars of a species^of Agrotis (Noctucs),
so called because of their habit of cutting off young plants at
the surface of the ground. See Mest-wurm.
AFEICANDERISMS 135
"The cut-worm or grub is often very troublesome to
cabbage and tobacco plants, biting them off just above the
ground." ("Queenstown Daily Eepresentative," p. 6, 22
October, 1908.)
Daba grass. — (Kaf. i Dobo, general term for long coarse
grass.) In the native territories the tough, flag-like grass
used by the natives as thatch for their huts is so called.
" Talking of graves, what about those brave fellov^s who
fell at Gwadana and the one at Fort Bowker ? They have
lain there for the last quarter of a century friendless and un-
cared for with the rank daba grass flourishing over them."
(" Bast London Dispatch," 23 August, 1904.)
" When the sun went down there doubtless rang out the
familiar call that brought the family once more together to
sleep, perhaps, amongst the rustling dobbo grass." (" Bast
London Dispatch," p. 6, 18 October, 1912.)
Dabby bushes. — ("Da6a-Aeis, the dabee tree." Tindall's
" Namaqua-Hottentot Grammar and Vocabulary " ; " Daweb,
subst. Dawebusch cypressenart, schlechtes Holz, liebt salzigen
Boden." Kronlein's " Wortschatz der Khoi-Khoin".) Tama-
rix articulata.
" We arrived at the water at Dubbie Knabies, the place of
dubbie or tamarisk trees." (Alexander's " Expedition," i. p.
202, 1838.)
" Bushes (Dabby bushes I have always heard them
called) not unlike fennel but from 8 to 13 feet high, grow
plentifully." (Galton's "Tropical South Africa," p. 17,
1853.)
" According to Eck. and Zey., the Hottentots call this plant
Daweep and the Boers ' Abiquas-geelhout '." (" Flora
Capensis," Vol. i. p. 120, 1859-60.)
Dagbreker. — (D. dag, day ; brehen, to break.) Emar-
ginata sinuata. This name is also given in some districts
to Saxicola/amiliaris. See Spekvreter.
" This bird is called the dagbreker by the Boers (mean-
ing daybreaker), a name which is, however, also applied to
the Familiar chat in some districts." (Haagner and Ivy's
" Sketches of South African Bird Life," p. 20, 1908.)
Dageraad. — (D. dageraad, dawn, daybreak.) Pagrus
laticeps. The striking colours exhibited by this fish seem to
have evoked a flash of poetic imagination that contrasts strik-
ingly vfith the matter-of-fact character of most of the names
136 AEEICANDEEISMS
given to South African fish. This word is sometimes cor-
rupted into Daggerhead, Daggerheart, etc.
"Pagrus laniarius, Guv. and Val. (Dageraad). Front
higher than in Chrysophrys." (Fleming's " Southern Africa,"
p. 477, 1856.)
Dagga. — (Hot. dachab, wild hemp.) Cannabis sativa, or
Egyptian hasheesh. A powerful narcotic, " the leaves, flowers,
and young seeds of which are used by the slaves and Hotten-
tots as a succedaneum for tobacco," Barrow. This name
seems to have been applied by the Hottentots to plants also
totally different from the common hemp. Eed or wild dagga,
Leonotis leonurus, is used by them and by the Fingoes and
other natives as a remedy for snake-bite, and is so called both
because the leaves resemble those of hemp, and because when
smoked they are so powerful as to produce intoxication. Klip
dagga, Leonotis ovala, is another species of the same genus
and also used as a remedy for snake-bite.
" Am gewissesten, weiss ich dass der Dacha sich beraus-
chet, und zuweilen, wie toll und rasend macht." (Kolben's
" Beschreibung," p. 139, 1745.)
"Bucku (diosma) and wild dacka {Phlomis leonurus)
which are known both by the colonists and the Hottentots to
be as efficacious as they are common." (Sparrman's "Voy-
ages," I. p. 145, 1785.)
" The people wished for tobacco and dacca (the leaves of
hemp)." (Le Vaillant's " Travels," in. p. 267, 1796.)
" It (Ginnyris chalybeus) is specially attracted by the red
dagga or ' Mfincafincane ' of the Kaffirs, with whose scarlet
flowers its own breast exactly corresponds." ("East London
Dispatch," p. 9, 28 June, 1912.)
Dagga sack. — (D. zaJc, a bag, pocket.) A bag or skin-
pouch in which dagga is carried.
" A shot from a lurking Kaffir passed through his dacha
sack at the saddle-bow." (Godlonton's "Kaffir War, 1850-
51," p. 806, 1852.)
Daggerhead or Daggerheart — See Dageraad.
" I think this fish was probably what is known as dagger-
head (Pagrus laniarius)." (" East London Dispatch," 3 July,
1906.)
Dagher. — (Kaf. u Daka, mud, mortar.) Mud often mixed
with blood and cow-dung and worked up into a sort of mortar ;
it is largely used for flooring, plastering, bricklaying, etc.
AFEICANDEEISMS 137
" Kaffir women smear the walls and floors with dargha
(dried manure)." (Prichard's " Friends and Foes in the
Transkei," p. 282, 1880.)
" The houses were built of dagga (mud), brick, and cor-
rugated iron." (Brown's " South African Frontier," p. 63,
1899.)
Dagher, To. — To apply dagher to floors or walls.
" We had heard at Kimberlejithat daghering and ' smear-
ing' would be essential parts of our work." ("Adventures
in Mashonaland by Two Nurses," p. 32, 1893.)
Dak. — (D. dale, a roof ; CD. a thatched roof. Of. Bng.
thatch.) In Cape Dutch this word approximates in meaning
to the English word " thatch ". A dakhuis is a thatched house,
a dakdekker is a thatcher or tiler.
Dam. — An artificial reservoir; the water accumulated in
a banked-up depression is called a " dam," the word being used
of the depression and its contents rather than of the bank of
earth which dams it (which in South Africa is known as a
" wal " or " dam-wal "). Most South African farms are largely
dependent upon such dams for watering the stock and irrigat-
ing lands.
" The remedy for this is not the excavation of dams, the
digging of wells, or the formation of tanks, but the construc-
tion of a railway." (" The Queenstown Free Press," 1 June,
1859.)
" The dam I shall often have need to mention, it is the
most indispensable feature of a farm." (Boyle's " To the
Cape for Diamonds," p. 21, 1873.)
" Its long, thatched dwelling house looked homely and com-
fortable, with its adjacent orchard, its corn-fields, and its large
dam or pond, lively with waterfowl, near at hand." (Eobin-
son's " Life Time in South Africa," p. 173, 1900.)
" Dam and dam which in Holland and England are em-
bankments, here denote a pool or reservoir, and ' wal ' takes
the place of the Dutch 'dam'." ("Northern News," 30
August, 1912.)
Damara. — The people of the Bantu race occupying the
territory on the south-west coast of Africa to the North of
Great Namaqualand. They are a purely pastoral people,
though before contact vpith Europeans they had developed
some skill in extracting and working the copper from the rich
ore with which their country abounds, working it into
138 AFEICANDEEISMS
rings and beads for purposes of barter with neighbouring
tribes.
" Damara is not the native national epithet of the people
who bear that name, but one which has been borrowed from
the Namaquas. It properly signifies ' two Damara women,'
and appears therefore to have been adopted in some incidental
manner, when the object of the travellers' inquiries happened
to be two women. Da/map is the Namaqua term for a male
Damara, of which Damaka is the dual masculine, Damara
the dual feminine, Damaku the plural masculine, and Damana
the plural common." (Appleyard's " Kaffir Grammar," p. 29
a, 1850.)
Damba. — The fish known at East London and elsewhere
as the Galjeon (q.v.) is known on the Transkei coast by this
name.
" The fish, with the exception of a nice black-tail or two,
were all dambas." (" East London Dispatch," 6 February,
1906.)
Oammetjes. — Small banks made across a road at a slight
angle, to turn storm water into the veld.
Dam-wal. — (D. dam, a dam, bank; wal, a wall, bank.)
See Dam.
Dance, Kaffir. — Dances among the Kaffirs are of frequent
occurrence, they generally take place at or near the full moon,
and are often prolonged to a late hour. The dancing is not
of a character to commend itself to Europeans — " the perfec-
tion of the art or science consists in their being able to put
every part of their body in motion at the same time. . . . Some
motions are odd, others repulsive, and others pleasing," Holden.
Only the men dance, the women sing and clap their hands,
this being the only music on such occasions. There is a
women's dance known as urn Bululu, which is best left un-
described.
" The Kaffir dance bears little resemblance to that of the
English amusement of that name. The motion of the feet
is altogether different." (Shooter's " Kaffirs of Natal," p. 234,
1857.)
Dane. — In Natal the fish Ghrysophrys dentatus is so
named.
" While their catches include no very large fish, they got
a fine variety. Among other sorts I noticed . . . Danes,
Daggerheads." (" Natal Mercury Pictorial," p. 719, 1906.)
AFKICANDEEISMS 139
Danebol or Dennebol. — (D. den, a fir tree ; Cf. G. Tannen,
D. hoi, ball, crown, bulb.) A fir cone.
" She sat down upon the bank and began to break up a
dennebol between two stones." ("The State," ii. p. 768,
1909.)
Daneboom or Denneboom The fir tree.
Dan en wan. — (G. dann und wann, now and then.) This
expression as used in the Colony has the exact German sense,
and was most likely introduced by the German servants of
the Dutch Bast India Company.
Oanj^er Point. — The scene — a little to the east of Cape
Hangklip, False Bay — of the loss of the " Birkenhead " on
26 February, 1852.
Danki. — (D. dank je or dank u, thank you.) This word
is used in declining an offer, as " Assebbef " (q.v.) is employed
when accepting.
"In the Dutch language danken signifies a direct refusal,
but not being aware of this, I interpreted it in the very re-
verse sense, as meaning ' If you please '. As often, therefore,
as I repeated the ominous word so often had I the mortifica-
tion of seeing the smoking dishes pass by me." (Andersson's
" Lake Ngami," p. 264, 1867.)
Dan's cabbage. — The Natal name for the Eagwort, Senecio
latifolia (q.v.).
" The plant commonly known as the ragwort (or, in Natal,
as Dan's cabbage) Senecio latifolia." {" S. A. Agric. Journal,"
p. 3, July, 1912.)
Darter. — Anhinga rufa. See Snake bird.
" Layard and Dr. Stark found the Darter (as this 'bird is
also called) breeding on the Berg Eiver in the Cape Colony."
(Haagner and Ivy's "Sketches of South African Bird Life,"
p. 143, 1908.)
Das adder. — (D. das, a badger.) Varanus alhigularis.
Wand. Not very common in the Colony. See Legavaan.
"It is in all probability the animal which is called the
das adder by the colonists, and which is so much dreaded
under an idea of its being extremely poisonous." (Smith's
" Eeptiles," Plate 2, 1849.)
Dasje. — Sargus cervinus. See Zebra and Wilde-paard.
" The biggest I caught on these rocks was a fine dasje
(black-tail) weighing 7^ lbs." (" Bast London Dispatch," 6
March, 1906.)
140 AFBICANDEEISMS
Dassen Island. — (CD. dassie, the rock-rabbit.) An island
on the west coast of Cape Colony.
Dassie. — (D. das, a badger.) Procavia cwpensis. There
are three species of this family — Hyracoidea — in South Africa,
of which this is the most numerous. These animals are near
relations of the " conies " of the Old Testament Scriptures.
Cuvier says : " that excepting the horns, they are little else
than rhinoceroses in miniature ".
" Great numbers of those little animals which are de-
scribed by M. Pallas by the name of Cavia capensis, and by
the colonists are called dassies or badgers." (Sparrman's
"Voyage," I. p. 305, 1785.)
"We got a shot at a curious little animal, with a pointed
nose, called by the Boers das, and supposed to be the coney
of Scripture." (Barter's " The Dorp and the Veld," p. 95,
1852.)
Dassiespis. — The unpoetical name given by the Dutch to
a substance common near the haunts of the dassie and sup-
posed to be the urine of that animal. Dr. Pappe's note, which
I quote in extenso, is interesting : " I subjoin to the above
enumeration of medical plants a remedy derived from the
animal kingdom, one which, if tried properly, will in all prob-
abihty become an article of commerce. I allude to the
Hyraceum, much valued by many farmers and well known
amongst them by the rather harsh name of Dassiespis.
Thunberg and other travellers mistook it for a kind of
bitumen ; but it is in fact the secretion of a quadruped which
is common throughout the Colony, and that lives gregariously
on the rocky summits of mountains, viz. the Klip das or
Hyrax capensis. It is worthy of note that this production
has baffled the researches of eminent zoologists, who have
failed, from even minute dissection, in discovering any specific
secretory organs, from which the matter could be derived.
It may be asserted, however, that the Hyraceum is produced
by the uropoietical system of the animal just named, and in
order to explain this seeming anomaly it must be observed
that the Hyrax drinks very seldom, if ever. Its urine, like
that of the hare, is not thin and Hmpid as in other quadru-
peds, but thick and of a glutinous nature. From a peculiar
instinct these animals are in the habit of secreting the urine
always at one spot, where its watery parts evaporate in the
sun, while its more tenacious portions stick to the rock and
AFEICANDEEISMS 141
harden in the air. The fresh urine of the Hyrax is of a
reddish tint, and this has given rise to the opinion of those
who took this for a kind of menstrual secretion. . . . Amongst
the farmers a solution of this substance is highly spoken of
as an antispasmodic in hysterics, epilepsy, convulsions of
children, St. Vitus' dance, in short in spasmodic affections of
every kind." ("Florae Oapensis Medicae Prodromus," L.
Pappe, M.D., 3rd ed., pp. 46-7, 1868.)
"Here they showed me a kind of bitumen which the
country people were pleased to call dasses-p ; supposing
it to be the inspissated urine of the great mountain rat (cavia
capensis) that is found there. I was informed that this bitu-
men was to be found in great abundance in the cracks and
crevices of the mountain, especially at one large projecting
krants or summit. The bitumen was very impure, and known
to the country people on account of its great use in fractures."
(Thunberg's " Travels," i. p. 166, 1795.)
"Der ofi&cinell bekannte {hyrax capensis) Klippendachs
liefert sein Praparat ftir die Apotheke, und Gulo MeUivorus
(Honingdachs) sein schonesFell fur den Kiirschner." (Kranz's
" Siid-Afrika," p. 183, 1880.)
Dassie vanger. — (D. vangen, to catch.) Helotarsus ecau-
datus. This fine black eagle is also known as the Berghaan
(q.v.).
" Suddenly starting as if from space, comes soaring above
us a great black mountain eagle. We know him at once for
a Berghaan (cock of the mountain) or Dassie vanger (coney
eater)." (Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo," p. 273, 1889.)
Davidjes. — Cissampelos capensis, Thun. A decoction of
the roots of this plant is used by Kaffir herb-doctors and also
by the Dutch as an emetic and purgative in cases of snake-
bite, while a paste of the leaves is applied to the wound.
Davidjes wortel. — (D. wortel, a root, carrot.) Zehneria
scabra, Sond. The resinous root of this plant is an old Hot-
tentot remedy for skin diseases, etc.
" Persi. — Dawetjes wortels op brandewyn getrek." (Dijk-
man's " Kook, Koek en Eesepten Boek," p. 133, 1898.)
Debris The mining term for the refuse from which the
gold or diamonds have been extracted. See Tailings.
" The heaps of debris (that is the tailings), which gener-
ated the light, grey dust that rose in clouds upon the slightest
breeze." (Couper's " Mixed Humanity," p. 254, n.d.)
142 AFEICANDEEISMS
Delagfoa Bay. — (P. De la Goa.) See Algoa Bay.
" The white town of which Aaron had heard, must be a
Portuguese settlement near the mouth of some river on the
Mozambique coast, or at De la Goa Bay." (Campbell's
" Travels," ii. p. 359, 1822.)
Dengue fever. — (According to Dr. Christie, " Glasgow
Medical Journal," September, 1881 — Dengue is a Swaheli
word, the full name of the disease in Zanzibar being Ka dinga
pepo ; Ka, partitive article, " a kind of " ; dinga, dyenga,
denga, " sudden cramp-Hke seizure " ; pepo, " evil spirit,
plague ". On its introduction into the West Indies in 1827,
the name was, in Cuba, popularly identified with the Spanish
word dengue, " fastidiousness, prudery ". In this form it
passed to the United States, and subsequently into general
Bnghsh use.) An infectious, eruptive fever prevalent at
certain seasons in Natal and on the Indian Ocean coasts
generally.
" A description of low fever, knovrai as the dengue is some-
times prevalent in the summer season." (Atcherley's " Trip
to Boerland," p. 17, 1879.)
" Three epidemics of dengue are reported as having oc-
curred within the eastern hemisphere, the first during the
years 1779-84, the second 1823-29, and the third from 1870
to 1875." (Dr. Christie, " Glasgow Medical Journal," Sep-
tember, 1881.)
Dennebol. — See Danebol.
Devil. — The lesser whirlwinds accompanied by sand and
dust, with which the traveller in the karoo or veld is certain
sooner or later to make acquaintance, are so termed. They
generally cover but a small area, yet within " the sphere of
their influence " they are at times very destructive.
" Stand to the tent ! A Devil with its roaring pillar of
dust and leaves comes tearing by." (Baden Powell's "Cam-
paigning in Matabeleland," 1896, p. 284, 1897.)
" Every now and then there is a whirlwind, which is called
here a devil ; it meanders about and gathers up all within
its reach — tents and even tin houses." (Warren's " On the
Veldt in the Seventies," p. 367, 1902.)
Devil-fish. — (1) Octopus vulgaris. (2) Lophius upsice-
phalus. (3) A species of enormous ray — Myliobatidce — occa-
sionally caught off the coast.
" Judging from the abundance of their remains ... the
AFEICANDEEISMS 143
devil-fish or octopus must be plentiful off the coast." (Eus-
sell's " Natal," p. 37, 1891.)
" The Fishing-frog or Angler of European seas is repre-
sented in South African waters by a closely allied form
(Lophius upsicephalus) and is known in several places in the
Colony as the Paddy, and in others as the Devil-fish." (Gil-
christ's "History of the Local Names of Cape Pishes,"
"Trans. S.A. Phil. Soc," p. 219, 1902.)
" It is said by the fishermen that this fish has been in the
vicinity where it was captured for the last five years, and it is
believed to be of great age. . . . Authorities state its nomen-
clature as the eagle-ray, or sea-devil, and it is sometimes called
the devilfish." (" East London Dispatch," 29 July, 1907.)
Devil's Peak. — A mountain to the left of Cape Town, con-
nected with Table Mountain by what is known as the Saddle.
This designation is a literal rendering of the Dutch Duivel's
Kop. By the Bnghsh it was called at first Charles Mountain ;
the older Dutch name, however, prevailed. I can find no
support for Scully's assertion — see quotation. See also Wind
berg.
" Der Wind — oder Teufels-Berg, ist von dem Lowen-
Berge durch eine Abhange unterschieden." (Kolben's " Bes-
chreibung," p. 210.)
" He crossed the high neck which connects the eminence
known as ' the Devil's Peak ' with Table Mountain. This
name used then to cause great scandal to the Dutch colon-
ists— the term being an unconscious perversion by the Eng-
lish of the original name of ' Duiven's ' or ' Dove's Peak '."
(Scully's " A Vendetta of the Desert," p. 92, 1898.)
Deyil's snuff=box. — A fungus growing to the size of a
cricket-ball, when old it is full of powder. See Ou' meid's
snuif.
Dhoby. — (Hind, dhobi, a washerman.) This Hindoo word
is often used in Natal of the Hindoo washer- and laundry-man.
Diamond fields. — The locality which has since proved so
rich in diamonds and which is now known as Kimberley.
" Hintza was also with Sir Harry Smith, a sort of prisoner
at large, and in the particular charge of Captain Southey (now
Lieut.-Governor of the Diamond Fields)." (Bisset's " Sport
and War in Africa," p. 23, 1875.)
Didric. — Cuculus cupreus. An onomatopoetic name for
this bird, which is also known as the Golden cuckoo (q.v.).
144 AFEICANDEEISMS
" The green golden cuckoo of the Cape . . . perched on
the top of large trees, it continually repeats and with a varied
modulation, these syllables di-di-didric, as distinctly as I have
written them, for this reason I have named it the didric."
(Le Vaillant's " Travels," i. p. 328, 1796.)
Dikbekje. — (D. dik, thick; bek, a beak, bill.) A species
of Gobius. See Dikkopje.
Dik-bek seisje. — (D. dik, thick ; hek, beak, bill ; sijsje, a
linnet.) Serinus albigularis. See Berg seisje.
Dik-dik. — Madoqua damarensis. A variety of buck little
known, found in German South-West Africa.
" Later on I shot a dik-dik, a pretty little buck but little
bigger than a hare. There were thousands of these diminutive
animals to be seen amongst the lava-rocks a little way from
the banks of the Guaso. They appear to have habits some-
what akin to those of the klipspringer, and have a very simi-
lar ' hedgehog ' coat." (" The State," p. 30, July, 1912.)
Dikkop. — (D. dik, thick ; kop, head.) Mdicnemus
capensis. A Dutch name for the Stone plover, a fine bird
about 15 inches long, with a span of wing of nearly 2 feet.
" One or two of the bustard tribe are also found here and
are called the diccop, coran, and pouw." (Drayson's " Sporting
Scenes," p. 17, 1858.)
" The Dikkop (a Dutch name meaning 'thickhead') is a
small kind of bustard." (Martin's ' ' Home Life on an Ostrich
Farm," p. 32, 1890.)
Dikkop. — A form of horse-sickness. See Blauwtong.
" One of whose horses was standing apart, suffering from
the Dikkop form of horse-sickness." (Baine's "Gold
Eegions of South-Bast Africa," p. 75, 1877.)
Dikkop. — A term of reproach meaning numskull, block-
head.
Dikkopje. — A species of Gobius. See Dikbekje.
Dikkop knorhaan. — (D. dik, thick ; kop, a heaid ; knorren,
to scold; haan, a cock.) Otis vigor si.
Dikkop, To play. — To try to deceive as the plovers do by
feigning to have a broken wing, when one approaches their
eggs or young.
" They're playing dikkop . . . the dikkop drops his wing
and shams hurt to lead you off." (Glanville's " The Diamond
Seekers," p. 116, 1903.)
Dingaan. — (Kaf. * Dinga, promise ; dim, Dingana.) A
AFEICANDEEISMS 145
brother and one of the murderers of the Zulu King Chaka
(q.v.), succeeding him as King. He was the author of the
Boer massacres at Weenen and Moord Spruit in 1838.
"After a long conversation in the open air in which it
was recommended that I should remain until their sovereign
Dingarn had been apprised of my arrival, we were shown to
our huts, which were larger and neater than any I had yet
seen." (Gardiner's " Journey," p. 27, 1836.)
Dingaan apricot. — A Natal name for the Kei apple (q.v.).
"The Kei apple or Dingaan's apricot, invaluable for
forming thorny fences and yielding a pleasant fruit." (Chap-
man's " Travels," ii. p. 449, 1868.)
" The Dingaan apricot or Kaw apple, is the fruit of a
species of ebony tree." (Eussell's " Natal," p. 31, 1891.)
Dingaan's Day. — The 16th of December, the day on which
Andries Pretorius and his brave farmers avenged the treachery
and broke the power of this blood-thirsty tyrant. Observed
annually by the Dutch ever since, the day has now been
proclaimed a pubhc holiday throughout the South African
Union.
" It was owing to that defeat of the Zulus on Dingaan's
Bay that Natal only became colonizable. " (Statham's
" Blacks, Boers, and British," p. 106, 1881.)
Dinges. — (D. ding, a thing.) Thing, almost universal in
its application, things animate and inanimate in Dutch-speak-
ing districts are all of them dinges if the speaker fails to
recall their names.
" Lord ! you don't say so ? Where d'ye find the animile ? "
" Animal, Mr. Pike ? " " The dingus — the gentleman who
lumbers round in space." "Oh! a citizen of the world?"
(Fossicker's "Kloof Yarns," "The Empire," 27 August,
1898.)
Dip, To. — Sheep and Angora goats are dipped in various
solutions to cleanse them from certain parasites which destroy
the fleece. Oxen are dipped to free them from ticks.
" Sheep have to be dipped three times a year. Now a
special Scab Act makes dipping compulsory, and special
officers under Government must travel about to see it is done."
(Hilda's " Diary of a Cape Housekeeper," p. 5, 1902.)
Dispens or Spens. — (L. dispendere, to distribute.) The
cupboard or pantry in which the household stores are kept
and from which they are dispensed. The word is in common
10
146 AFEIOANDEEISMS
use in Cape Dutch. Compare Chaucer's " All vinolent
as hotel in the spence " (Somner's Tale).
Disselboom. — (D. dissel, a pole, shaft ; boom, tree, pole.)
The pole of a wagon or other vehicle, by which it is hauled.
" Hottentots rushing to and fro urging them (the oxen)
with unearthly shouts, leaping on and off the disselboom, or
pole, with frantic energy." (Barter's " The Dorp and the
Veld," p. 50, 1852.)
Divers. — The cormorant is so called in Natal. See Duiker.
" I notice a number of those ugly, useless, and predaceous
birds known as divers in the Bay." ("Natal Mercury
Pictorial," p. 703, 1906.)
Divide. — A term adopted from America meaning a water-
shed.
" The high plateau or ridge which runs north-east roughly
from Buluwayo to Manicaland, forming a great divide or
watershed." (Tangye's " New South Africa," p. 174, 1896.)
Doctor, The. — See Cape doctor and South-easter.
" The South-easter, from blowing all pestilent vapours and
effluvia out to sea, and purifying the streets and avenues by
their overpowering currents of air, has obtained the local
epithet of the Doctor." (Fleming's " Southern Africa," p. 62,
1856.)
Doctor, Kaffir.— -Sometimes called " Witch doctor ". The
men so designated by Europeans are of two classes : (1)
doctors of medicine, and (2) doctors of divination. The
former (i Nyanga (Zulu) — yohwe la/pa, (Xosa) — yamayeza)
simply practise, after a very primitive fashion, the healing
art ; the latter (i Nyanga yokubula), who ranks higher than
the former, having passed through that stage, professes to
perform dark and mysterious functions. The practices of
both alike are based more upon the superstition and fearful-
ness of the people than upon skill in medicine (though some
have a wonderful knowledge of herbs and roots) or ability as
diviners.
" Doctors are not entitled to fees, except a cure is performed,
or the patient relieved." (" Compendium of Kaffir Laws and
Customs," p. 123, 1858.)
Doctor, To. — To prepare the warriors, by certain " medi-
cines " and incantations, for war ; the process being supposed
to render the warrior invincible and invulnerable.
" Here also the finest medicines are concocted, and the
AFEICANDBEISMS 147
King is doctored by the war doctor." (Wood's " Through
Matabeleland," p. 45, 1893.)
" He promises that any warrior, doctored by his charm,
is proof against the British bullets, which on his hide will
turn to water." (Baden Powell's " Matabeleland Campaign,"
1896, p. 135, 1897.)
Doek. — (D. doek, a cloth ; cf. G. Tuch.) A dish-clout ; a
handkerchief worn on the head.
" Gaily dressed in startling cottons, with gaudy douhs or
bandanas on their woolly heads." (King's " Campaigning in
Africa," p. 19, 1855.)
Ooeksteen. — (D. doek, a cloth ; steen, a stone.) The by
no means inappropriate Dutch name for the Blue crocidolite.
"We had a little boy named Dookstens (or Asbestos)
travelling with us." (Campbell's " Travels," p. 272, 1815.)
" The Doeksteen is a kind of asbestos of a blue colour."
(Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 333, 1822.)
" The blue asbestos mountains {Doeksteen of the Hotten-
tots) just opposite Prieska." (" East London Dispatch," p. 6,
17 May, 1912.)
Doelpaal. — (D. doel, aim, motive ; paal, a pole.) The
winning post, goal.
Dog. — (Kaf. in Ja, a dog.) A term of contempt applied
by the Kaffirs to all who may be subject to them, but especially
to the Fingoes.
" As the former race (Kaffirs) look upon the latter (Fingoes)
as dogs and hold them in contempt." (Wood's ',' Through
Matabeleland," p. 56, 1893.)
Dog plum. — The fleshy berry of Ekebergia capensis has
received this name.
Dogrose. — In Natal Oncoha Kraussiana, Planch., a
small tree with large white flowers which resemble those of
the dog-rose, is known by this name.
Dok-doks. — A game in which a smaller stone must be
knocked off a large flat one by stones hurled from a given
mark.
Dokkies. — A game of marbles in which the penalty for
missing a shot is to put the closed fist upon the ground that
it may be shot at by the other player or players.
Dolland. — (CD. dolwe, a particular method of deep
trenching.) Land deeply trenched.
Dollar. — (G. Thaler, i.e. Joachimthaler, a coin made from
10*
148 AFEICANDEEISMS
the silver of Joachimsthal in Bohemia at the beginning of
the sixteenth century.) A term often used in South Africa for
one shilling and sixpence. The rix-doUar of the old Dutch
regime was originally worth about four shiUings sterling, but
when British silver money was proclaimed a legal tender in
the Colony, June, 1825, the Cape paper rix-dollar was valued
for purposes of exchange at one shilling and sixpence sterling.
Within the memory of men by no means old, produce was
sold on the markets of towns in the Cape Colony by Dutch
currency, stuivers, schillings, and rix-dollars.
Dolloss. — (CD. dol-os ; the first syllable appears to be a
corruption of dobbel, a game with dice. See the second quota-
tion.) The metatarsal and metacarpal bones of sheep, goats,
pigs, etc., which the Kaffir witch doctors use in pursuing their
investigations. The Kaffir name for these bones is in Dawula.
"A Kaffir doctor gave a lecture to an admiring audience.
. . . The subject of the lecture was, apparently, on the merits
of two dol ossen, two shank bones of a sheep and sundry
paraphernalia which lay spread out before him." (" Queens-
town Free Press," 9 September, 1873.)
" Gij hebt zeker gehoord van hun dobbelos gooijen. Die
dobbelosjes, beentjes van dieren zijn hunne dobbelsteenen,
doch zij tellen geen oogjes, maar geven aan hunne ligging
eene beteekenis, waardoor zij zichzelven, en anderen leiden."
(Hofmeyr's " Twintig Jaren in Zoutpansberg," p. 21, 1890.)
" No reference to Kaffir lore would be complete without an
allusion to the doll-oss or fetish used by the vntch doctors in
the practice of divination. Throwing the doll-oss is the Kaffir
equivalent to consulting the cards." (Wilson's " Behind the
Scenes in the Transvaal," p. 85, 1901.)
" We found nothing but Kaffir medicines and the many
childish trifles these heathen carry, and among them was the
doll-oss, or bones with which they read fortunes, find lost
cattle, and tell the future." (Blackburn's "A Burgher
Quixote," p. 78, 1902.)
Dollossi. — A game played by children with the small sheep
or goat bones above mentioned. It is sometimes called
Klipsalade, Moertje-en-kinders, and Hand-op-khp.
" Out of his bag he took his doll-oxen as the bones are
called that the children play with." (Hick's " The Cape
as I found it," p. 152, 1900.)
Dolly. — A primitive form of stamp for crushing gold-bear-
AFEIOANDBEISMS 149
ing quartz. The instrument and the name came from
AustraKa, although the latter is not given by Morris (" Austral
English ").
" The dolly is a most primitive appliance for vv^orking with,
and will soon be superseded by better machinery, for no doubt
a large percentage is lost at present." (" Queenstown Eree
Press," 10 June, 1884.)
Domine. — Occasionally this word is used in Cape Dutch
for clergyman, minister, but most commonly he is now spoken
of as the " Predikant," and in direct address, " Mijnheer ".
" Domine noemt men aan de Kaap den voorlezer, terwijl
de leeraar der gemeente altijd, met Eerwaarde wordt aange-
sproken. De Kaapstad maakt op dit spraakgebruik uitzonder-
ing : daar heet de Voorlezer Voorlezer, en de leraar, Predikant,
en beide worden met Mijnheer aangesproken, terwijl Domine,
als oude munt, geheel buiten circulatie geraakt is." (Chang-
uion's "Proeve van Kaapsche Taaleigen," xi. 1844.)
" Sacrament was performed to the sick of the ship Bull
by the domine." (Sutherland's " South African Tribes," ii.
p. 62, 1846.)
" On the seat sat the jolly, self-complacent Domine a hero
in his own estimation." (Hofmeyr's " Story of My Captivity,"
p. 82, 1900.)
Donderkop. — A term of abuse equivalent to " blockhead".
"What do they whistle for . . . tell me that?" . . .
" They whistle for the rain, you donder-kop." (Glanville's
" Tales from the Veld," p. 120, 1897.)
Donder padde. — (D. donder, thunder ; ^aci, a toad.) (1)
The Dutch name for the BuU-podder (q.v.), which all animals
seem to dread. (2) The expression is also applied to a pas-
sionate man, a bully, a boaster.
Donga. — (Z. u Donga, the bank of a river, the side of a
ravine ; Kaf. the wall of a house.) Usually apphed to a deep
gully worn in the soil by the action of rain — the application
being transferred from the banks which enclose to the space
enclosed.
" Nests were found built on the banks of streams, or dry
dongas." (Layard and Sharpe's " Birds of South Africa," p.
547, 1875-84.)
" But ere long the dongas which debouched into the creek
became so deeply cut in the earth that, in order to avoid the
repeated difficulties we encountered in crossing them, we had
150 AFRICANDEEISMS
to shape our course higher up on the brow of the hill."
(Atcherley's " Trip to Boerland," p. 134, 1879.)
Doodgooi. — (D. dood, dead ; gooien, to throw, fling.) A
jocular name for a dumpling. It has been taken over by the
Kaffirs in the form i Dodroyi, the r being guttural.
Doodmaak. — (D. dood, dead ; maken, to make.) (1) To
kill; e.g. Bangmaak is nog niet doodmaak. (2) To blow out,
to extinguish (as a fire, candle).
Dood-vogel. — (D. dood, dead ; vogel, a bird, a fowl. Com-
pare G. Todten-vogel, Leich-Huhn ; Eng. liche-owl, i.e.
corpse owl, a screech owl.) A superstitious name given by the
Dutch to Strix flammea, the barn owl.
"It is known to the Boers as the Dood-vogel, from a
popular belief that if one of these birds screeches on the roof of
a house one of the inmates is sure to die." (Haagnerand
Ivy's " Sketches of South African Bird Life," p. 39, 1908.)
Do one a shot, To. — To get the advantage of another, to
outwit. The expression is sometimes still further elaborated
into " To do one a shot in the eye ".
"It is considered rather clever and smart to do a shot
on the guileless and unsuspecting new chum." (Martin's
" Home Life on an Ostrich Farm," p. 268, 1890.)
Doormekaar. — (CD. mixed, confused, topsy-turvy.) In
common use.
" Klop dan di eiers, geel en wit apart, roer eers di geel
goed deurmakaar met di meel en dan di wit van di eiers."
(Dijkman's " Kook, Koek, en Resepten Book," p. 49, 1898.)
" I shall then have a day of reckoning with Jass, Pen, and
Mess, if not before, for leaving us in this door-makar strait."
(TurnbuU's " Tales from Natal," p. 121, 1901.)
Doornboom. — (D. doom, a thorn; boom, a tree.) Acacia
horrida. A widely distributed tree, covered wi^h large white
thorns, growing in large numbers along the banks of Karoo
rivers, as well as in the open veld. Though generally spoken
of as a mimosa, it is not a true mimosa.
" The banks were skirted by a thicket of the doom-bush or
thorn-tree." (Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 18, 1802.)
Doom peer. — (D. doom, a thorn ; peer, a pear.) Soolopia
Zeyheri. See Hoenderspoor.
Doornthee. — (D. thee, tea.) Gliffortia ilicifolia, L. A
decoction of the leaves of this plant is used by the Dutch in
the Uitenhage District to reheve coughs.
AFEICANDEEISMS 151
Doorslagt. — (D. doorslacm, to percolate.) A term ap-
plied to a mudhole in a road, and also to land which has been
rendered boggy by continual rain or flooding.
"I wonder how long we shall be stuck here, the Bush-
men declare that the country ahead is one continuous door-
slagt." (Anderson's " Notes of Travel in South Africa," p.
206, 1875.)
" Daarbij is een deel van het terrein, in den zomer, wan-
neer het eenigszins aanhoudend regent, doorslachtig, een
moeras gelijk." (Cachet's "De Worstelstrijd der Trans-
valers," p. 359, 1882.)
Dop — (D. dop, a shell, husk.) Brandy which is distilled
from the skins of the grapes after the juice has been expressed
for wine, is known throughout South Africa as Dop. The
skins of the grapes are called dops.
" We had sufficient dop (Dutch brandy) to give every
man a tot in which to drink the Queen's health." (Baden
Powell's " Matabeleland Campaign, 1896," p. 347, 1897.)
" It is a fair assumption that Dops are at present respon-
sible for an output of from 500,000 to 600,000 gallons per
annum." (Report of Controller of Excise, "East London
Dispatch," p. 5, 18 May, 1909.)
Doppers — (Etymology uncertain. ) A religious sect (Gere-
formeerde Kerk van Zuid Afrika) among the Cape Dutch, the
members of which are distinguished from their compatriots by
their pecuHarities of dress and custom. Their tenets are
rigidly Calvinistic.
" Very great dissatisfaction is prevailing here . . . (the
Doppers would not be satisfied with an angel from heaven)."
(" Queenstown Free Press," 4 May, 1859.)
" Patriarchal Boers, almost aboriginal Doppers, com-
plained with rueful faces." (Baine's " Gold Eegions of South-
Bast Africa," p. 72, 1877.)
" Het woord dopper is waarschijnlijk eene verbastering
van damper en als zoodanig, evenals in Holland, een
aanduiding van bekrompenheid in godsdienstige overtuiging."
(Cachet's " De Worstelstrijd der Transvalers," p. 382 n.,
1882.)
" The opposing forces of Boers were commanded the one
by Paul Kruger, the Dopper prince, and the other by Com-
mandant Schoeman of Pretoria. Mr. Kruger and his Doppers
were sticklers for the old-fashioned belief." (Hoodie's
" Battles in South Africa," ii. p. 139, 1888.)
152 AFEICANDEEISMS
Dorbank. — A hard pan lying beneath the soil, which
renders it eminently suitable for the growth of tobacco, as is
seen in the neighbourhood of Oudtshoorn.
Dorp. — (D. dorp, a village ; cf. Bng. thorp.) A village,
hamlet.
" Maritzburg ... an English town rising out of the
ruins of a Dutch dorp or village." (Barter's " The Dorp and
the Veld," p. 26, 1852.)
Dorre vijgen. — (D. dorren, to wither, fade ; vijg, a fig.)
Mesembryanthemum spinosum. (Thunberg's " Flora Capen-
sis," p. 420, 1823.)
Dorst=veld or -land. — (D. dorst, thirst.) The name given
by the Boers to the almost waterless country north-west of
Shoshong in British Bechuanaland.
"The Nusa Bushmen live in the Dorst-veld which lies to
the east of Great Namaqualand. " (Noble's " The Cape and
its People," p. 269, 1869.)
" I have had some baddish journeys in the doorst-land on
the way to the great lake, but this was, if possible, worse."
(Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo," p. 177, 1889.)
Down. — ^A river is said to be " down " when the waters,
increased by a heavy fall of rain higher up, rise in their
channel.
" The rivers in this neighbourhood have been frequently
down during the last month." (" Queenstown Free Press,"
18 January, 1867.)
" The Fish River was down. It generally was down in
the sense of being low, but colonial rivers run by contraries,
when they are down they are up." (Glanville's " Tales from
the Veld," p. 88, 1897.)
Draaibosch. — (D. draaien, to turn, twist, wind.) A
Eiversdale name for Aster fiUf alius, D.G.
" Diplopappus, the draai-bosje, takes its place on thin
stony ridges or hill-sides, and grows best on a southern ex-
posure." (Wallace's " Farming Industries of Cape Colony,"
p. 86, 1896.)
Draai jackal. — (D. draaien, to turn, twist, wind.) Vulpes
chama is so called by the Dutch.
" The name Draai (turn) jackal refers to its quick turn-
ing movements when pursued by a dog. " (Gilchrist's " South
African Zoology," p. 288, 1911.)
Drabok. — (D. dravig ; Mid. Eng. drawk, a kind of grass
AFEICANDEEISMS 153
growing among corn as a weed.) Lolium temulentum, known
in England as " Darnel " or " Perennial rye grass," is known
by this name in South Africa, as are also several other grasses
of the same species L. perenne, L. italicum. This latter is
also known as " Austrahan drabok " (q.v.).
" With the revival of wheat-growing in these parts we
hear again complaints about the damage done by grasses
which are generally known as drabok." (" East London
Dispatch," p. 3, 7 March, 1907.)
Drakensberg. — (D. draah, a dragon; herg, a mountain.)
The native name for this mountain range is Kahlamba, i.e.
" tossed down in jagged peaks ". It is part of the great
South African chain which runs generally parallel with the
coast from the mouth of the Orange Eiver on the west to the
mouth of the Limpopo on the east.
" The lonehness and desolation of this mountain region
so impressed the imaginations of the Dutch pioneers that
they named it the Drakensberg, or the habitation of dragons."
(Eussell's " Natal," p. 60, 1891.)
Draverkies. — (D. draven, to trot.) The Dutch name for
several varieties of birds of the sub-family GursoriincB, the
Coursers.
Dries. — (D. driesch, a derivative of drie, three; arising
from a custom of allowing a third of a field to lie fallow every
three years.) Land ploughed for the first time.
Drift.— (CD., cf. G. Trift, treiben ; Eng. drift, drive.) A
passage through a river, a ford, is so termed throughout
South Africa.
"In the afternoon we arrived at Zondags-rivier's drift."
(Sparrman's " Voyage," ii. p. 20, 1785.)
" Where the road crosses a river, what is called a drift
is made ... by clearing the bed of the river of large stones,
and cutting a sloping roadway through the banks on either
side." (Flemming's " Kaffraria," p. 46, 1854)
Drift-saiid. — Sand driven, as it is in some localities, into
enormous banks by the wind.
DrilUvisch. — (D. trillen, to tremble, shiver; viscJi, a
fish.) Astra/pe capensis, sometimes called the Electric fish ;
both names have reference to the power which this fish
possesses ,of giving an electric or benumbing shock when
touched. See Tril visch.
" The raja torpedo too (called here Trill visch) was
154 AFEICANDEEISMS
sometimes caught in the harbour, but not brought to table."
(Thunberg's " Travels," i. p. 295, 1795.)
Dripdisa. — The popular name of Disa longicornu, Linn,
fil. The quotation explains the popular name.
" Hab. Amongst moss or grass in clefts of steep rocks
(krantzes) on the sides turned from the sun, where the water
drips in early summer, on Table Mountain." (Bolus'
" Orchids of the Cape Peninsula, p. 145, 1888.)
Droedas kruiden. — (D. kruid, herb, grass.) Pha/rnaceum
lineare, Thunb. Used for colds.
Dronk besje. — (D. dronken, drunk ; bes, a berry.) The red,
pulpy berries of Ghymococca racemosa.
" The fruit of this is called Dronk besjes, and differs from
the others in being succulent." (Henslow's " South African
Flowering Plants," p. 226, 1903.)
Dronkgras. — (1) Melica decumbens, Thunb. Thus named
because of the intoxicating or semi-paralysing effects which
it produces in the cattle which feed upon it, from which they
do not recover unless speedily attended to. (2) Equisetum
ramosissimum is also thus designated, and one or two other
plants.
" Another curious sickness which attacks cattle is the
dronk-ziekte. It is caused by eating a kind of grass called
dronk-gras." (Clairmonte's " The Africander," p. 159,
1896.)
Dronkziekte. — (D. ziekte, sickness.) A sickness sup-
posed to be produced by eating Dronk-gras. It is similar to
that produced by eating the seeds of Lolium temulatum, L.
known in the north of England as " drunk ".
Droogte. — (D. droogte, dryness, drought.) An arid stretch
of country.
" He faced about to the droogte, the land of bleached
bones where there was often no rain for a space of five years
at a stretch." (Glanville's " The Diamond Seekers," p. 270,
1903.)
Drossers or Drosters. — (D. drossen, to run away.) In the
old slave days such slaves or Hottentots as were found
wandering about the country without a " Pass " (q.v.), or un-
able to give a good account of themselves.
" They are commonly called by the colonial term of
drossers or gedrost Hottentotten (runaways)." (Burchell's
" Travels," ii. p. 158, 1824.)
APEICANDEEISMS 155
Drost.— (Cf. G. Brost, a bailiff.) A shortened form of the
more common Landdrost (q.v.).
" Officers are appointed in the interior parts of the Colony,
called drosts or sheriffs, who arrest criminals, but have no
power of trying or judging them." (Stavorinus' " Voyages,"
I. p. 571, 1798.)
" The Drost gave us a good reception." (Sparrman's
" Voyage," i. p. 222, 1785.)
Drostdy. — (Cf. G. Drostei, the jurisdiction of a bailiff.)
(1) The town or district over which the Landdrost has juris-
diction. (2) The office at which the Landdrost transacts his
business, or his residence.
" The Landdrost should have held a meeting of the in-
habitants to administer to them the oath of allegiance to His
Majesty . . . and settle some other necessary business, at the
Drosdy." (Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 112, 1801.)
" She had come from the drostdy or district-town of
Uitenhage." (Pringle's "Narrative," p. 6, 1840.)
Dry digrgings. — To distinguish from "Eiver diggings".
At the latter the diamondiferous material is " washed " in the
search for,diamonds ; at the " dry diggings " it is disintegrated
by exposure to the atmosphere. and sun.
" There are accounted four dry diggings. New Eush
. . . Old De Beers, Dutoitspan, and Bultfontein." (Boyle's
" To the Cape for Diamonds," p. 123, 1873.)
" The dry diggings are thirty miles to the south-east of
Pniel, they are so called because the gems are not found in
river-wash, but in dry tufa, which has apparently never been
in contact with water." (Lacy's " Pictures of Travel," etc.,
p. 173, 1^99.)
Dry-my=throat bush. — Scutia Gommersoni, Brogn. This
is a Hteral rendering of the Dutch name Droog-mij-keel bosje.
The name conveys an idea of the peculiar effect produced
upon the throat and tongue by the berries (droogjes) of this
bush.
"I got under a thick dry-my -throat hush, where I hid."
(Glanville's " Tales from the Veld," p. 136, 1897.)
" ' Come all of you down here,' and he marched off to a
clump of drag-mij-Tcell bush about a hundred yards off."
(Glanville's "Kloof Yarns," "The Empire," 8 October,
1898.)
Dry-rot.— According to Dr. Prior this is a corruption of
156 AFEICANDEEISMS
tree-rot. The term is usually applied to a disease of timber
occasioned by the fungus Merulius lachrymans — but at
Knysna it appears to be used of the dark stains in timber
occasioned by the entrance of moisture.
" Those insects that live, or whose larvae live, in decom-
posed standing timber, are no less pernicious indirectly than
those who live in the tree itself, because, first, they are much
more numerous, and secondly, that they occasion a rapid dis-
integration of the fibre, enable the water to percolate, and
cause often that black stain called dry-rot in Knysna so
noticeable ... in the Outeniqua yellow-wood — Podocarpus
elongatus." (" Trans. S. A. Phil. Soc," iv. Part i. p. 19, 1887.)
Dry smoke, A. — -When without tobacco an inveterate
smoker will sometimes pull at an empty pipe — this is known
as a " dry smoke ".
" In his mouth was stuck a short pipe, out of which he
was taking, in colonial parlance, a dry smoke — that is, it was
alike destitute of fire or tobacco." (Gilmore's "Days and
Nights by the Desert," p. 205, 1888.)
Dry sorting. — The earliest and most primitive method of
searching for diamonds adopted at the Diamond Fields. It
consisted in passing the diamondiferous ground through a
succession of hand-sieves, and then passing the residuum
over a sorting table.
Ds. — The D-shaped metal attachments to saddles by which
a rug or coat is secured.
" Tied to the saddle Ds with strong strips of untanned
leather called reimpys." (Mann's " Natal," p. 199, 1859.)
" Hens . . . decoyed by their appetites within reach . . .
are caught by the leg and decapitated and tied up to the Ds
of the saddles of the army." (" A Subaltern's Letters to his
Wife," p. 33, 1901.)
Dubbeltje. — (D. dubbeltje, twopence ; the old Cape Dutch
dubbeltje was worth three-farthings.) The Dutch name for
a penny ; the word is, however, sometimes used for money
generally. This word is corrupted by the Natal native into
" Deeblish ".
" There is indeed a large quantity of the old English penny
pieces coined by Mr. Boullon now in circulation under the
name of doublegees, or twopence, for which they pass current."
(Fisher's " Importance of the Cape of Good Hope," p. 52,
1816.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 157
"At last he scarcely had dubbeljees (pence) sufficient to
carry him back to the Colony." (Kay's " Kaffrarian Ee-
searches," p. 283, 1833.)
" One individual sent a note . . . enclosing what he called
his dubbeltje (penny) which proved, when the note was opened,
tO'be a sovereign." (Smith's "South Africa Delineated," p.
161, 1850.)
Dubbeltje or Dubbeltje doom. — (1) Emex australis,
Steinh. This plant produces an angular bur, with short,
strong spines at each angle, which, when hard and dry, are
most troublesome to the bare feet of Kaffirs and also to
those of small stock. (2) The name is also applied to the
somewhat similar seeds of Tribulus terrestris and T. Zeyheri.
See Duiveltje.
" Great complaints were made of the seed-vessels of the
rumex spinosus (dubelties) which grow very common here,
as the sharp prickles of them cut the feet of all the slaves and
others who walked bare-footed." (Thunberg's " Travels," i.
p. 148, 1795.)
" The dogs were soon disabled by a prickly seed which
gets into their feet — and is called a dubbeltje." (" Scenes in
Albany," p. 100, 1827.)
" May I be permitted to draw the attention of the muni-
cipal authorities to the ever-increasing spread of the Dubbeltje
doom weed, which is not only a menace but a positive
danger to children, who find their playgrounds, etc., infested
with them." (" East London Dispatch," p. 7, 13 September,
1912.
Dubbeltje leeuwerk. — (D. dubbel, double ; leeuwerk, a lark,
of. Scotch laverock.) Gallendula crasserostris.
" On our way we noticed a handsome umber-brown lark
—dubbelde leeuwirk the Boers call it." (Bryden's " Kloof
and Karoo," p. 278, 1889.)
Dug out. — A hole in the ground covered with stones and
sand, and ventilated by drain-pipes, in which the inhabitants
of towns besieged during the late war, sought protection from
the Boer shells.
Duiker. — (D. duiker, a diver.) Cephalophus grimmi.
A buck so named from the pecuHar manner in which it seems
to dive into the bush.
" Six small species of antelope hitherto unnoticed in these
pages ; viz. the klipspringer, rheebuck, rooi-rhebuck or nagor,
158 AFEICANDEEISMS
ourebi, steenbuck, and duiker." (Harris' " Wild Sports of
South Africa," p. 224, 1839.)
Duiker. — Graculus carbo, Lay. and G. capensis, Gray.
These two cormorants, which abound in Table Bay and round
the coast westward, are both so called. See Divers.
" 1652, 13 September. The yacht returned from Bobbin
Island bringing about an hundred black birds called duikers
(cormorants) of a good flavour." (Eiebeeck's "Journal,"
Hoodie's "Becords," p. 13, 1841.)
" The way in which the duikers (cormorants and shags)
obtain their food is not uninteresting." (Andersson's "Lake
Ngami," p. 16, 1856.)
Duikers horen. — (D. horen, horn.) Stapelia incarnata
is known by this name in the neighbourhood of Saldanha
Bay. (Thunberg's, " Flora Capensis," p. 240, 1823. = Garal-
luma incarnata, N.E. Br.)
Duinen thee. — (D. duin, a sandy mound, cf. Eng. dune.)
Helichrysum imbricatum. The leaves of this plant — which
grows plentifully on the Cape Downs, hence the name — are
used for coughs.
Duineveld. — (D. duin, a sandy mound, a dune.) An
extent of country covered by low sandy hills.
" In the Eiversdale District it is stated that the disease
(lamziekte) only occurs in the sour parts of the duineveld."
(" S.A. Agric. Journal," p. 35, July, 1912.)
Duin mol. — Bathyergus suillus {maritimus, of Sclater).
See Cape mole and Sand mole.
" The giant among these burrowing mole-like animals is
known as the sand mole or ' zand mol '. It is also called the
duin mol." (" The State," p. 231, September, 1912.)
Duin pauw. — (D.pauw, a peacock.) The name sometimes
given to the great African bustard. See Pauw.
" Bine andere Art Trappe, der sog. duinpouw (Diinen-
Pfau) ist ein fast mannshoher Vogel, einer der grossten
existierenden Vogelarten . . . er erreicht oft ein Gewicht bis zu
70 Pfund. Die Spannweite seiner Fliigel misst 8 bis 10 Fuss."
(Bachmann's " Sud-Afrika," p. 98, 1901.)
Duin rat. — Gerbillus afer. See Nacht muis.
Duivel. — (D. duivel, devil.) Used of a man who is clever
or expert at something. One may even hear the curious
expression : " Hij is n'duivel om te bid " ; he is a devil (a rare
one) to pray.
APEICANDEEISMS 159
Duivel doom. — The expanded capsule of Harpagophytum
procumbens, which is armed in every direction with strong,
hooked thorns, and is not unhke a huge spider. See Haak-
doorn.
Duiveltje.— (D. duivel, devil.) See Dubbletje of which
this is a corruption.
" The little nuts of Tribulus terrestris and T. Zeyheri are
armed with strong, sharp spines. . . . The fruitlets of Emex
centropodium are quite similar, both having deserved thereby
the Dutch designation of duiveltjes." (Dr. Marloth's Address,
" S.A. Phil. Soc," p. 9, 29 August, 1894.)
Duive pauw. — (D. duif, a dove, pigeon ; pauw, a peacock.)
Otis hori is so named in the neighbourhood of Saldanha Bay.
" This bustard is called at Saldanha Bay Duive pauw."
(Layard and Sharpe's " Birds of South Africa," p. 632, 1875-
84.)
Duizend poot. — (D. duizend, thousand; poot, a foot.)
Millipede, centipede.
Dung rollers. — This name is given to several beetles of the
Scarabmidce Family. The nidus in which they deposit their
egg is formed of dung, which they shape into a round ball ;
they roll this with great labour to a suitable locaUty and
cover with loose soil.
" The supply of dung fuel was very materially interfered
with by millions of black beetles called dung rollers, a kind
of Scarabseus, which swarmed day after day in every part of
the plain." (King's "Campaigning in Kaffirland," p. 303,
1855.)
Dunnebesjes. — (D. duin, a down ; bezie, a berry.) An-
other name for the berries known as Skelpadbesjes (q.v.).
" This shrub is very common in the Downs." Pappe.
Dutchisms — See Africanderism.
Dutchman. — The name given by the diamond sorters to
pieces of quartz, which somewhat resemble uncut diamonds.
Dwa dwa. — Leucosidea sericea, E. and Z. This plant is
used by the natives as an astringent medicine. " The woody
branches are very inflammable, and eagerly sought after by
the Kaffir women for hghting their fires." Mrs. F. W.
Barber.
" P. sericea is a densely leafy shrub, the Dwa dwa of the
natives, who use it as an astringent medicine." (Harvey's
" Genera of South African Plants," p. 95, 1868.)
160 AFEICANDEEISMS
Dwa- or Twa-grass. — Aristida Lichtensteinii, a valu-
able grass indigenous to South Africa.
" Many grasses indigenous to South Africa share in the
formation of the rich pasturage of the Northern and Eastern
regions ; e.g., Dwa-grass or Toa-grass (Aristida Lichten-
steinii)." (Marloth's " Elementary Botany for South Africa,"
p. 186, 1897.)
Dwarf goose. — Nettopus auritus. A very small member
of the Order Anseres, it is a handsome little bird.
Dwarstrekken. — (D. dioaars, across, athvrart ; trekken, to
pull, draw ; cf. D. dwarsdrijven, to cross, thvrart, contradict.)
To work or pull contrary. To thwart, cross, quarrel.
Earth star. — The name given in the Western Province
to a variety of puff-ball — Geaster.
" The earth star is a pretty little puff-ball, which looks
like a star, and grows close on the earth in the spring."
(Stoneman's "Plants and their Ways in South Africa," p.
173, 1906.)
East coast fever. — See African coast fever.
"East coast /ever being a piroplasma disease, led in-
vestigators to believe that it must be carried by ticks. All
evidence about its originating and spreading pointed to tick
infection. Mr. Lounsbury, the Cape Entomologist, was the
first to prove that a certain species of tick communicated the
disease. This tick is what is now commonly called the brown
tick {Bhipicephalus appendiculatus) ." (Dr. Theiler, " Eeport
S.A.A.A.S.," p. 211, 1904.)
Eastern Province Vlei Grass. — Eragrostis lehmanniana,
Nees. See Blauw zaad gras.
Eastern tree fern. — Cyathea Dregei, Kunze. A magni-
ficent South African tree fern with a stem sometimes 7
feet high surmounted by a crown of fronds a yard long and a
foot wide. It is found in Kaffraria and Natal.
Eat up, To. — (The literal rendering of an idiomatic use
of the Kaffir uku Dla, to eat, devour.) (1) This is the native
idea of a process which the expression describes with toler-
able accuracy. Among the Zulus, the evil-doer, his wives
and children, were all massacred, his property confiscated,
and his name blotted out; he was said to be "eaten up".
Among the Cape Kaffirs the man's property was seized and
he was driven out to wander as an outcast and outlaw from
his tribe. (2) The expression is also used to describe the re-
AFEICANDEEISMS 161
suit to the vanquished of a pitched battle of tribe against
tribe.
•' To eat one another up, this is theft." (Boyce's " Notes
on South Africa," p. 41, 1838.)
" Wheresoever there was blackmail to be levied, or an in-
dependent clan to be eaten up . . . the disciplined forces of
Chaka sooner or later appeared." (Mann's "Natal," p. 14,
1859.)
Ebb and flow, The. — That point in the course of a river
where the ebb and flow of the tide begins to make itself ap-
parent.
Eel -worms. — Anguillulidm. The plant disease known
as Vrotpootjes (q.v.) is due to the ravages of a minute worm
which is known in the Transvaal as the eel-worm, and in
the Cape Colony as the root gall worm. There are several
varieties of these worms, some of which attack roots, others
the stem and leaves of cultivated plants.
"Eel-worms or Nematodes, are very small organisms, too
small to be observed with the naked eye, which infest the
roots of a great number of plants and cause swellings and
knots upon them." ("South African Gardening and Agri-
culture," p, 384, September, 1912.)
Eendjes. — (D. eend, a duck.) The name given by the
Grahamstown boys to the pods of Sutherlandiafrutescens, B.
Br., which they break off and float in water. See Kanker
boschje and Keurtje.
Egg -eater. — A snake of the Dasypeltidce family — D.
scabra. This snake is furnished with a saw-like row of verte-
bral teeth in the gullet, by which the shells of eggs, which
are almost its sole food, are pierced ; the contents swallowed,
the shell is ejected.
" The Egg-eater lives almost entirely on eggs, which it
eats in a curious fashion." (" East London Dispatch," p. 7,
1 September, 1911.)
Eierkokertje. — (D. ei, an egg ; hoken, to boil, cook.) The
sand-glass used to time the cooking of an egg.
Eier slang. — (D. ei, an egg ; slang; a snake.) See Egg-eater.
"I caught a rainbow trout (cock fish) in the Lourens
Eiver here, about 13i inches in length, in the stomach of which
was a partially digested body of a snake, pronounced by those
who have seen it to be an egg-eating snake {Eier slang)."
(" East London Dispatch," p.i4, 18 October, 1912.)
11
162 AFEICANDEEISMS
Ei in de hoed. — (D. ei, an egg ; hoed, a hat.) A school
game in which hats are placed in a row upon the ground, the
player who is most expert at pitching a stone or ball into one
from a certain distance is the winner.
Eland. — (D. eland, an elk.) Taurotragus oryx. The
largest of the South African antelopes. It was known to the
Hottentots as the Kauna, with an initial cerebral click.
"Elands from the Zambezi Valley and Mozambique
are distinguished by having white transverse markings, and
may be considered as a sub-species {T. oryx livingstonii)
of the typical form." (" Science in South Africa," p. 131,
1905.)
Elandsboontjes. — (D. boon, a bean.) The name given to
the fleshy roots of the Elephantorhiza Burchellii, Benth.
" Glabrous undershrubs, with large fleshy roots (Elands-
boontjes)." (Harvey's " Genera of South African Plants," p.
92, 1868.)
" ' Have you seen any Elandsboontje ? ' Hartley went on,
well knowing that the plant was very rare in that region."
(Green's "Eichard Hartley, Prospector," p. 229, 1905.)
Eland veld. — See Bont veld and quotation.
Electric fish. — See Drill-visch.
Elephant fish. — Callorhyncus antarcticus, is so called be-
cause of the proboscis-like process which it bears on the front
of the head. See Joseph and Eabbit fish.
" Two boats were sent to survey while others were engaged
fishing off Pelican Point, but they produced only a boat-load
of young ground-sharks, elephant fish, and white bass."
(Owen's "Narrative," ii. p. 228, 1833.)
Elephant fruit tree. — The reference of the quotation ap-
pears to be to the plant known as Elephants' food (q.v.).
" A tree pointed out to me this morning, the elephant
fruit tree. Elephants are said to be very fond of this tree,
from whence comes its name." (Churchill's " Men, Mines,
and Manners," p. 147, 1895.)
Elephant rock. — A stratum comprised principally of dolo-
mite hmestone, when exposed to the weather it is worn into
irregular corrugations, which are not unUke the wrinkles on
the hide of an elephant — hence the name, which is a literal
rendering of the Dutch " Olifants Khp ".
" The rock is known as ' OHfants Klip ' by the Boers, on
account of the general resemblance of the weathered surface
AFEICANDEEISMS 163
of the limestone to the hide of an elephant." (" Science in
South Africa," p. 283, 1905.)
Elephant's ear. — In Queenstown the boys give this name
to Eriospermum Bellindi, Sweet, a liliaceous plant bearing a
single cordate ovate leaf, resembling an ear.
Elephants' food. — Portulacaria Afra, Jacq. An Eastern
Province name for the plant known more generally as the
Spek boom (q.v.). It is a valuable food plant for stock.
" The elephant was said to live upon it, hence it has like-
wise been styled in Africa Elephants' food." (Flemming's
" Southern Africa," p. 125, 1856.)
Elephant's foot. — Testudinaria elephantipes. The popu-
lar name of this curious member of the Yam family. It has
a hard, woody protuberance, sometimes of enormous size,
partly embedded in the earth, which bears some slight resem-
blance to an elephant's foot. See Hottentot bread.
" I there found many curious plants among which was one
called Elephant's foot." (Paterson's " Narrative," p. 72,
1789.)
" That singular plant the trimus elephantiopus, so called
from a protuberance thrown out from the root, resembling
the foot of an elephant." (Barrow's "Travels," i. p. 189,
1801.)
Elephant shrew. — Macroscelides typicus. Smith. The
name has reference to the proboscis-hke snout, which is not
unhke a diminutive elephant's trunk.
" The elephant shrews {Macroscelides) are met with
mostly among the rocky kopjes, and on the dry open karroo."
(" Science in South Africa," p. 135, 1905.)
Elephant's trunk. — Pachypodium Namaquanum. A
singular plant found in Namaqualand, having a thick, fleshy
trunk some 5 or 6 feet high, not unhke an elephant's
trunk in shape.
" Isaac . . . noticed a plant of the cactus or euphorbia
tribe, known by the name of elephant's trunk." (Chapman's
"Travels,"ii. p. 325, 1868.)
Elephant's wood. — Bolusanthus speciosus, Harms., is so
called in the Transvaal.
Elft. — (D. elft, a shad.) Temnodon saltator, Cuv., is so
called by the fishermen of the Cape. In Natal it is known
as the Shad (q.v.), and at East London as the Chad.
" In the Table Bay and Bay Falzo is caught a sort of fish
11 *
164 AFEICANDEEISMS
the Dutch call Elft. The Elft is three-quarters of a yard
long or more, and is scaled much like a herring." (Kol-
ben's "Present State of the Cape of Good Hope," ii. p.
190, 1731.)
Emerald cuckoo. — Chrysococcyx smaragdineus. The
Natal name of this beautifully plumaged bird. In the Cape
Colony it shares with C. Klaasi and C. Gupreus the name of
" Golden cuckoo " (q.v.).
" The emerald cuckoo resplendent in green and gold."
(Eussell's "Natal," p. 36, 1891.)
Emmer. — (D. emmer, a pail, bucket.) In the early days
of the Colony the bucket was often found to be a convenient
measure when bartering.
" I purchased eight emirs or measures of wheat from one
of the Griquas." (Gordon Cumming's "Adventures," i. p.
161, 1850.)
Englishman. — Ghrysophrys Anglicus is so named in
Natal.
Enkelde leeuwerk. — (D. enkel, single, alone ; leeuwerik,
a lark ; Cf. Scotch laverock.) Anthus pyrrhonotus is so
named by the Dutch. See Koeskoetje.
" I feel convinced that this (Megalophonus Pyrrhonothus)
is identical with Anthus Leucophrys, Vieil., which goes
by the name of Enkelde Leeuwerk among the colonists."
(Layard's " Birds of South Africa," p. 211, 1867.)
Ennk or Ijna. — (Hot. * e ! Interj. of pain •,*nd\ Interj. of
astonishment — each word has an initial click, the former the
dental, the latter the lateral.) An exclamation of pain
common in the Midlands.
Epiti. — (Z i Pwiti, the smallest South African antelope.)
Gephalopus monticola. See Bluebuck and Ipiti.
" A turban made of the skin of the ipiete, a species
of antelope." (Martin's "History of South Africa," p. 138,
1836.)
" I shot a few small buck known as wipe^i . . . not much
larger than a hare." (Atcherley's " Trip to Boerland," p.
26, 1879.)
Erf. — (D. erf, inheritance; cf. G. Erbe.) A piece of
ground marked off in a village or town for garden or building
purposes. These erven may be either water- or dry-erven, as
they carry the right to water for irrigation or not.
"His industry put him in possession of this erf, a name
AFRICANDEBISMS 165
given to a small lot of ground, not being a complete farm."
(Latrobe's " Journal," p. 262, 1818.)
Ertjes. — (D. erwt, a pea.) Peas generally.
" The mild sweet-pea or eertje which grows on trees
7 or 8 feet high and has such lovely colours." (" Cape
Times," 3 September, 1904.)
Eschenhout. — (D. esch, ash.) (1) In the Cape Colony
Ekebergia capensis is known by this name. The South
African Ash. (2) In Pondoland the name is applied to
Trichilia emetica. See Cape mahogany.
" A tree very useful in making wagons, which the Dutch
call essen or ash." (Paterson's " Narrative," p. 80, 1789.)
" Harpephyllum caffrum, Bernh. . . . The tree is called
by the inhabitants Eschenhout ; the edible fruit ' Zuur-
besjes '." (" Flora Capensis," vol. i. p. 525, 1859-60.)
" For cabinet-making of a high class, some Cape woods
might be exported with advantage. Hard pear . . . Essen-
hout, Red and White els are specially worthy of notice."
(Noble's "C.G.H. Official Handbook," p. 146, 1886.)
Euphonic concord. — See AUiteral concord.
Evening primrose. — The popular name of a species of
(Enothera.
" The best-known genera (of the Order Onagrariea) are
Epilobium, popularly called the ' Willow-herb,' and (Enothera,
the Evening primrose." (Wood's " Handbook to the Flora of
Natal," p. 51, 1907.)
Everlastings. — The flowers of Helichrysum vestitum,
which form so important an article of commerce, are thus
designated. See Seven years flowers.
" While the -English name everlastings and the French
immortelles, refer to the imperishable nature of their beauty,
we Germans are pleased to call them paper-flowers or straw-
flowers to designate in truly prosaic terms the dryness which
prevents their fading." (Lichtenstein's " Travels," ii. p.
121, 1814.)
Eve's needle. — A plant of the aloe family, having narrow,
sharply pointed leaves, has received this appellation in the
Midlands.
Ewa trewa. — Satyrium coriifolium, Swarz. — The popu-
lar name of one of the commonest of the orchids of the Cape
Peninsula, its bright orange colour favours the suggestion of
Dr. Bolus (" Orchids of the Cape Peninsula," p. 125, 1888),
166 AFEICANDEEISMS
that the former part of the name is a corruption of the Butch
geele (yellow) ; " Geele trewa," according to Thunberg was
the name given to an orchid, in his time, in the Western
Province. Or is it a corruption of the " Goude travers " of
the quotation ? I have heard them called " Trevers " quite
recently.
" Of the terrestrial Orchidese, so very numerous and
beautiful in South Africa, there is . . . one species . . .
known by the name of Goude travers, formerly very plenti-
ful on the Cape Flats." (" Cape Monthly Magazine," i. p.
350, 1857.)
Excuse. — This word is often used in Uutch-speaking dis-
tricts with the meaning " Pardon me," " Do not takeit amiss ".
" Oh excuse, I asked if you would have coffee and I
thought you said ' No '." — (Watkin's " Prom Farm to
Forum," p. 17, 1906.)
Eye, of a fountain. — (D. oog, eye, is used of that point in
a spring at which the water finds exit from the earth;
fontein, a spring.) A translation of the Dutch expression.
" The water continually bubbled up from two or three
eyes." (Alexander's " Expedition," i. p. 159, 1838.)
" We flattered ourselves that we had found the eye of
a spring ; but the next instant all our hopes vanished."
(Andersson's " Lake Ngami," p. 404, 1856.)
" Schoonspruit heeft drie oogen ; twee komen in eene
mooije vallei bij elkander, waarop er eene menigte eendvogels,
waterhoenders en wilde ganzen, met nog eene soort van
vogels, die ik niet ken, zwemmen." (Hofmeyr's " Twintig
Jaren in Zoutpansberg," p. 64, 1890.)
F.A.M.P. — These initials stand for the old Frontier
Armed and Mounted Police corps which in 1878 was changed
to the C.M.E.— Cape Mounted Eifles.
"Nine more men of the F.A.M.P. have been tried at
Komgha for refusal of duty as C.M.E." (" Queenstown
Free Press," 15 November, 1878.)
Fat-fish. — See Blue-fish, for which this is another East
London name.
" When opened the stomach usually contains large lobes
of fat — hence the n&xae fat-fish". (" Bast London Dispatch,"
7 August, 1905.)
Fatherland. — The designation given to a particular breed
of cattle in the early days.
APEICANDEEISMS 167
" The Fatherland as the name betokens, is the pure
European breed, without cross or admixture. They are a large
sized, small headed, light-necked, and well-made breed noted
as furnishing the best milch cows in the Colony." (" Durban
Observer," 9 January, 1852.)
Fat, Sheep's tail. — The fat obtained from the enormous
tails of the Cape sheep (q.v.) is used for a variety of purposes,
cuhnary and otherwise, in the households and on the farms
of South Africa.
" It fell to my lot to pluck the bird, and Mr. Immelmann
undertook to dress it, and indeed he showed himself a perfect
master in the art, stewing it in a quantum sufficit of water
and a little sheep's tail fat." (Sparrman's "Voyage," i. p.
298, 1785.)
Fat-tailed sheep. — Another designation of the Cape
sheep (q.v.). This was the sheep found in possession of the
natives by the European discoverers of South Africa. The
sheep Calcoen speaks of he saw at Quiloa, a little to the north-
east of the Cape, but a rather liberal allowance should be
made for his powers of imagination.
" Daer syn oec scapen met grote staerten dair gheen been
in en is die start is beter dan half t scaep." (There are also
sheep with great tails, there is no bone in them, the tail is
better than half the sheep.) Calcoen, 1602.
" But the farmers generally were very slow to appreciate
the advantages of the wool over the old haky fat-tailed sheep
of the country. The fat-tails held their own for many years. "
(" The Castle Line Guide to South Africa," p. 55, 1888.)
"Feathers, Ostrich. — These feathers vary in value according
to the sex of the bird and the part of the body from which
they are plucked ; they are also named accordingly : —
Prime bloods. — The first quality of wild feathers.
Whites. — The long, pure white wing feathers of the male.
Feminas. — The corresponding plumage of the female.
Byocks. — (Said to be a corruption of a foreign word for
black and white) ; parti-coloured feathers from the wing of
the male.
Spadonas. — First year's plucking from young birds.
Boos. — Stumpy tail feathers of both male and female.
Blacks. — Long feathers from the wing of the male at its
junction with the body.
Drabs. — Corresponding growth from the female.
168 AFBICANDEBISMS
Floss. — Soft feathers from under the wing coverts of both
sexes.
Fed off. — " The veld is fed off." A phrase appHed to veld
that has been so closely cropped by stock that little or nothing
nourishing remains.
Fed up. — A slang phrase meaning to have had enough of
anything.
Fenkel wortel. — (D. venkel, fennel ; wortel, a root, carrot.)
The fleshy, aromatic roots of Carum Capense, Sond.
Fetcani. — (Kaf. im Fecane, marauders, lawless tribes.)
The Amangwane, a tribe of Zulus ; during the wars caused
by Chaka they fled southward, conquering as they advanced,
ultimately threatening the natives on the colonial border.
They were defeated and dispersed by a Burgher force under
Colonel Somerset at Umtata in 1828.
" Fecane is the root of imfecane, the Kaffir word for deso-
lator or marauder. It must not be mistaken, therefore, for
a tribal name, being simply a descriptive term, by which the
Kaffirs designate an unknown and foreign invader. The
tribal name of Matuwana's people is Amangwana." (Apple-
yard's " Kaffir Grammar," p. 42, 1850.)
" The name they gave the Amangwane was that of Fet-
cani the Kaffir word for ' desolators,' ' marauders,' and they
described them as fiends in human shape. It is as Fetcani
they are known in colonial history." (Ayliff and Whiteside's
" History of the Abambo (Fingos)," p. 16, 1912.)
Fever trees. — (1) This name is applied " up country" to
a species of mimosa {Acacia xanthophloea), because the trees
are supposed to indicate that the locality in which they grow
is unhealthy for Europeans. (2) The Australian " blue
gums " are so designated but for quite another reason : viz.
because of their anti-febrile qualities.
" The fever trees are a species of mimosa, with pallid boles
and livid green foliage, and the experienced explorer always
avoids their neighbourhood." ("Adventures in Mashona-
land," by Two Nurses, p. 99, 1893.)
"Millions of the Austrahan 'blue-gum' ov fever tree,
Eucalyptus globulus, Labell.,h.a,\e been planted within a few
miles of Johannesburg." (Wallace's " Farming Industries
of the Cape Colony," p. 24, 1896.)
Fiddle-fish. — The fiddle-fish of the Cape is Bhinobatus
annulatus, belonging to the Bajides — the European Fiddle-
APEICANDEBISMS 169
fish is Squatina vulgaris, Bisso, and belongs to the Squa-
lides.
Field cornet. — An official with authority to inquire into
and report to the magistrate, any crime committed within
his jurisdiction.
"They are extremely averse to the Commando service,
and from their known aversion and frequent refusals to com-
ply with the requisitions of the Field cornets," etc. (Boyce's
" Notes on South African Affairs," p. vii., Introduction, 1838.)
Field cornetcy. — The area over which a field cornet has
jurisdiction.
Fields, The.— Shortened form of " the Diamond Fields "
and at one time in general use throughout South Africa.
" He was squandering right and left and certainly not
working very steadily, for he had placed no stones in the bank
since Graham had been on the Fields." (Hobson's " At Home
in the Transvaal," p. 182, 1884.)
Fifty -dollars bird.— An onomatopoetic name for a bird
in the Knysna District.
" The woods are mute except for the singular and dolor-
ous bird which distinctly and continuously breaks the dull
monotony with his loud cry of ' fifty-dollars,' and is hence
called the fifty-dollars bird." (Andersson's " Okavango
Eiver," p. 339, 1861.)
Fighting port, The. — The Port of Bast London is so de-
signated because of the ready disposition of its people to show
fight either to defend or to secure their rights.
"With General Brabant and Sir Gordon Sprigg as its
representatives in the Cape House of Assembly, one feels
well disposed towards the fighting port, and wishes it a better
climate." (Stuart's " Pictures of War," p. 254, 1901.)
Fikey.— (D. vaatje, a small barrel.) A small keg for
water, generally forming part of the furniture of a transport
wagon. The word — usually so pronounced in the Midland
Districts — is a corruption of the Dutch name.
" One of the three rose up . . . took a final pull at the
water fikey and stretched himself on the bare ground."
(Glanville's " The Fossicker," p. 166, 1891.)
File snake. — Simocephalus capensis. — A non-poisonous
snake. The name refers to its three-cornered appearance due
to its peculiar backbone scales.
Filmy ferns.— The various species of Hymenophyllum
170 APEICANDEEISMS
and Trichomanes are thus designated on account of their
fragile beauty and diaphanous fronds.
" Prom the eighty-foot tree fern to the tiny Filmy ferns,
which are so small as to be frequently mistaken for mosses."
(" East London Dispatch," p. 7, 17 February, 1911.)
Finger- poll. — See Vinger-poll.
" Another of our many eccentric looking plants, the finger-
poll is also used in very dry seasons to feed cattle." (Martin's
"At Home on an Ostrich Farm," p. 58, 1890.)
Fingos. — (Kaf . ama Mfengu, those who wander in search of
service.) This word is a corruption of the designation given by
the Kaffirs to certain tribes who at one time occupied the country
to the west and north-east of Durban, Natal. During the
wars which raged in Chaka's time they were " eaten up " and
scattered. The remnants of this people fell in their wander-
ings into the hands of the Kaffirs, by whom they were treated
as slaves, and subjected to every oppression until Sir Benja-
min D'Urban set them free. Ultimately they were declared
British subjects and have remained loyal to the Crown ever
since. As a people they call themselves Aba-Mbo. Their
tribal names, which they still retain, are : ama-Tetyeni,
-Hlubi, -Zizi, -Bele, -Shwawa, -Gobizembe, -Sekunene,
-Ntozakwe, -Eelidwane, -Eadebe, and -Dlangamandla.
" Fortunately for the missionary and those with him, the
Fingoes residing on the missionary station, displayed at this
crisis considerable firmness and courage, expressing their de-
termination not to abandon their teacher, and that if he were
slain he should die behind their shields. " (Editor, " Grahams-
town Journal," narrative, p. 109, 1836.)
" The term Amafengu is a conventional national epithet
first applied to the Fingoes by the Kaffirs, but now in general
use amongst themselves. The root from which it is derived
is. fenguza, and signifies 'to seek service,' implying at the
same time the total destitution of the person who uses it.
The word Amafengu will accordingly mean ' destitute people
in search of service,' and correctly characterizes their con-
dition when ' they arrived amongst the Kaffirs '." (Apple-
yard's " Kaffir Grammar," p. 41 n., 1850.)
" When the fugitives entered lower Kaffirland they were
asked, ' Who are you ? What do you want ? ' They replied,
' Siyam Fenguza,' which means ' We seek service '. ' We are
destitute.' The worA Amamfengu therefore means 'hungry
APRICANDERISMS 171
people in search of work '. This correctly describes their
condition when they first arrived among the Ama-Xosa.
Colonists use European names instead of native ones, and
they changed the word Amafengu to Fingos, a name by which
they have ever since been known to the inhabitants of Cape
Colony." (Ayliff and Whiteside's " History of the Abambo
(Fingos)," pp. 15-16, 1912.)
Fink. — (D. fink, a finch.) Various birds of the Order
Ploceidae.
■ "A flock of long-tailed mouse birds, calledi finks (?) would
dash past to settle in a rooi-hout tree." (Clairmonte's " The
Africander," p. 2, 1896.)
Fire lily. — Gyrtanthus angustifoUus, Ait, is so named in
Natal. The brilliant flame colour of its flowers is rendered
more conspicuous by the blackness of the hills after the
annual grass burning, hence the name.
" The leading glory of the pastures at this time is a plant
known to the Dutch under the expressive and most apt name
of the fire lily. The pastures are frequently literally ablaze
with its broadly spread carpet of scarlet." (Brook's " Natal,",
p. 169, 1876.)
Fiscal. — (D. fiscaal, the chief oflicer of the Treasury.)
The Procureur-General under the Dutch East India Company
was thus designated. His office was an important and respon-
sible one.
" Er setzte den ersten Land-Drost oder Eichter ein, von
beiden Kolonien, Stellenbosch und Drachenstein, ertheilte
ihm eben die Macht so der independente Fiscal hatte."
(Kolben's " Beschreibung," p. 236, 1745.)
" The office of Fiscal is one of the most important in the
Colony . . . public accuser . . . Solicitor-G-eneral, to the
Crown . . . Chief Magistrate of the Pohce." (Barrow's
" Travels," ii. p. 422, 1804.)
Fiscal. — Lanius collaris. It has been suggested that this
bird has received its popular name (see also Butcher bird)
because it is as much feared among the smaller birds and
animals, which it ruthlessly kills and impales, as the Fiscal
of the old Dutch East India Company was by the earlier
colonists.
Arbousset (" Narrative," p. 222, 1846) gives this name to
" Apaloderma narina the Bush lory or Bosch lory ".
"The shrikes supplied me with the Fiscal which was
common." (" Scientific African," p. 87, 1896.)
172 AI'RICANDBEISMS
" The white- throated, black-headed, hook-billed fiscal
made soft notes in imitation of the red-speckled breasted
wrens, finishing up with a harsh screech which completely
gave him away." (Glanville's " Kloof Yarns," " Empire,"
30 July, 1898.)
Fishing frog. — Lophius upsicephalus. See Paddy, Angler,,
and Devil-fish.
Fish moth. — Lepisma saceharina. This destructive insect
abounds in Natal and elsewhere in South Africa. In Delagoa
Bay it is known as the " Fish-tail moth ". Its scales are
a well-known microscopic object. See Silver moth.
"It is one of nature's beneficent compensations that the
fish moth is devoid of wings." (Mann's " Natal," p. 171,
1859.)
"Some people call them fish-tail moths — why 'moths'
it would be difficult to discover, but I believe they belong to
the order Thysanura or bristle-tails." (Eose Monteiro's
" Delagoa Bay, its Natives and Natural History," p. 129,
1891.)
Five-fingers. — (1) Sargus cervinus, a silvery fish slightly
shorter than the "Moon-fish," but of the same family. This
name refers to several well-defined stripes running across the
body. See Wilde paard and Zebra fish. (2) In Natal the
name is given to Ghorinemus sancti-petri, C. and V.
"Sargus cervinus . . . also called ' wilde paard,' 'striped
dasje,' and 'five-fingers'." ("East London Dispatch," 26
June, 1906.)
Flamboyant. — (F. flamber, to blaze ; flamboyant, flaming.)
Poinciana regia. The brilliant scarlet and orange-coloured
flowers of this tree, which is a native of Madagascar, render
the name very appropriate. It is planted largely in Durban,
Natal, and during the flowering season is quite a feature of
the place.
" The Flamboyant not in flower now, but when in flower
lives up to its name we are told." (Mark Twain's "More
Tramps Abroad," p. 445, 1897.)
Flame. — The popular name of Antholyza Merianella,
Linn. These plants are closely allied to Gladiolus and are
not unlike it.
Flat-crown. — Albizzia fastigiata, Oliv. An indigenous
Natal tree so named because of its very flat top, looking as
though it had been recently and carefully trimmed. The
AFEICANDEEISMS 173
wood is valuable, being used chiefly for constructing the naves
of wheels.
" The umbrella-like Flat-crown common in the Berea-
bush near D'Urban." (Chapman's "Travels," ii. p. 451,
1868.)
"The Flat-crowns (should be 'flat-roofs'), half a dozen
naked branches, slant upward like artificial supports and
fling a roof of delicate foliage out in a horizontal platform as
flat as a floor, and you look up through this thin floor, as
through a green cobweb or veil." (Mark Twain's "More
Tramps Abroad," p. 444, 1897.)
Flats. — A term applied to the extensive plains of the
upper African plateau.
"Those large elevated plains here called flats which ex-
tend to an almost unknown distance towards the tropics."
(Nicholson's " The Cape and its Colonists," p. 75, 1848.)
Flauw. — (D. floMW, faint, weak.) Used of men and
animals when exhausted by vigorous or long-sustained
effort.
" One of our oxen fell down from exhaustion, being what
the Dutch call flauw, faint." (Backhouse's "Narrative," p.
513, 1844.)
Floating reef. — The diggers at the Diamond Fields gave
this appellation to the peculiar shaped masses of rock which
contain no diamonds, but which are found — sometimes two
or three acres in extent — in the mine itself.
" The bulk of this inside shale (termed floating reef by
the miners) has been removed." ( Noble's " Official Hand-
book," p. 203, 1886.)
Floors. — The areas on which the " Blue ground " (q.v.) or
diamondiferous rock is deposited, that it may be disintegrated
by the action of the sun and atmosphere.
" Excavating, hauling, and depositing on the Company's
floors 134,701 loads of blue ground." (Noble's " Official Hand-
book," p. 203, 1886.)
Floor, The.— (D. vloer, floor ; cf. G. der Flur, the floor ;
die Flur, field, level ground.) This word is frequently used
in the Midlands as if it were synonymous with " ground,"
being applied to the ground outside a house ais well as to the
layer of stone or boards inside.
Flop, The. — Urobraohya axillaris is so-called in Natal.
The spring plumage of the male bird is very brilliant, the
174 AFEICANDEEISMS
general colour being a velvety black, with scarlet and orange
epaulets ; the female is insignificant in appearance.
" The boys call it flop, no doubt frona the way in which
it suddenly stops in its flight and alights on the grass."
(Woodward's " Natal Birds," p. 69, 1899.)
Flous, To. — (G. Flause, pretence, deceit.) To deceive,
cheat ; one of a pair of horses that shirks his proper share of
the pulling, and thus throws extra work upon his fellow, is
said to "flous ".
Flowering grasses. — An exquisitely graceful member of
the Iris family (Dierama pendula), with pretty pink and
lavender flowers, is known by this name in Natal.
" Before the buds open out the spikes of grey, scaly bracts
look exactly like the fructifications of a grass, and when the
gay corollas open out from these, it is as if some pendulous
wood-grass like the Melica, had suddenly burst into bright
flowers at the end of its spikes. These elegant plants on
this account are not inaptly termed flowering grasses, by the
colonists not versed in the mysteries of botanical lore."
(Brook's " Natal," p. 170, 1876.)
Flower spider. — Several varities of hunting spiders which
are adapted in colour to the flowers among which they have
their haunts.
" The Flower spider also assumes deceptive colours as it
hides beneath the petals of a flower, ready to spring forth
upon its prey." (" Trans. S.A. Phil. Soc," I, ii. p. 40,
1879.)
Fluit je. — (D. fluit, a flute.) The Dutch name for a mouth
organ.
Fluitjesriet. — (D.fluit, a&nte; We^, a reed.) Phragmites
communis (?) The reeds used by the natives of Bechuana-
land, etc., to make the flutes or whistles used at the Eeed
dances (q.v.).
" Er zijn ook nog zeekoeijen ; doch daar de meeste pannen
digt begroeid zijn met fluitjesriet, is het bijna onmogelijk ze
in hand te krijgen." (Hofmeyr's " Twintig Jaren in Zout-
pansberg," p. 131, 1890.)
Fluks. — (D. fluksch, brisk, quick, ready.) As used in Cape
Dutch this word means clever, lively, e.g. " 'nfluksche man,"
a good sort of fellow.
Flutter. — A speculation on a small scale in gold or other
scrip.
AFEICANDEEISMS 175
" The opportunities of the share market were open to the
humblest operator. Men and women, youths and maidens,
all could have a flutter." (Eobinson's "A Life Time in
South Africa," p. 366, 1900.)
Fly, The. — Glossina morsitans. The native name of this
insect is the Tse Tse (q.v.). Its bite is fatal to horses, oxen,
and indeed to most domestic animals, including even the
donkey and goat, animals which at one time were thought to
enjoy immunity from the fatal effects of its bite, which are
due to the incidental communication of Trypanosoma Brucei, a
blood parasite. The body of " the fly " is of a " dull, greyish
colour, with bars of a pink tinge across the body ". It is not
much larger than the common house-fly.
" They had all lost their oxen by the fly, and are now
scattered all over the country." (Baine's " South- West
Africa," p. (424), 1864.)
" Keeping a sharp look-out upon our own and each others'
horses to see that no fly settled on them." (Baine's
" Gold Eegions of South-East Africa," p. 67, 1877.)
Fly-catcher. — A member of the Order Asclepidacem is
^us appropriately designated, for it is no uncommon thing
to see nearly every blossom of this plant holding prisoner a
moth which has been caught by its feet between the edges of
two stamens.
Fly-catcher bush. — Staavia glutinosa and Boridula sp.
are both so called.
Fly country, or The fly. — Localities infested by the Tse
Tse. See Tse Tse country.
" At night as the moon rose we started to get through the
fly, but on entering it our wagon stuck against a large tree."
(Chapman's " Travels," i. p. 163, 1868.)
" The favourite spot for hunters, who usually left their
impedimenta there, before going dovroi into what is called the
Fly country (referring to the Tsetse fly) to look for big
game." (Kerr's " Far Interior," i. p. 84, 1886.)
Fly-stuck. — Animals that have been bitten by the Tse
Tse are said to have been fly-stuck or stucJc.
" If it is uncertain whether the horse has been bitten or
not the truth can be ascertained by pouring a few buckets of
water over him, when, if he has been stuck (as the hunters
call it) his coat will all stand on end." (Selous' " Wander-
ings," p. 131, 1895.)
176 AFEICANDEEISMS
" We thought that all our oxen and the two oxen we had
left at the wagon were fly-stuch." (Ibid., p. 349.)
Foei-toch. — (D. foei, for shame ! toch, why, to be sure.)
A common interjection all through South Africa, employed
to convey sympathy, surprise, affection, compassion, etc.
" I am, etc., Foei-toch." (" Bast London Dispatch," p. 6,
27 November, 1911.)
" The rheumatism— /oei .' it can pinch ! " (" The State,"
p. 84, July, 1912.)
Fontein. — (D.fontein, a fountain, spring.) Used through-
out South Africa for a spring.
"In dry countries any circumstance relating to water is
of sufficient importance to distinguish that place. Thus it is
that the Dutch word fontein is made such liberal use of in
every part of the Colony." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 259,
1822.)
Footsack. — See Voetsak.
" A violent barking of dogs was going on at some little
distance, and cries otfoot-sek with the slashing of a whip and
the yelping of a defeated cur." (" Cape Monthly Magazine,"
III. p. 332, 1871.)
Forage. — This term is applied to oat-hay all through
South Africa ; green oats, barley, etc., are termed " Green
forage ".
" Two crops of forage are generally grown in the year."
(Mann's "Natal," p. 131, 1859.)
Fore-clap. — See After-clap.
Fore-looper. — See Voor-looper.
" Some society would probably be established for provid-
ing a dress for the f or e-louper and some species of comfortable
leggings for the wagon-oxen." (Ward's "Five Years in
KafQrland," i. p. 135, 1848.)
Fore-loop, To. — (D. voorlooper, fore-runner.) The Dutch
word anglicized. (1) To go before. (2) To lead a span of
oxen when trekking, by means of a short riem attached to the
horns of the front pair.
" It is the duty of the Fingoe to hold a line which is made
fast to the heads of the leading oxen, and then to guide them
on the road they should go, this duty is called fore-locking."
(Drayson's " Tales of the Outspan," p. 19, 1862.)
Forest Vaal-bosch. — (D. vaal, sallow, tawny.) Brachy-
laena discolor, D. C, has received this name in the Transvaal.
AFEICANDEEISMS 177
Fore-touw. — (D. touw, a rope, string.) The riem by
which the fore-looper leads the oxen.
" The leader has made up his fore-touw, which is a long,
spare rheim, attached round the horns of each of the front or
fore oxen, by which he leads the team." (Cumming's " Ad-
ventures," I. p. 30, 1850.)
Forfarin. — The name given to a fish at Kalk Bay.
Fossick, To. — '(Probably from an English dialect, but
introduced into South Africa from Australia.) To dig or seek
for gold in the earth deposited between the strata of gold-
bearing rocks.
" The slightest difference was enough to urge them to
seek, fossick, or prospect for diamonds, that is to say, scratch
or dig up the surface, sieve and sort it, and sink small trial
shafts, when, if diamonds or good indications were not dis-
covered at a moderate depth, the place was abandoned, and
the prospector tried or fossicked elsewhere." (Matthew's
" Incwadi Yami," p. 142, 1887.)
" I've dug oadL fossicked in every likely place, and unlikely
one too." (Mitford's "Eenshaw Panning's Quest," p. 7,
1894)
Fossicker. — One who fossicks.
steady old fossicker s often get more
Than the fiist who opena ground.
(Roger's "New Eush," ii. p. 32, 1864.)
Fountain. — This word, influenced by the Dutch Fontein
(q.v.) is often used of a spring of water ; farmers speak of
opening up a "fountain ".
"He offered to bring the water of two neighbouring
fountains to water his land, but all his arguments made no
impression on the lazy boor." (Campbell's " Travels," p. 120,
1815.)
Foutje or Fooitje.— (D. foci, a tip, fee.) A tip, gratuity.
Fox. — Canis mesomelas is sometimes called the Fox. See
Silver jackal and Vos.
" No one has discovered an effective means of dealing with
the wibf fox. He is quite too knowing to fall into any trap
that may be laid for him, and as to poisoning this pest, he is
generally more than a match for the astute, long-suffering
farmer." (" Queenstown Weekly Eeview," 31 August, 1912.)
Franscli madam. — This curious appellation is given to the
fish Faqrus holubi.
12
178 AFEICANDEEISMS
Free State coal. — A euphemism for the dried Mist (q.v.)
which is largely used for fuel on up-country homesteads.
" Busied himself collecting Free State coal, as the dried
cow-dung is euphoniously called." (E. Jameson's "Eough
Notes of a Trip to the Transvaal Gold-fields," p. 1, 1886.)
French. — The name by which Cognac is generally spoken
of in South Africa; it is the shortened form of "French
brandy ".
" Every Africander knows real Cognac as French in
contradistinction to Boer brandy." (Bryden's "Kloof and
Karoo," p. 84, 1889.)
Freying. — (D. vrijen, to woo, court.) A colonial corrup-
tion of the Dutch word.
" They are very great at making love or freying as they
call it, and have their recognized forms for the operation."
(Mackinnon's "South African Traits," p. 118, 1887.)
Frikadels or Frikadeletjes. — (F. fricandeau, thin slices of
veal stewed or fried and served with sauce.) Balls of minced
meat and vegetables either fried or baked.
" ' Babooti ' and frikadel and ' potato-pie' are great im-
provements upon the minced meats of England." (" Cape
Monthly Magazine," i. p. 224, 1870.)
Fris. — (D. frisch, healthy, well.) This is the usual form
of the word in Cape Dutch, it is equivalent to the English
well, hearty.
" It was too much to expect that my whole forenoon should
be consumed in answering such questions as this : If I was
not afraid to travel alone : If the Governor was versch (pro-
nounced fresh) or in good health." (Alexander's " Expedi-
tion," I. p. 65, 1838.)
Froetangs. — The fruits of several small plants — Bomulea
minutiflora, Klatt, etc.
" Trichonema. Perianth-tube short with a funnel-shaped,
spreading, regular limb. Stigmas linear, two-parted. Fruits
eaten by children; Frutang." (Edwards and Marloth's
" Elementary Botany," p. 176, 1897.)
" In the grass before sun-set he crawled about searching
for fritongs, or small roots dear to the ' grey-wing ' and the
' red '." (" Argus Christmas Annual," p. 13, 1904.)
Frog spittle. — The name sometimes given to the green
scum found on the water of stagnant pools. It consists
principally of minute algae.
AFEICANDEEISMS 179
Fugitives' Drift.— A ford of the Buffalo Eiver, Natal, five
miles from Isandhlwana, the scene of the disaster to the
British troops in Zululand in 1879. The few fugitives from
that disaster sought to escape across this drift, v^hich has
since been known by this name.
" Near the river are a few trees, opposite a slope covered
with grass, leading to what is now known as Fugitives' Drift.
At the bottom of this Melville and Coghil fell, and there he
buried under a stone monument cut and put up to their
memory by their comrades." (Montague's "Campaigning
in South Africa," p. 89, 1880.)
Full of. — In frequent use in various parts of South Africa
in the sense of " covered with " : e.g. " The child is full of
mud" means "The child is covered with mud". It is an
imitation of the Dutch idiom ; cf. Ger. Die Stiefeln sind
voll Schmutz — the boots are covered with mud.
Funa join. — (Kaf. uhu Funa, to seek after.) The native's
method of intimating to the labour agent his desire to obtain
work at the gold mines. Such natives are now commonly
spoken of on the Border and in the Native Territories as
Funa joins.
"Needless to say the local Funa joins were in attendance
. . . what a centre this is for Funa joins, for during the
past week quite twenty . . . have had accommodation."
("East London Dispatch," p. 10, 29 June, 1912.)
Funk sticlcs. — A slang phrase applied to those who, in
times of danger, are overcome of fright or fear : a coward.
" A nervous man is forty times worse than a frightened
woman, as is the case here, he has any number of drink-
fuddled funk-stichs to echo his alarm." (Baden Powell's
" Matabeleland Campaign— 1896," p. 438, 1897.)
Furrow, or Water=furrow. — The narrow open channel by
which water for purposes of irrigation is brought ("led out")
from rivers or springs into " lands " (q.v.) or gardens is known
by this name throughout South Africa, while the leadings
from the main " furrow " are termed "sluits ".
"A shallow ditch is dug called at, furrow into which the
water is turned. Other furrows branch from the principal
one, which can be opened or closed by a shovelful of earth."
(Lowndes' "Every-day Life in South Africa," p. 86, 1900.)
Fur-seal, Cape. — Otaria pusilla. See Sea-lion, Cape.
" Three young examples of the Cape sea-lion or fur-seal
12*
180 AFEICANDEEISMS
(Otaria pusilla) ." ("East London Dispatch," p. 5, 7 Sep-
tember, 1911.)
Qa. — (Hot. "xa, interj. des Abscheues (bei Eauch und
Gestank) ". Kronlein's " Wortschatz der Khoi-KJioin ".) An
interjection common throughout South Africa expressive of
disgust ; the G is guttural.
Gage or Qasie. — (F. gager, to hire, to pay.) In Cape
Dutch this word is applied to wages paid for a small service.
Qaljeon. — (Sp. galeon, Lat. galea, a galley.) Dipterodon
capensis. The name probably refers to the shape of this fish,
which is not unlike that of the three-deckers of the Armada.
" The galjeon also can readily be supposed to have derived
its name from its resemblance in shape to the high built three-
decker of the fifteenth and sixteenth century called by the
Spanish galeon (Latin galea), and by the Dutch galjeon or
galleon." (Gilchrist's "Local Names of Cape Pish," p. 221,
" Trans. S.A. Phil. Soc," 1900.)
Qal-lamziekte. — (D. gal, gall, bile, spleen; lam, lame,
paralysed ; ziekte, sickness.) A disease which has recently
caused great loss to the farmers of Bechuanaland and the
neighbouring districts of the Transvaal and Orange Pree State.
It differs somewhat from typical Lamziekte (q.v.) in that there
would appear to be a touch of Anthrax (splenic fever) as well :
but the experts have not been able as yet to trace it to its
source.
" In discussing gal-lamziekte many farmers have expressed
the opinion that the disease is caused by some poisonous
plant." (" Agric. Journ. of the Union of South Africa," p. 58,
January, 1912.)
Qall sickness. — The South African designation of almost
every form of derangement of the liver in cattle, sheep and
goats.
" The number of deaths in Cape Colony from gall-sickness
as the term is commonly understood, amounts to over a
quarter of a million cattle, sheep and goats annually."
(Wallace's " Farming Industries of the Cape Colony," p. 288,
1896.)
Qal ziekte. — See Gall sickness.
Qal-ziekte bosch. — The name sometimes given in Bechu-
analand to Chenopodium anthelminticum, Linn. ; it is so called
because it is supposed to be a remedy for Gall sickness.
" A strong smelling weed, often sent to us under the name
AFEICANDEEISMS 181
galziehte bosch, and considered by many farmers to be a cure
for galziekte." (" S.A. Agric. Journ." p. 177, August, 1912.)
Gamka River. — (Hot. "%ami, subst. der Lowe; %ama;a,
adj. lowenreich," Kronlein.) One of the principal tributaries
of the Gouritz (q.v.).
Qanna bosch. — See Kannabosch.
" Di ganna as hos groei op byna elke plaas in Fraserburg,
Sutherland, Williston, Carnarvon, Victoria West, Beaufort
West, Hope Town, Graaff Eeinet en andere distrikte. Dis
diselfde plant wat di boers brand om as van te kry, waarmee
hulle boerseep kook, en wat hulle loog noem." (Dijkman's
" Kook, Koek en Eesepte Boek," p. 172, 1898.)
Gansegaar. — (G. ganz und gar, quite, totally.) Even,
indeed.
Garden Colony, The. — This designation has been given to
Natal on account of the variety and beauty of its flora.
" The Garden Colony deserves its name, so universal in
Durban are its lawns of smooth turf, and its banks of blossom
and foliage." (Devereaux's " Side Lights on South Africa,"
p. 158, 1899.)
Qarenboom. — (D. garen, yarn, thread ; boom, a tree.)
The name given in the Eiversdale district to Agave americana.
Garenklip. — (D. garen, yarn, thread ; Mip, a rock.) An
appropriate name applied to asbestos.
Garfish. — The Natal name of a fish — Belone acus (?) —
similar in appearance to the fish so named in Kent.
" It may be as well to say that the proper name of this
fish is ' Belone '. It belongs to the pike family and is some-
times called 'garpike'. It differs from the 'hair-tail,' in
having a forked instead of a thin whip-tail, and in the fact that
the ' hair-tail ' has one fin extending along the whole back,
while the garfish has only one short dorsal fin near the tail."
("Natal Mercury Pictorial," p. 783, 1906.)
Gariep. — (Hot. * Garib, with an initial cerebral click.)
Nu Gariep, the Hottentot name of the Orange Eiver, signifying
the Great Eiver. See Vaal, The.
" It has been supposed that Ethiopia is the great cradle
of locusts, but those which infest the Colony are probably bred
in the deserts of the interior, beyond the Gariep or Great
Orange Eiver." (Eevd. T. Smith's "Sketches of South
Africa," " Wesleyan Methodist Magazine," p. 1223, 1848.)
Garoupe. — A species of rock-cod — Epinephelus gigas —
182 APEICANDEEISMS
is so named at Delagoa Bay. See Koning Klip-visch and
Eock cod.
" These fish are known as . . . Garoupe at Delagoa Bay."
("East London Dispatch," p. 7, 1 December, 1908.)
Garrick. — The fish known in the Cape Colony as the Leer-
visch (q.v.). Lichia amia, is known in Natal and at Port St.
John as the Garrick.
" Manage to get one garrick weighing 5 lbs." ("East
London Dispatch," 3 April, 1906.)
Carter snake. — Aspidelaps lubricus and Homorelaps lac-
teus are known as the larger and smaller garter snakes re-
spectively. They are conspicuously marked by alternate rings
of black and red.
" The Garter snakes and the Vipers are the only snakes
of South Africa which permit themselves generally to be
closely approached without evincing much concern." (" East
London Dispatch," 10 June, 1910.)
Gates, St. John's. — The bold rocky headlands at the en-
trance to the St. John or Umzimvubu Eiver.
" The river runs towards the sea through two high hills
called the Gates of St. John's." (Ex C.M.E.'s, " With the
Cape Mounted Eifles," p. 197, 1881.)
"Inside of the Gates the river partakes more of the
character of a lake or lagoon than a stream." (Henkel's
" The Native or Transkeian Territories," p. 36, 1903.)
Gatrij. — (D. gaan, to go ; rijden, to ride, drive.) This
word is the Cape Dutch equivalent of the Enghsh " Shank's
mare," to go on foot.
Gebroken veld. — (D. gebroken, broken.) Veld in which
there is a mixture of sour and sweet grass, or of grass and
Karoo herbage.
" Het Transvaal -gebied wordt verder onderscheiden in ;
Hoogveld, Boschveld en Gebroken veld." (" De Worstelstrijd
der Transvalers," p. 332, 1882.)
" Half and half (gebroken) veldt, occupying an intermedi-
ate position in the way of quality." (Wallace's " Farming
Industries of the Cape Colony," p. 81, 1896.)
Geelbek.— (D. geel, yellow ; bek, a beak, bill.) Anas
flavirostris. This duck is widely distributed in South
Africa ; its bill is a bright yellow (with the tip and centre of
the upper mandible black), hence the name.
" The Geelbec is our commonest duck, being abundant all
AFEICANDEEISMS 183
over the Colony and South Africa generally." (Layard and
Sharpe's " Birds of South Africa," p. 755, 1875-84.)
" This is a light-brown duck, and is easily identified by
the bright yellow bill from which it takes its Boer name —
geelbec." (Bryden's " Gun and Camera," p. 404, 1893.)
Qeelbek. — (1) Otolithus equidens, Cuv. A large, rather
coarse fish common round the Cape. See Cape salmon. (2)
The term is also applied abusively to a coloured person.
" The name Cape Salmon ... is now appropriated almost
exclusively by the Geelbek, a fish which, seen fresh from its
native element, certainly does call to mind the brilliance and
majestic proportions of its European namesake." (Gilchrist's
" History of Local Names of Cape Fish," p. 216, " Trans. S.A.
Phil. Soc," 1900.)
Qeelbek wouw. — (D. wouw, a kite.) Milvus aegyptius.
See Kuikendief.
Geelbloemetjes. — (D. geel, yellow ; bloem, a flower.)
Sutera atropurpurea, Hiern, and S. brunnea. See Cape
saffron.
" The flowers of L. crocea are called Cape saffron (Geele
bloemetjes)." (Edwards and Marloth's " Elementary Botany
for South Africa," p. 162, 1897.)
Qeelbloemetjes Thee. — The leaves of Leyssera gnapha-
loides, L. are infused and used under this name for coughs
and colds.
Qeel-dikkop.— (D. geel, yellow; dik, thick, fat; kop,
head.) A disease affecting sheep and goats, prevalent chiefly
in the Karoo districts.
" There is another complaint which is very deadly among
sheep, called Gheel dikop. It commences with large swellings
about the head and the animal generally dies at last of suffo-
cation." (Macnab's " On Veldt and Earm," p. 231, 1897.)
Qeele patrijs. — (D. patrijs, a partridge.) Pterodes
variegatus. Described by Burchell as a Bechuanaland bird.
(II. p. 345.)
" The Variegated sandgrouse {Pterodes variegatus), called
the Geele patrijs (yellow partridge) by the Boers." (Haag-
ner and Ivy's " Sketches of South African Bird Life," p. 123,
1908.)
Qeele pisang. — (D. geel, yellow ; pisang, a banana.) Stre-
litzia regina. (Thunberg's " Flora Capensis," p. 216, 1823.)
Qeelgat.— (D. geel, yellow; gat, opening, posterior.)
Pycnonotus capensis. See Kuifkop.
184 AFEICANDEEISMS
" Mr. Atmore writes that ' the eggs are white, and usu-
ally deposited in the nest of the Geelgat (Pycnonotus ccvpen-
sis) '." (Layard and Sharpe's " Birds of South Africa," p. 160,
1875-84.)
Qeelhout. — (D. geel, yellow ; hout, wood.) (1) In the
Transvaal this name is given to Podocarpus elongata. (2)
In the Cape Province it is usually applied to P. Thunbergii,
Hook. (3) But at Sterkstroom the name has been given to
Leucosidea sericea.
Qeel meerkat. — (D. geel, yellow.) Gynictis penicillata.
See Eooi meerkat and Meerkat.
Qeel-lip slang. — (D. geel, yellow; slang, a snake.) Lam-
pr aphis fuscus — found in the Western Province of Cape
Colony.
Geelpens. — (J), pens, paunch.) An abusive epithet applied
to persons of mixed European and Hottentot blood.
Qeel sijsje. — (D. sijsje, a linnet ; cf. Ger. Zeisig, a green
finch.) Serinus sulphuratus.
" The large Yellow seedeater (Serinus sulphuratus), the
Geel seisje of the Boers, and ' Bully ' of the colonial boys."
(Haagner and Ivy's " Sketches of South African Bird Life,"
p. 84, 1908.)
Qeel slang. — (D. slang, a snake.) Naia flava. The
Cape cobra, found all over South Africa.
" Several times while out hunting we saw a large yellow
snake, that was rapid in its movements, disappearing into a
katteah or meercat's hole, before we could get near enough
to dispatch it . . . they called it a Jill slange, or yellow-
snake." (Farini's " Through the Kalahari Desert," p. 451,
1886.)
Qeel staart. — (D. staart, a tail.) See Albacore and Yel-
low-tail.
" The yellow-tail, known also as the albicore, geelstaart,
etc., is probably the amberjack of American waters." (" Na-
tal Mercury Pictorial," p. 767, 1906.)
Qeelvoorlijf. — (D. voor, before; lijf, the body, belly;
voorljf, the fore part of the body.) A supposed variety of
lion. See Zwart-voorlijf.
"A prevailing opinion among the Boers that there are
two distinct varieties of lion, which they distinguish by the
respective names of ' Schwart-fore-life ' and Ghiel-f ore-life."
(Cumming's "Adventures," i. p. 195, 1850.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 186
Qeel zee slang. — (D. geel, yellow; zee, sea; slang, a
snake.) Rydrus platurus. See Black sea snake. These
snakes are exceedingly poisonous.
Qeilziekte. — (D. geheel, full; ziehte, sickness, disease.)
A disease affecting sheep principally, the first stomach being
distended by gas.
" We understand that a great many sheep are dying from
' geel-zieJcte ' owing to the luxuriance of the grass. " (" Queens-
town Free Press," 16 January, 1861.)
" Several opinions are entertained with respect to the
nature and cause of Geilziekte, but the one most generally
accepted is that it is due to the direct action of a chemical
poison which is produced in certain succulent plants by the
action of the scorching heat of the sun." ("Science in
Africa," p. 358, 1905.)
Qeitje. — (Hot. geip, a lizard ; the word has an initial
click.) Phyllodactylus porphyreus. A small lizard errone-
ously credited by the natives with being exceedingly poisonous.
It has viscous lobes on the digits by which it is enabled to
walk up very smooth surfaces without difficulty. The present
form of the name appears to be a corruption of the Hottentot
name due to a striving after meaning. (Cf. D. geit, a
goat.)
" Aloven Smidt . . . had caught a dreadfully venomous
lizard, called t'geitje." (Sparrman's " Voyage," i. p. 331,
1785.)
(N.B. — The initial t of the word represents the Hottentot
click.)
" One species of lizard called the p-eiil/e . . . is considered
very venomous." (Pringle's " Narrative," p. 53, 1840.)
" Scant mercy is extended to the harmless gaetye,
because of their imaginary venomous character." (Noble's
" South Africa," p. 80, 1877.)
Qeld. — (D. geld, money, cash.) This word often takes
the place in ordinary South African conversation of the word
" money ".
" Eeturn to the time of ' Blue-backs,' which, without
the Englishman's ' geld,' they knew they must do in a year
or two at the farthest." ("At Home in the Transvaal," p.
501, 1884.)
"You must get more gelt man. It's easy." (Green's
" Eichard Hartley, Prospector," p. 125, 1905.)
186 AFRICANDEEISMS
Geluk I . — (D. geluJc, happiness, prosperity ; cf. G. Gluck.)
As employed in South Africa it is the equivalent of " I wish
you prosperity, success " ; also a birthday congratulation.
Qem of the Desert or Karoo. — The somewhat flattering
designation given to the garden town of Graaff Eeinet, situate
in the Karoo.
" Vineyards, gardens, orchards . . . these give the town
a very pleasant appearance, and its marked contrast with the
surrounding arid Karoo plains, obtained for it long ago the
appropriate title of the ' Gem of the Desert '." (Noble's
"Official Handbook," p. 103, 1886.)
Qemsbok. — (D. g' ems, the chamois.) Oryx gazella. The
only animal of the antelope family that will dare to battle
with the lion. Burchell objects to the colonial name because
it belongs properly to the chamois of the Alps.
" A herd of antelopes of the species known among the
boors by the misapplied name of Gemsbok, was observed at
a distance." (Burchell's " Travels," ii. p. 23, 1824.)
Genesblaren. — (D. genezen, to cure, heal ; blad, a leaf.)
Solatium giganteum, Jacq., and other members of the same
order.
" The leaves of this Solanum are smooth on the upper
surface and woolly on the lower. The application of the
latter to foul ulcers cleanses them^ and a cure is afterwards
effected by applying the upper surface. Hence the Dutch
name geenesblaren." (Pappe's " Florae Capensis Medicae
Prodromus," p. 30, 1860.)
George lily. — Vallota purpurea, Herb. So named be-
cause it is chiefly found near the town of George on the Post
Berg. See Knysna lily, another name for the same flower.
Gezondheid. — (D. gezondheid, health.) Used as an equi-
valent of " I wish you good health ".
" Pulled ' a young man's, companion ' from a sort of
satchel which hung at his side, and the rising sun was greeted
by a gezondheid from several lips as we quaffed the morning
soupie." (" Cape Monthly Magazine," ii. p. 30, 1875.)
" Well, here's success to the Tapinyani concession ! San-
teit ! and another thousand a year to us all." (Bryden's
" Tales of South Africa," p. 183, 1896.)
Qhab. — (Hot. "*qhoub, frischer, noch nasser mist".
Kronlein under carub — the q and c represent initial clicks, the
former palatal, the latter dental.) Stapelia pilifera (as well
APEICANDEEISMS 187
as others of these Carrion-flowers as they are called), is known
by this name in the Karoo.
" Here we find stunted Mesembryanthemums, numerous
kinds of Euphorbias, the peculiar Ghap (Stapelia) in at
least a half dozen varieties." ("Trans. S.A. Phil. Soc," I,
I. p. 24, 1878.)
Qhoen. — (Hot. " * gon, verb, etwas auf die erde legen oder
werfen ". Kronlein. The word has an initial cerebral click.)
The stone with which hop-scotch is played ; the marble
with which a boy shoots.
Ghokutn. — (Hot.* gauJcum.) The fruit of Mesembryan-
themum edule. See Hottentot fig. The name is given to
other species also.
" The leaves of ghoJcum or ' Hottentot fig ' bruised and
strained are excellent as a gargle." (Hilda's " Diary of a Cape
Housekeeper," p. 283, 1902.)
Giant protea. — Protea cynaroides, found on Table Moun-
tain, not often flowering.
Gift blaar. — (D. gift, ■poison; blad, & le&i.) Dichapetalum
cymosum. A plant found in the Transvaal which causes the
death of a large number of cattle. See Mak gauw.
" The following report on analysis and physiological tests
of Ghailletia or Gift-blaar {Dichapetalum cymosum, here also
called Ghailletia cymosa) . . . has been received from the
Director of the Imperial Institute," p. 626. (" Transvaal
Agric. Journal," July, 1910.)
Qiftbol. — (D. gift, poison ; bol, bulb, bulbous root.)
Buphane disticha. Used by the Bushmen in making poison
for their arrows.
" Plants of Amaryllis toxicana were in many places very
abundant. . . . This plant is well known to the Bushmen on
account of the virulent poison contained in its bulb. It is
also known to the colonists and Hottentots by the name of
Gift-bol (poison bulb)." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 639, 1822.)
Gift boom. — (D. gift, poison ; boom, a tree.) Acohanthera
venenata. {Oestrum venenatum, Thunberg's " Plora Capensis,"
p. 193, 1823.)
"With its attractive flowers, foliage and berries, it is
perhaps the most dangerous poison our forests contain."
(Sim's "Forest Flora of Gape Colony," p. 270, 1907.)
Gilletjes.— (F. gile, a clown.) Nods and winks. Hij
verkoop gilletjes. He is up to all sorts of tricks.
188 AFRICANDBEISMS
Gillies or Gilliminkies. — These names are applied in the
Eastern Province to one or two varieties of small, fresh-water
fish.
" Anglers returning honie somewhat crestfallen at having
caught no fish — not even a gilleyminkie." (" East London
Dispatch," 3 August, 1907.)
" These anglers must often catch some of the carp in-
digenous to our fresh-water streams, generally known as
gillies." (" East London Dispatch," 3 December, 1907.)
Qim. — The name given up country to the particles of
gold collected by the natives, enclosed in quills, and used by
them for purposes of barter.
" I was impressed as early as 1853 with a floating idea
that the greater part of what is now the Chartered Company's
Territory was more or less auriferous, and indeed obtained
from the natives several vultures' quills full of gim, more or
less rounded grains of gold. Evidently the produce of what
I believe the Cornish miners call streaming." (Nicholson's
" Fifty Years in South Africa," p. 208, 1898.)
Ginger-bread tree. — The name was given originally to
the famous Doum palm — Hyphaene thebaica, but has been
transferred to the South African species, and Hyphaene
crinita, Ga/rtn. is thus designated up country because the
rind of the fruit, like that of the former, has the flavour of
gingerbread.
" They are miniature cocoa-nuts. . . . The rind is
esteemed very good eating, resembling somewhat in flavour
ginger-nuts, hence it is known as the ginger-bread tree."
(Chapman's " Travels," ii. p.73, 1868.)
Giraffe. — (Ar. zarafa, a camelopard.) Ga/melopa/rdalis
giraffa. This beautiful animal has entirely disappeared from
South Africa, and is only to be obtained by the big game
hunters who find their way to the wooded plains of Central
Africa.
" The presence of the giraffe ... is always a certain in-
dication of water being within a distance of seven or eight
miles." (Livingstone's " Travels," in. p. 56, 1857.)
Glas oogie. — (D. oog, an eye.) Zosterops capensis has a
variety of names among the Dutch. See Karre-oogie, Witte-
oogie, and Kersoogie.
Glass eye. — Camaroptera olivacea. The name by which
this bird is known in Natal. See Bush-goat.
AFEICANDEEISMS 189
" It is sometimes called the Glass eye from the ring of
buff feathers round its eye." (Woodward's " Natal Birds," p.
28, 1899.)
Glass eye. — Another East London name for the fish
known also as the Bully (q.v.).
" Bully, Glass eye (Bast London)." (" East London
Dispatch," 14 August, 1905.)
Glass nose. — Engraulis vitricostris. The Natahans have
thus designated this fish.
Gli. — (Hot. ?). Qlia gummifera. From the roots of this
plant the Hottentots prepare an intoxicating drink.
Globe fish. — Diodon hystrix. The name given to this fish
at East London. See Zee vark.
Gloxinia. — The flowers of Streptocarpus rexii are some-
times so called in the Eastern Province. See Twin sisters.
Glutton bird. — The sailors' name for Ossifraga gigantea.
See Leopard bird.
Gnaarboom. — (The first part of this word appears to be
of Hottentot origin, having an initial click ; the Kaffir name
for this tree is urn Hlonhlo.) Euphorbia tetragona. See
Naboom.
To whom two nests I should have shewn
In gnaarboom's green to you unknown.
(" Cape Monthly Magazine," ii. p. 12, 1875.)
" De plaats ontleent haren naam aan een grooten 'Ngha-
boom die er staat, een fraaije boom van de Cactus soort, zoo
als ik meen, zeer hoog. Er staan regt velen bij het opper-
hoofd Matlata en op verscheidene andere plaatsen." (Hof-
meyr's " Twintig Jarenin Zoutpansberg," p. 88, 1890.)
Gnap. — The boys in Grahamstown collect the latex from
Euphorbia polygona, Haw., chew it and thus obtain a crude
rubber, which they call "gnap" or "nap" — boiled up and
mixed with resin and fat it makes a bird lime. In Queens-
town, where the name is sometimes corrupted into "map,"
the latex of Euphorbia pulvinata, Marloth (the Pincushion
cactus, q.v.), is used for the same purpose, but is prepared
by rubbing in the hands and not by chewing.
Gnu. — (Kaf. in Nqu.) Gonnochaetes gnu. This animal
is more frequently spoken of as the Wildebeest (q.v.), and is
now only found on a few farms, where it is carefully preserved,
in the Orange Eiver Colony.
" Game of all sorts were in the greatest abundance; but
190 AFEICANDEEISMS
the chief object was the gnoo, or wild beast, as it is called by
the Dutch." (Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 259, 1801.)
Goat's foot. — A Bechuanaland name for a species of
Bauhinia the reference being to the shape of the leaves.
Goedkoop. — (D. goedkoop, cheap.) Cheap, cheaply; cf.
Chaucer's " good chep " in " Troylus and Creseyde " (ii. 641) : —
She thoughte, as good chep may I dw«llen here.
Qoga or gogatje. — (Hot. x'^X^''^' collect. " fiir alle kleine
kriechende und schleichende Thierchen, Spuk". Kronlein-
to which the Dutch diminutive termination has been affixed.)
A term applied to an insect of any sort throughout South
Africa. The g in each case is guttural.
"This country ought to be called Gogoland ; it simply
swarms with insects." (Du Plessis' " A Thousand Miles in
the Heart of Africa," p. 54, 1905.)
" We have heard South Africa described as a land of
goggas, and though in certain portions of the tropics a greater
number of insects may be found, our country does undoubtedly
contain a very considerable quantity." (" East London Dis-
patch," p. 5, 8 January, 1909.)
" Another old, well-grown tree of the same species and it
likewise is infested with those abominable gogotjes which
have already done considerable damage to it." (" East
London Dispatch," p. 6, 27 November, 1911.)
Golden cuckoo. — Ghrysococcyx Klaasi, G. cupreus, and G.
smaragdineus, are each known by this name. See Didric.
" The Green-and-gold cuckoo was found in abundance."
(BurcheU's " Travels," i. p. 502, 1822.)
"I shot one specimen of the Golden cuckoo and a number
of the Bronze cuckoo." (Leyland's " Adventures in South
Africa," p. 7, 1866.)
Golden mole. — Ghrysochloris aurea. This animal is hke
the ordinary mole in its habits, but quite unlike it structur-
ally.
" The golden mole is tailless, whereas the blesmol, mole
rat and sand mole have short tails. In the golden mole the
fur has a metallic sheen." (" The State," p. 229, September,
1912.)
Golden rain. — The King William's Town name for the
Cape honeysuckle (q.v.), Tecomara capensis.
Gold stripes. — Sargus cervinus. This is its East London
AFEICANDEEISMS 191
name ; in Natal it is known as the Karanteen (q.v.)- See
also Wilde paard and Zebra.
Qom bosch — (D. gom, gum.) Sutherlandia frutescens, B.
Br. is so named in the neighbourhood of Grahamstown. I
am disposed to regard the first part of this name as a corrup-
tion of the Hottentot *num. See Num bosch. This is re-
garded as a valuable stock feeding plant in the Karoo, but in
the grass-veld the stock seldom eat it.
Qom pauw. — (D. gom, gum ; pauw, a peacock.) Otis
Jcori. The large, crested pauw.
" Here a gum pauw, or bustard, which subsists partly on
gum, was shot." (Alexander's "Expedition," ii. p. 199,
1838.)
" The Bustards (Otidae) are represented by no less than
twelve species, ranging from the large Gom pauw (Otis kori),
the male of which sometimes weighs as much as 40 lbs. to the
smaller Knorhaan (Otis afro) about the same size as a par-
tridge." (" Science in Africa," p. 143, 1905.)
Qona. — This appears to be a corruption of Kanna (q.v.).
I have heard the bush referred to spoken of by the same in-
dividual by both names almost in the same breath. The g is
guttural.
" The ' gona or soap-bush ' from the ash of which . . .
the ley for soap-boihng is made." (Chapman's " Travels," i.
p. 375, 1868.)
Qoniv or Qonoph. — (Heb. 133, gannav, a thief, Exodus
XXII. 1.) A Jewish word at one time in common use on the
Diamond Fields for an I.D.B. (q.v.). As used in Holland it
means a rascal, and in this sense it is applied by Dickens in
" Bleak House," ch. xix. (gonoph). The " Slang Dictionary,
1873," gives the word " Gonnof " which, it says, is very old,
and refers to the song of the insurgents during Kett's rebel-
lion in Norfolk in the reign of Edward VI, in support of the
statement : —
The country gnoffes, Hob, Dick, and Hick,
With clubbes and clouted shoon,
Shall fill up Dussyn dale
With slaughter'd bodies soone.
It refers the two words " Gonnof " and " Gnof " to the
Hebrew ganav, a thief. Gnof is used by Chaucer for a churl.
(Milleres " Tale," 3187-3189 A) :—
192 AFEICANDEEISMS
Whylom ther was dwellinge at Oxenford
A rich gnof that gestes heeld to bord,
And of hig craft he was a Carpenter.
In his note on this word Skeat (" The Complete Works of
Geoffrey Chaucer," 1894) also connects it with the same
Hebrew word.
But the word " gnof " and the word " gonoph," used by
Dickens of Jo (" Bleak House," xix.), appear to be two quite
different words. The " Oxford Dictionary," as suggestive of the
origin of the word "gnof," refers to the B. Frisian words
hnufe, lump, and gnuffig, thick, rough, coarse, ill-mannered ;
while the word " Gonoph " is the form which the Hebrew
word gannav has assumed in Yiddish and in thieves' slang.
It appears to have been brought to England from the con-
tinent about a century ago, as it was brought to the South
African Diamond Fields about forty years ago, by German
Jews. It has been suggested the word " gun " in the expres-
sion "son of a gun" is a contraction of "gonoph" — this,
however, is doubtful.
" Thieves are prigs, cracksmen, mouchers, gonophs, go-
alongs." (Sala's " Looking at Life," p. 37, n.d.)
" ' Whoa you gonof,' cried Simon to the pony as the
animal threw up his head." (Cohen's " Eeminiscences of
Kimberley," p. 294, 1911.)
Gonivah. — (Heb. illJ?, genavah, a theft, the thing stolen ;
Exodus XXII. 3.) A slang name, in use among the I.D.B.
fraternity on the Diamond Fields, for a diamond known to
have been stolen or come by illicitly.
" The imperence to fancy that a respectable man like him
would buy a goniva." (Matthews' " Incwadi Yami," p. 189,
1887.)
" Say, stranger, have you struck the original I.D.B.
cemetery, or how is it that you find such a thundering heap
of gonivas in your ground!" ("I.D.B.," by W. T. E., p.
234, 1887.)
" If youVe got the gonivahs why don't you plant 'em some-
where safe, and run 'em down when you get a chance, hke
the others do?" (Griffith's " Knaves of Diamonds," p. 65,
1899.)
Qonya. — (Kaf, um Konya, an insect which makes an un-
canny noise at night.) An insect of the Pneumora Species
(P. scutellaris) ; to hear the sound which this insect makes
AFEICANDBEISMS 193
at night is regarded by the Kaffirs as a bad omen. See
Bias op.
" The ' last voices of night ' that I heard as sleep breathed
over me was the Ghonya shrieking in the woods afar off like
a wounded ghost." (Noble's " The Cape and its People," p.
367, 1869.)
" The male is familiar to residents in the Eastern Districts
by the Kaffir name of ghonya as well as by the very loud and
prolonged noise which he makes at night." (" Trans. S.A.
Phil. Soc," p. xxii, vm. Part i., 1893.)
" The Ghonya from the darkness cried again as if the
sorrows of the world were in the cry." (Glanville's " Tales
from the Veld," p. 129, 1897.)
Qood-for, A.— (1) The South African form of "I.O.U."
(2) Promissory notes issued by the Transvaal Government
previous to the annexation by Sir Theophilus Shepstone were
also known as " Good-fors ".
" Behalve de gouvernementsnoten werden er door hande-
laars, private personen en zelfs door Kerkbesturen goedvoors
(' goed ' voor drie pence of zes pence enz.) ... in circulatie
gebracht." (Cachet's " De Worstelstrijd der Transvalers," p.
438 n., 1882.)
" The Pretoria tradesmen would no longer accept goodfors
of even a few shillings' value." (Fitzpatrick's " The Outspan,"
p. 77, 1897.)
" ' Now I'll just take your Good-for for that thousand
pounds, Mr. Lipinski, and then we'll say good night.' "
(Griffith's " Knaves of Diamonds," p. 51, 1899.
Qood karroo. — Adenachaena parvifolia is so termed.
" A parvifolia (Good karroo) is one of the most valuable
plants, as pasture, for Merino sheep." (Harvey's " Genera of
South African Plants," p. 184, 1868.)
" Ghrysocoma tenuifolia, Berg. . . . keeps green in
winter, and is often browsed, but less so than the Goed-
karroos." (" S. A. Agric. Jour.," p. 177, August, 1912.)
Goose, Spur-winged. — Plectropterus gambensis. Each
wing is armed with a sharp spur.
" The Spur-winged goose (Plectropterus gambensis).
Known to the Boers as the Wilde macaauw (wild muscovy)."
(Haagner and Ivy's " Sketches of South African Bird Life,"
p. 149, 1908.)
Gorah. — A Hottentot musical instrument made of a bent
13
194 AFEICANDBEISMS
reed, along which is stretched a length of prepared sinew,
with a small piece of split quill at the end of it. Inserting
the piece of quill in his mouth, by strong breathing the per-
former produces a few soft notes.
" This instrument is called a t'goera, a name which seems
to be applicable enough to it, as tolerably well corresponding
with the sound of the instrument." (Sparrman's " Voyage,"
I. p. 229, 1785.)
" A single performer, quite absorbed in the musical tones
of his goorah." (Chapman's " Travels," ii. p. 167, 1868.)
Qoratjes. — (Hot. " ^orci, verb, nach Wasser graben," Kron-
lein.) Holes made in the sand of river beds for the water to
percolate into.
" Dry sand rivers in which you have to dig gorratjes (little
holes in the sand) to find water." . (Du Toit's " Ehodesia," p.
42, 1897.)
Gora water. — Water which has been obtained by the
above process. This method of obtaining water must have
been known to the Hottentots before the advent of Europeans,
and for that reason the word "gora" should seem to be of
Hottentot origin, and the etymology suggested by Backhouse
to be due to a striving after meaning. The expression is in
common use in the Midland Districts of the Cape Colony to-
day. See Crow water.
" Near this place water for the horses and for making
coffee was obtained from a hole dug in the soil. This is
termed gra' water, graven or digged water." (Backhouse's
" Narrative," p. 580, 1844.)
Qoshen. — One of the two independent states set up by
the Boers, of which Stellaland was the other; they were
both abolished and the country declared to be British territory
by Sir C. Warren in 1884.
" Two Httle Boer republics, Goshen and Stellaland, were
actually formed on the territory of the chiefs under British
protection." (" Times' History of the War," i. p. 78, 1900.)
Goudboom. — (D. goud, gold ; boom, a tree.) Protea cono-
carpa (Thunberg's "Flora Capensis," p. 126, 182S) = Leucos-
perrmim conoca/rpum, B. Br.
Goudsbloem. — (D. goud, gold ; bloem, a flower.) (1) Cry-
ptostemma calendulaceum, B. Br. The marigold is known in
Holland by this name, but in South Africa it has been trans-
ferred to this flower, which is not unlike a dandeUon, except
AFEICANDBEISMS 195
that it has a dark centre. (2) Various species of Gazania are
also known by this name. I have seen Namaqualand, after
rains, in some parts absolutely carpeted with them for miles.
" The term Goudsbloem, Uke too many of the colonial
names, is applied gratuitously to various plants fancied to
have a resemblance to the Marygold. Different species of
Arctotis have generally been pointed out to me and some-
times a kind of Gotula." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 229 n.,
1822.)
" In September the ground is literally carpeted with end-
less varieties of gazenias — local name GousUoom." (Hilda's
" Diary of a Cape Housekeeper," p. 190, 1902.)
Qouna vijg. — (D. vijg, a fig.) Mesembryanthemum edule,
L. is so called in the Eiversdale District. See Hottentot fig.
Qouph. — (Hot. " c houl^, subst. das Fett um den Magen,"
Kronlein.) The upper drainage area of the Gamka Eiver,
which is exceedingly fertile after rain.
" Through the Gouph or hollow of the Karoo." (Wallace's
" Farming Industries of the Cape Colony," p. 75, 1896.)
Qouritz. — For the first part of its course this river is
known as the Gamka, it has its rise in the Nieuwveld Moun-
tains.
Qo-way bird. — The onomatopoetic name of Schizorhis
concolor, the grey plaintain eater. See Groote muisvogel.
" I continue my walk along the kopje top succeeding in
obtaining specimens of the Go-way bird." (Tangye's "In
New South Africa," p. 401, 1896.)
" Along the Crocodile Eiver . . . they are fairly common,
uttering their harsh cry of ' guay, guay ! ' in the evening."
(Haagner and Ivy's " Sketches of South African Bird Life,"
p. 109, 1908.)
Graaf stok. — (D. graven, to dig ; stok, a stick. Bushman
name, * Kibi.) A digging stick ; it was used by the Bushmen,
one end pointed, the other weighted with a neatly rounded,
beautifully perforated stone. Numbers of these stones are
still found in various localities.
" The other carried what my Hottentots called a graaf
stok (a digging stick) to which there was affixed a heavy stone,
to increase its force in pecking up bulbous roots." (Burchell's
" Travels," ii. p. 29, 1824.)
Qranaat apple, — (Sp. granada, Lat. granatum, full of
seeds.) See Pomegranate.
^ 13*
196 APEICANDBEISMS
Qrapes, wild. — The fruit of Vitis cwpensis. It grows in
large clusters not unlike black grapes, and has a pleasant
flavour resembling that of the English black currant, for
which it makes a by no means bad substitute.
Grapple plant or thorn. — Burchell thus designates Ha/r-
pagophytum procumbens, better known perhaps as the Haak-
doom (q.v.). The large seed-vessels of this plant are covered
with sharp, strong, hooked thorns ; when the ripened seed is
to be liberated the capsule splits up the middle, the two sides
then open out very widely and form a tough and effective
grapple ready to hook on to anything that touches it in pass-
ing, and so is the seed distributed. In the quotation from
Prof. MacOwan one means by which the distribution of this
curious plant is secured is described. See Haakdoorn.
" The beautiful TJncaria procumbens (or Grapple-plant)
was not less abundant." (Burchell's "Travels," i. p. 536,
1822.)
" The Grapple-plant capsule is a thin oval affair of singu-
lar toughness and elasticity, with four or five curving mar-
ginal arms, reaching out and up. They are furnished with
several formidable hooks at the tip, and some others lower
down, but all recurved, pointing downwards, and very sharp.
The capsule lies flat on its side, kept from turning over by
two cunning studs or projections which dig into the soil. The
hooked arms then stand up in the air curving over inwardly.
At a glance one can see the meaning of the contrivance. It
is just a trap with an obvious intent. A spring-buck leaping
and curvetting in the gladness of its heart sets its foot down
upon the capsule. The curved arms, elastic as whale-bone,
give a little, and the hoof comes down upon the tough seed-
vessel. The hooks catch on all round the buck's hock, and
every kick and scuffle drives them further into the flesh.
The luckless beast is fairly shod with this grapple and many
a weary mile must he limp along in torture before he has
trodden the thing into pieces and poached the seeds into the
ground. And this is the way, at cost of much weariful agony
to the antelopes, that the Grapple-plant ensures its seasonal
life from year to year. One way and another there is a good
deal of cruelty in the Dark Continent." (Prof. MacOwan,
" C.G.H. Agric. Jour.," p. 406, 1898.)
Qrass bird. — The Natal name for one or two small birds
of the Warbler family.
AFEICANDBEISMS 197
Grass fires. — Along the coast it is generally regarded as
necessary to burn the grass off annually, thus removing the
old growth before the young grass appears. See Veld fires.
" The rotten wood is burnt off by grass fires, although
burning the veld is not, as a rule, there regularly practised."
(Wallace's " Farming Industries of the Cape Colony," p.
35, 1896.)
Grass klip-fish. — Clinus graminis.
" A species less frequently met with is the ' Grass klip-
fish ' (C graminis)." (" South African Journal of Science,"
VII. p. 221, 1911.)
Graved wortel. — (D. graveel, gravel ; wortel, a root.)
Berlcheya atractyloides. " A tincture prepared from the
bruised roots is diuretic, and of great service in gravel." (L.
Pappe, M.D.)
Graveyard. — A portion of the Dutoitspan Diamond Mine
was so named by the diggers in the early days, because so
much money and labour was buried in it by the over-san-
guine.
Greasy slip. — Veins of crystallized carbonate of lime which
traverse the " blue-ground " in all directions, and are of vary-
ing thickness up to two or three inches, are so called at the
diamond fields, because being covered with a whitish sub-
stance, very soapy to the touch, they were a source of real
danger. See quotation.
" "When a wall or block of blue-ground is dressed down
and left standing with such a vein — or greasy slip as it is
termed — in it, it becomes highly dangerous, as all above that
vein (at times an immense mass) is liable to come down with-
out a moment's warning." (Matthew's "Incwadi Yami," p.
149, 1887.)
Great bee. — A large hairy bee, of which the natives have
a great dread, declaring it to be so poisonous that its sting is
always fatal ; but the natives say this of animals and insects
that are more innocent than this bee. See Groot bij.
" Some time ago there was a deal of correspondence in
this (' Uitenhage ') paper on the identity or character of the
Great bee found by seekers of wild honey, and referred to
by General Bisset in ' Sport and War '." (" Queenstown Free
Press," 21 November, 1879.)
Great elephant. — Chaka was so named on account of his
immense size. See Hyaena man.
198 AFEICANDEEISMS
"He (Chaka) was also styled the ' Great elephant,' as
one who, with the weight of his ponderous body, could crush
his victims beneath his feet." (Hoodie's "History of the
Battles in Southern Africa," i. p. 393, 1888.)
Great locust bird. — See Locust bird.
" It (Ciconia alba — the white stork) consumes large
quantities of locusts, and so earns for itself the title of Great
locust-bird." (Woodward's " Birds of Natal," p. 200, 1899.)
Great River. — The Orange Kiver was often thus designated
by early travellers. See Garieb.
" The Gheissequas, a Hottentot nation situate more to
the east on the borders of the Great Biver." (Le Vaillant's
" New Travels," ii. p. 181, 1796.)
" At 7 a.m., after an address by Mr. Anderson and prayer,
we took our leave of Bern and his people, and quitted the
Great Biver." (Campbell's " Travels," p. 161, 1815.)
Great snipe. — Gallinago major, a regular migrant to
Natal.
" Great snipe. . . . This bird is widely scattered through-
out Natal." (Woodward's " Natal Birds," p. 188, 1899.)
Great Trek. — The memorable exodus of Boer families
from the Cape Colony to the little known regions beyond the
Orange Eiver, which began in the year 1883. A variety of
causes led to this voluntary expatriation of so many brave
men with their wives and families, dissatisfaction with the
British Government being the primary cause. It is generally
known as the Great Trek.
Greenback. — The Bast London name of the fish known
elsewhere on the Cape Coast as the " Skipper " or " Skip-
jack" (q.v.).
" The fish was a Saury pike, known here as a Green-
back, and in some places as the ' Skipper ' or ' Skipjack '
from its habit of jumping out of the water." (" East Lon-
don Dispatch," p. 4, 26 September, 1912.)
Green beans. — Green bean pods cut and cooked — " French
beans ".
Green cuckoo. — Chrysococcyx smaragdineus. See Golden
and Emerald cuckoo.
" Here we saw that beautiful bird the green cuckoo, one
of the few feathered inhabitants of these lonely woods."
(Latrobe's " Journal," p. 156, 1818.)
Green hides. — Hides salted and exported undried.
AFEICANDEEISMS 199
" The following abstract . . . will indicate in a forcible
manner the rising importance of the frontier trade. . . .
Ivory, £1800 7s. 6d. ; Green hides, £18,145 4s. Od. ; Dry,
£11,886 Os. Od." (Steedman's ' ' Wanderings," i. p. 297, 1835.)
Green mealies. — Mealies or Indian corn gathered and
cooked while still green and tender ; they make an agreeable
dish.
" What we considered a great dehcacy, and in fact, what
is considered so by every colonist and nigger, were the cobs
of the mealie (stalk) , that is the bunch of grain whilst it is
green and consequently soft, boiled, eaten with butter they
are delicious." (Browning's " Fighting and Farming in
South Africa," p. 208, 1888.)
Qreen swallow. — Mercys persicus is so styled in Natal.
" It is popularly known as the Green swallow, perhaps
from its swallow-like flight." (Woodward's " Natal Birds,"
p. 90, 1899.)
Grenadier's Cap. — See Cockscomb.
" The ' Cockscomb ' craggy mountain, or as it is sometimes
called the Grenadier's Gap, rises . . to an altitude of
5400 feet." (Fleming's " Southern Africa," p. 117, 1856.)
Grenadilla. — (Lat. granatum, a pomegranate.) The fruit
of a species of passion flower — Passiflora quadrangu-
laris, L.
" Passionsblume, die unserm Gartner Grenadilla nennen."
(Kolben's " Beschreibung," p. 441, 1745.)
Qreywing. — Francolinus africanus. See Berg patrijs.
Grieksch. — In Cape Dutch the phrase Mij praat grieJcsch
means : He is unintelligible to me.
Grijs appel. — Parinarum mobola, Oliv. is so called in the
Transvaal.
Grijsbok. — (D. grijs, grey, hoary.) Baphicerus melanotis.
" Great numbers of a small antelope called gryslok were
driven out before the beaters." (Clairemonte's " The Afri-
cander," p. 30, 1896.)
Grijse Muishond. — Herpestes caffer. See Kommetje-gat
Kat.
Grinnet. — See Sijsje.
Griquas. — A people sprung from intercourse between
Europeans and Hottentots ; their language like that of the
Bastaards is Dutch. The difference between the Bastaard
and the Griqua seems to be that in the former the white
200 AFEICANDBEISMS
predominates, while in the Griqua the Hottentot is the more
pronounced.
" The Griqua is less of the mongrel than the Bastaard ;
his features are better defined, his bearing is more manly,
his hair more crisp, and his complexion more dark." (Ar-
bousset's " Narrative," p. 19, 1846.)
" The word Griqua seems to be an abbreviation of Cheri-
griquois, the name of a tribe living to the south of the Little
Namaquas." {Ibid., p. 21.)
Grizzly.- — The screen employed on the Eand gold mines
to separate the fine material from the coarse, the former being
sent at once to the mill, the latter being retained for further
treatment.
" The ore as it comes from the mine is mechanically tipped
over a grizzly or inclined screen, composed of parallel bars at
short distances apart." (" Eeport S.A.A.A.S.," p. 240, 1903.)
Qroen boontjes. — (D. groen, green; boon, bean.) See
Green beans.
"Neem groen boontjes, haal di puntjiis en draadjiis af.,"
etc. (Dijkman's " Kook, Koek en Eesepten Boek," p. 29,
1898.)
Qrondwet. — (D. Grondwet, fundamental law, the constitu-
tion.) The Dutch term for the Constitution of the Eepublic.
"In 1856 the Grondwet, or Constitution of the Eepublic,
was proposed and adopted at Potchefstroom." (Bryden's
" Victorian Era in South Africa," p. 24, 1897.)
Qroot bij. — (D. groot, great ; bij, a bee.) (1) Acherontia
atropos. The death's head moth is so called because it is
often found in the hives and nests of bees. The natives have
the idea that it stings and that its sting is certain death.
(2) The name is also given to a large hairy bee of which the
natives are equally afraid. See Great bee.
" Unter den Schmetterlingen ist Sphinx atropos von den
Bingebornen als die grosse biene, deren Stich lebensgefahrlich
sei, unnothigerweise sehr gefiirchtet." (Kranz's "Siid-
Afrika," p. 170, 1880.)
Qroote muisvogel. — See Go-way bird. This bird is not
unlike an overgrown Muisvogel (q.v.).
Qroote visch-vanger. — (D. visch, fish ; vangen, to catch.)
Geryle maxima. (1) The great kingfisher. (2) The fishing
eagle.
" Hear our jackhals-vogel and groote visch-vanger voci-
AFEICANDEEISMS 201
ferously vaunting." (" East London Dispatch," p. 4, 4 De-
cember, 1908.)
Qroot prat. — (D. groot, great ; prater, a talker, chatterbox.)
A braggart, swaggerer. (Of. Groot Prat en BroeJc Scheur is
Broers.)
Ground nuts.— See Monkey nuts.
" The cultivation of the ' pea-nut,' known at the Cape as
the ground-nut, has attained extensive dimensions in the
United States of America." (" Cape Monthly Magazine,"
in. p. 188, 1871.)
Ground pig. — See Cane rat.
" Cane rats otherwise known as Ground pigs {Thryonomys
swinderenianus." (Fitzsimon's " Snakes of South Africa,"
p. 60, 1912.)
Qrunter. — This name is given to both Trigla peronii and
T. capensis, the Grauwe and Eoode knorhaan ; in each case
the appellation has reference to the noise which the fish makes
when taken out of the water.
Quana or Iguana. — Varanus niloticus and V. albigularis
are both known by this name ; the former, the larger of the
two, haunts the banks of rivers and eats the eggs of croco-
diles. See Legavaan.
Quano. — (Sp. guano or huano, from Peruvian huanu,
dung.) Sea-bird excrement, which is found in immense ac-
cumulations on the islands where these birds nest. It is a
useful manure and a considerable trade is done in the article
by the Cape Government.
" In my description of the West Coast of Africa . . . allu-
sion has been frequently made to guano and to the trade in
that article carried on some years ago on so large a scale, and
even yet not quite extinct." (Andersson's " Okovango Eiver,"
p. 340, 1861.)
Guarri. — (Kaf. um Gwali.) Euclea undulata, the bark
of which the natives use as a purgative. This is the real
Guarri, but the name is applied to other members of the
same family.
" The ground is covered with shrubs about 4 feet high,
called by the natives Guerrie, a species of Eoyena." (Pater-
son's " Narrative," p. 43, 1789.)
" Various kinds of sweet grass and small shrubs, varied
with very good large bushes and trees, as . . . qua/rri, etc."
(Du Toit's " Ehodesia," p. 32, 1897.)
202 APEICANDEEISMS
Quarri honey. — A very pale honey in much esteem in the
Eiversdale District, obtained by the bees from Boyena sp.
Quarri tea.^This is made by the Hottentots from the
leaves of Euclea lanceolata, Mey.
Qubu. — (Kaf. i Gubu, any hollow, sounding thing, a
drum.) The onomatopoetic name of a Zulu musical instru-
ment, which consists of a calabash attached as a sounding-
board to a bow, the string of which is struck with a stick, the
result being a monotonous, meaningless sound that is neither
musical nor attractive to the European ear.
"Their chief instrument, called a gubu, which is some-
thing like a one-string banjo, with an empty gourd for a
drum." (Clairmonte's "The Africander," p. 189, 1906.)
Guinea grass. — Panicum maximum, Jacq. It occurs in
Ehodesia and the lower bushveld of the Transvaal.
Quiugulu. — (Z. um Gulugulu, a wild fruit.) Strychnos
Gerrardi, N. E. Brown. Sometimes called also the Kaffir
orange (q.v.).
" The pulp surrounding the seeds of our native tree S.
Gerrardi, popularly known as Gulugulu, is eaten by natives
and children." (Wood's " Handbook to the Flora of Natal,"
p. 86, 1907.)
Gum trees. — The general South African name for the
different varieties of eucalyptus.
Qungu. — (Kaf. um Gqungu, a basket made of rushes for
tobacco.) The term is applied to the roughly made baskets
in which Pondo tobacco is put up for the market.
"Pondo tobacco in Gungus and grain bags." (Advts.
" East London Dispatch," 27 August, 1906.)
Gungunhlovu. — (Kaf. Umkungunhlovu, Dingaan's Great
Place ; from isi Kungu, a surrounded place ; and in Hlovu,
the Elephant.) The kraal and residence of the Zulu chief
Dingaan, built by him to commemorate his murder of Chaka,
his brother, who was known as in Hlovu, the Elephant ; a
name subsequently assumed by Dingaan.
" During my stay here the whole regiment . . . were often
assembled without the fence, to practise their songs and
dances preparatory to exhibiting in their turn before Dingaan
at his residence Unkunginglove." (Gardiner's "Narrative,"
p. 28, 1836.)
" Umgungundhlovu, the place of the great elephant, a
name naturally transferred in after years by the natives to
AFKICANDEEISMS 203
Maritzburg, the Umgungundhlovu or seat of government of
the white man." (EusseU's "Natal," p. 121, 1891.)
Gunpowder weed. — Silene gallica, so called on account of
the smallness and blackness of its seeds.
" Silene gallica. . . . This is the Gunpowder-weed of the
colonists ; its black seeds resembling powder." (" Flora
Capensis," Vol. i. p. 127, 1859-60.)
" Several species of Campion, also the so-called Gun-
powder-weed (S. gallica)." (Edwards and Marloth's "Ele-
mentary Botany for South Africa," p. 139, 1897.)
Gunubi. — (Kaf. ama Gqunube, a wild fruit not unlike a
raspberry.) A river in the Eastern Province.
" Survivors of tribes broken by Tshaka hid in the kloofs
of the Goonoobie, or Brambleberry Eiver." ("East London
Dispatch," p. 6, 26 July, 1912.)
Gurnard. — Triglaperonii. The fish known by this name
in South Africa is nearly allied to the English Grey gurnard
(Trigla gurnardus).
Gus^ooi.' — ^(Hot. " * nos, subst. eine unfruchtbare Zeige
oder Schafmutter (hoU. : overlooperooi)," Kronlein ; D. ooi,
a ewe.) A barren ewe.
Qwenya. — (Kaf. in Gwenye, the wild plum.) Dohne
(" Zulu-Kaffir Diet.") makes um Gwenya the wild olive tree,
which among the Kaffirs is called um Nquma, while Davis
(" Kaffir Diet.") makes um Gwenye the wild plum tree, a name
given to Odina caffra.
"The parrots chattering over their gwenyas." ("East
London Dispatch," p. 7, 22 July, 1910.)
Haak. — (D. haak, a hook.) See Stock-fish. The refer-
ence is to the hooked under-jaw of the fish to which the name
was originally applied.
Haakdoorn. — (D. haak, a hook ; doom, a thorn.) Bur-
chell gives this name to Acacia detinens, the Wacht-en-bitje
(q.v.). It seems now to be more frequently applied, however,
to Harpagophyllum procumbens. See Grapple plant.
" On the way I halted a few moments to gather a beautiful
parasitic plant growing on the branches of a Haakdoorn and
now in full flower." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 320, 1822.)
Haak=en-steek. — (D. haak, a hook ; steek, a prick, sting.)
Acacia spirocarpoides, Engl. A variety of acacia having both
straight and hooked thorns, sometimes called the Whitethorn.
" Men verdeelt de doomen der acacia's in drie soorten :
haak-doorns, steek-doorns, en haak-en-steek-doorns, en deze
204 AFEICANDBEISMS
benamingen, zoowel als van de wacht-een-beetje, duiden ge-
noegzaam hun karakter aan." (Cachet's " De Worstelstrijd
der Transvaalers," p. 341, 1882.)
" Nor shall I tell you of the haaJc-en-steek dooms, that tear
your garments and lacerate your skin, especially when you
are in eager pursuit of game, and unmindful of your path-
way." (Du Plessis' "A Thousand Miles in the Heart of
Africa," p. 139, 1905.)
Haakplek. — (D. haak, a hook ; plek, a place, spot.) An
obstruction, difficulty.
" It may be as well to mention that the Transvaalers
managed to teach the Hollanders a couple of Dutch words.
' Vuurhoutjes ' and Haakplek have found great favour and are
likely to be taken over." (" Queenstown Free Press," 13
May, 1884.)
Haanepoot. — (D. haan, a cock ; poot, a foot.) The Dutch
name of a firm delicious grape — the Muscat of Alexandria —
which is grown largely in various parts of South Africa. By
some the name is said to have reference to the shape of the
leaf, by others to the shape of the bunches ; the former
seems the more probable. See Honey-pot.
" A large white Persian grape called here the Haenapod,
or cock's foot." (Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 65, 1801.)
" Of grapes the haanepoot . . . are considered the best for
the British market." (Wallace's " Farming Industries of the
Cape Colony," p. 202, 1896.)
Haarde-staart. — The name given to a fish at Struis Bay
(Gilchrist).
Haarkant. — (CD. haar, right hand ; D. kant, side, edge.)
The right side. See Hot en haar.
" De ossen schrikten en sprongen uit het pad en de wagen
kwam aan den haarkant (de regterzijde) in eene tamelijk diepe
sloot." (Hofmeyr's " Twintig Jaren in Zoutpansberg," p. 44,
1890.)
Haarkauwsel. — (D. haar, hair ; kauwsel, that which is
chewed.) The ball of hair sometimes found in the stomach
of ruminating animals.
Haar-scheerder. — (D. haar, hair ; scheerder, a barber.)
Solipuga, an exclusively African genus of Arachnida. See
Eooiman and Jaag-spinnekop.
"They are known locally by the name of . . . Haa/r-
scheerder (hair-cutters), and there is a current belief that they
AFRICANDEEISMS 205
cut off the hair of a sleeping person at night." (" Science in
South Africa," p. 178, 1905.)
Haas-oor. — (D. haas, hare ; oor, an ear.) The Namaqua-
land name for a variety of Stapelia.
Hadadah. — The onomatopoetic name given hy the colonists
to the large brown ibis, Qeronticus hagedash, Vieil.
" There is also in these countries a large ibis of a brown
lustre commonly called by onomatopy addada." (Arbousset's
"Narrative," p. 190, 1846.)
"Flocks of ha-di-da grub silently and unconcernedly in
close proximity to the camp." (" The African Monthly," p.
445, October, 1907.)
Hadji. — (Ar. Hajj, a pilgrim to Mecca.) The title given
to those among the Malays of South Africa who have made
the pilgrimage to Mecca.
Hagel. — (D. hagel, hail, shot.) In South Africa this word
is used in both senses — hail and shot, but when used in the
latter sense the size of the shot is often indicated by the
name of the bird or animal for which it is to be used, e.g.
kwartel- (quail), patrijs- (partridge), bok- (buck) hagel.
Hairbell. — See Harebell.
" The shelter of an untidy bunch of what looked like
coarse ' grass ' which bore aloft the graceful, swinging, pink
hairbells (note the spelling because we have no hare-bells)."
(" East London Dispatch," p. 6, 18 October, 1912.)
Hair serpent. — This would appear to be the name given
by the early colonists to the Cape cobra.
Hair-tail. — Trichiurus haumela. The Natal designation
of this fish whose habitat is tropical seas.
" What His Excellency caught is . . . the hair-tail . . .
which is comparatively common on the coasts of India and
Malabar." (" Natal Mercury Pictorial," p. 766, 1906.)
Half mense. — (D. half, half ; mensch, man, human being.)
Adenium Namaquanum. See Elephant's trunk.
" The ravines and slopes were here dotted with the extra-
ordinary column-like succulent Pachypodium Namaquanum,
known to the Hottentots as Half-mense. . . . Peculiar to the
country, and only found on a few of the mountains of the
most inaccessible parts, it attains a height of from 6 to 8 feet,
its fleshy, branchless trunk being covered with sharp thorns
and surmounted by a crown of green leaves about 8 inches
in diameter. . . . The trunk is often almost the girth of a
206 AFEICANDBEISMS
man at its thickest point, and the effect of these solitary erect
figures against a background of rocks is such as to render their
name of half-men very appropriate." (" The State," p. 487,
November, 1911.)
" Our north-western divisions ... so drear, and so empty
of life that the inhabitants are given to speak of a certain
branchless, mopheaded, succulent plant growing there as 'n
halve-mens, that is its shape is half-man like as seen against the
skyline ! " (" East London Dispatch," p. 6, 17 May, 1912.)
Hamba kahle. — (Zulu and Kaf . uku Hamba, to go ;
Zulu kahle, Kaf. kuhle, softly, carefully.) The Zulu farewell,
"go in peace," "a pleasant journey," is contracted from
Hamba ka-kuhle.
" ' Send us the news sharp ' was the cry as we let go ;
' Good-bye and good luck ' and ' Hamba kahle ' as we got
further out." (Mather's "Golden South Africa," p. 37,
1888.)
Hamels. — (A.S. hamelian, Eng. hamble, to mutilate,
maim ; D. hamel, a castrated ram, a wether.) The common
designation of a wether throughout South Africa.
" Those who know that part of the country, know what
an excellent field it is for a sheep chase ; and how a dozen of
startled hamels, just separated from a large flock, would be
likely to try a driver's legs, and 'lungs too, in crossing it."
(Dugmore's " Eeminiscences," pp. 13-14, 1871.)
Hammer-kop. — (D. kop, a head.) Scopus umbretta. A
bird of a dull brown colour. It builds an immense nest, and
after the fashion of the jackdaw and magpie it will carry
away any bright object that it can pick up, and will decorate
the exterior of its nest with it. It haunts the valleys and
streams in search of frogs and shell-fish which are its chief
food. The name refers to the curious, hammer-like appear-
ance of its head.
" While we dressed upon a flat ledge of rock a hammer-kop
(hammer-head) came down to the water, but swerved off on
seeing us." (Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo," p. 7, 1889.)
Handling. — (D. handelen, to trade, deal.) A corruption
of the Dutch word meaning to trade, barter.
" Thus when handling once begins, it often goes on
briskly." (Gordon Cumming's " Adventures," i. p. 6, 1850.)
Hands. — Bundles of newly gathered tobacco leaves are so
styled.
AFEICANDBEISMS 207
" These hands are then laid in large heaps on the floor,
and well covered with blankets for sweating." (Clairmonte's
" The Africander," p. 10, 1896.)
Hang. — (G. Hang, a declivity, slope.) A steep slope on a
mountain.
Hangberger. — A Cape Peninsula name for the Hottentot
fish (q.v.), sometimes corrupted to Hamburger. Fleming
ascribes the name to the fact of the fish " being chiefly taken
in deep water, near a place called Hangberg (overhanging
rock) " ; others derive the name from the fish's habit of fre-
quenting rocky ledges.
" The best fish for boiling. Stokvisch, geelbek, . . . ham-
burger, seventy-four." (Hewit's " Cape Cookery," p. 18, 1907.)
Hangklip or Hanglip. — (D. hangen, to hang ; klip, a rock.)
A rocky promontory, 1448 feet high, forming the termination
of the Hottentot's Holland Mountains, on the eastern side
of the entrance to False Bay. There are other mountains so
named in other parts of the country, e.g. Queenstown.
" Finding a small stream of excellent water at this place,
we agreed to stay all night ; and next morning we continued
our journey round the Hanglip or Cape False." (Paterson's
" Narrative," p. 8, 1789.)
Hanskoentjes. — (D. handschoen, a glove, gauntlet.) The
honeysuckle is so named by the Dutch.
Harders. — Mugil capensis. This fish belongs to the
same family as the English " Grey mullet ". It is caught in
large numbers round the Cape Peninsula.
" 1652, 22-24 August. Having yesterday gone out fishing
we again caught and salted 400 large steenbrass and about
2000 harders." (Hoodie's "Eecords," p. 13, 1838.)
" There is likewise about the Cape a sort of Herrings, the
Cape-Europeans call Harters." (Kolben's "Present State
of the Cape of Good Hope," ii. p. 193, 1731.)
Hard lines, luck, cheek, etc. — This adjective is used to
qualify a variety of nouns besides those specified, the general
idea being that the thing specified is difficult or hard to endure.
Hardloop. — (D. ha/rdloopen, to run fast.) Make haste!
Hurry !
" As (the gemsbok) are already at a considerable distance,
the word is at once given to hart-loop (to run or gallop)."
(Drayson's " Tales of the Outspan," p. 115, 1862.)
Hard Pear. — (1) In Natal this name is given to Pleuro-
208 AFEICANDEEISMS
stylia capensis. (2) In the Cape Colony it is applied to
Strychnos Henningsii.
Harebell or Hairbell. — Dierama pendula, plentiful in the
neighbourhood of Queenstown.
Hare's foot fern. — Aspidium capense, Willd.
" This is familiarly known as the Hare's foot fern from
the strong resemblance borne by its shaggy rhizomes to a
hare's foot." (Sim's " Kaffrarian Ferns," p. 47, 1891.)
Harpuisbosje. — (D. harpuis, resin, pitch ; bos, busk)
Euryops multifidus, D.G. E. tenuissimus, and in the Queens-
town District, E.florinbundus, N.E.Br. At the time of flower-
ing there exudes from these plants a matter resembling pitch
or resin, which is highly esteemed for its medicinal qualities.
Sometimes it is called the Eesin pimple bush, and some-
times by metathesis, Eapuis bosje (q.v.).
" A shrub which grows from 2 feet to 3-i feet high,
called by the colonists harpuis iosjes, the resin tree, and
held in great esteem by them." (Lichtenstein's " Travels,"
II. p. 176, 1814.)
" We again were in danger of being burnt ; a sea of flame
raging on one side of the road and consuming the resinous
arpuse hushes with a roaring noise, audible a long way off."
(Methuen's " Life in the Wilderness," p. 120, 1848.)
" To illustrate the influence of Dutch nautical terms on
Afrikaans he related how he contrived a few days back to make
his Malay servant understand that he was required to obtain
some resin from the shop. The Dutch word was ' hars,' but
this was not intelligible to the boy. The English word
having slipped his memory, he bethought himself that in Van
Eiebeek's day resin would be in demand on the wooden ships.
The nautical synonym was ' harpuis '. Thinking it probable
that if this word had been introduced, the aspirate would in
time have been dropped, he turned to his servant and asked
him to get some ' arpuis '. Bapuis was the immediate intelli-
gent response. The nautical word had been taken over, the
' h ' dropped and the ' r ' added." (" Cape Times' Eeport of a
Lecture on Afrikaans," by Mr. C. J. Van Eijn, p. 11, 11
March, 1912.)
Harris buck. — Hippotragus niger. So called after Major
Comwallis Harris who first obtained this antelope in the
Magaliesberg near Pretoria. See Sable antelope and Z wart-
wit pens.
AFEICANDEEISMS 209
Harslag. — (The word ha/rslet or haslet was in common use
in Kent fifty years ago for the lungs, liver, and heart of a pig :
this word is from the Old French hastalet, roasted meat,
diminutive olhaste, a spit, a piece of roasted meat ; Lat. hasta,
a spear. The Dutch harst, a sirloin, a piece to roast, seems
to be from the Old German herstcm, to roast. It seems likely
that the first syllable of the word harslag embodies a confu-
sion of the two words. Old French haste and old German
herstan.) The heart, lungs, and liver of a slaughtered animal.
Hartebeest, Red.— (D. hert, a deer, hart ; beest, animal.)
Bubalis Caama. Gaama (Hot. kamah, with initial lateral
click) is the English form of the name by which the animal
was known to the Hottentots.
" On the road we had seen large herds of the wild asses
called quaggas, and of hart-beests." (Sparrman's "Voyage,"
II. p. 12, 1785.)
Hartebeest, Lichtenstein's. — Bubalis Lichtensteini.
Hartebeest huisje or hut. — (D. C. J. Van Eijn suggests
that the former part of this word is a corruption of hard
biezen, the reference being to the materials of which these
huts were often made ; huis, a house.) A frail structure of
" wattle and daub," so called, apparently, because a similar
primitive structure was often erected by the earlier hunters.
Backhouse's suggestion (see below) seems to be quite wide
of the mark.
" A hartebeest house, being a roof put upon a wall about
2 feet in height." (Latrobe's " Journal," p. 256, 1818.)
" The hartebeest houses are so called from an imaginary
similarity in their figure to the outline of the species of
buffalo, called in South Africa the hartebeest." (Backhouse's
" Narrative," p. 357, 1844.)
" A colony of Hottentot women had seized possession of
our hartebeests hut."
"N.B. — The hartebeests hut is a colonial name for an
outhouse or stable." (Boyle's " To the Cape for Diamonds,"
p. 242, 1873.)
" By the kindly exertion of a friend who was known here,
we together got a hartebeest huisje for the night." (Du Toit's
" Ehodesia," p. 190, 1897.)
Harvest mackerel. — The name given at Port St. John to
the large shoals of small fish often seen on the east coast ;
they are probably a species of herring.
14
210 AFEICANDEEISMS
" We have been notified of such shoals occurring near St.
John's . . . they are there called 'herring' or ha/rvest
mackerel." (" East London Dispatch," 19 August, 1905.)
Hasepad Kies. — (D. haas, hare ; pad, path ; kiemen, to
choose.) The colonial form of Set hazenpad kiezen, to run
away, to take to one's heels.
Heartwater. — A disease affecting sheep, goats, and cattle,
the infection being communicated by the " bont tick,"
Amhlyomma hehrceum, Koch, after feeding on an affected
animal.
" The characteristic lesion is an effusion of a clear, buff-
coloured sero-albuminous fluid into the thoracic cavity and
pericardial sac, which coagulates into a firm jelly on exposure
to the atmosphere. Hence its popular name hewrtwater."
(" Science in South Africa," p. 346, 1905.)
Heemraad. — (D. heemraad, a dike-rieve.) In the earlier
days of the Colony the Heemraad was a sort of rural court
or district council appointed to act with the Landdrost in
adjudicating with reference to certain minor offences, etc.
" The Cape of Good Hope ... is divided into four districts
over each of which is placed a civil magistrate called a Land-
drost, who -with, his Heemraden, or a council of country
burghers, is vested with power to regulate the police of his
district, superintend the affairs of government, adjust litiga-
tions, and determine petty causes. Their decisions, however,
are subject to an appeal to the Court of Justice in Cape Town."
(Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 12, 1801.)
Hengsel. — (D. hengsel, a hinge, handle.) The small and
cunningly twisted loop by which a whip is hung to the handle.
Herald Snake. — Leptodira hotambceia — a common and
widely distributed snake.
Herberg. — (D. herberg, a tavern, public-house.) In Cape
Dutch this word means lodging, shelter. The connexion
between this word and the English words haj-bour and har-
binger is of interest as illustrating the different forms and
meanings which words etymologically the same may assume
in cognate languages.
Herd. — (D. herder, shepherd, herdsman.) This word is
used throughout South Africa for " herdsman," whether it
be sheep, goats, cattle, horses or ostriches that he guards. In
Scotland and the northern English counties a shepherd is
still designated a herd, but elsewhere in England the word is
AFEICANDEEISMS 211
generally used as part of a compotuid : goat-herd, swine-herd,
cow-herd, shepherd.
" The sleeping children undisturbed by the loose musket-
firing from the terrified inhabitants or the startled herds."
(Ward's " Eive Years in Kaffirland," i. p. vii, 1848.)
Herring. — The fish so named in Natal belongs to the
genus Garanx. See also Harvest mackerel.
" The Natal herring is therefore really a ' horse mackerel ' ".
(" Bast London Dispatch," 20 June, 1906.)
Hes. — (D. Hes, a Hessian.) A clumsy, stupid fellow.
For historical reasons the word Hessian as applied in America
conveys no very complimentary meaning ; it is used there to
designate a politician whose services are at the disposal of
those who are willing to pay the most for them. But how
the word has acquired the meaning which it bears among the
Dutch of South Africa is not so apparent. Cf. Swaap.
Heuveltje. — (D. heuveltje, a hillock.) (1) A hillock. (2)
The small hillocks in cultivated lands, which, for some un-
explained reason, produce a stronger growth and an earlier
crop than the rest of the land.
" The incidence of the heuveltje in the cultivated lands, is
an accepted phenomenon which offers food for reflection. . . .
These heuveltjes never need manuring, and their originating
cause is not as yet explained." ("C.G.H. Agric. Journal,"
XXIII. 347, 1903.)
Hiccough nut. — The fruit of Gombretum bracteosum, Engl,
and Diels., has received this name in Natal ; it is a coast-
growing plant.
" The exquisite heads of scarlet flowers of the Hiccup-nut
(Poivrea prasteosa) surrounding its rich velvety brown and
green flower buds." (Chapman's " Travels," ii. p. 447, 1861.)
Highveld. — (D. hoogveld.) The inner plateau of the sub-
continent, from 5000 to 6000 feet above sea-level is so
styled. See Hoogveld.
" For perhaps a week the towering bulwarks of the High-
veld were visible as we toiled along." (Fitzpatrick's "Jock
of the Bushveld," p. 223, 1907.)
Hill redwing. — Francolinus Levaillanti. See Eedwing.
Hindoos. — A term applied in the earlier days of the Colony
as a British possession to such Europeans as came from
India to the Cape either to recruit their health or to take up
their residence. In those days not a few availed themselves
14*
212 AFEICANDEEISMS
of the opportunity, which a residence at the Cape afforded,
of recruiting from the trying effects of the climate of
India.
" ' The Hindoos in Cape Town ! ' ' The Hindoos "... ex-
claimed we. ' Yes, Sir, the Hindoos, but as you seem surprised
at finding any of the followers of Brahma in Africa, I must
explain to you that the Hindoos is a soubriquet apphed by
the local residents to all visitors from India — whether they
be Koelies from Calcutta, Mulls from Madras, or Ducks from
Bombay.' " (" C.G.H. Literary Gazette," p. 43, 15 September,
1830.)
Hinge-bird. — Syncobrotus bicolor. The note of this bird
is very similar in sound to the harsh creaking of a rusty hinge,
hence the name.
" It is a cheerful bird and quite enlivens the bush with its
peculiar song, which sounds not unlike the creaking of a
rusty hinge, from which we sometimes call it the Hinge-bird."
(Layard and Sharpe's " Birds of South Africa," p. 433, 1875-
1884.)
Hippopotamus. — (Greek, hippos, a horse ; potamos, a river.)
Hippopotamus amphibius, L. At one time abundant in the
rivers of South Africa this animal is now to be found in one
or two rivers of Zululand only ; it is still fairly common in the
Zambezi. See Sea-cow.
" I left Naliela on 13 August, and when proceeding
along the shore at midday, a hippopotamus struck the canoe
with her forehead." (Livingstone's " Missionary Travels in
South Africa," p. 497, 1857.)
Hippopotamus mole. — See Sand mole, Cape mole, and
Duin mol.
" It is also called the ' duin mol ' and the hippopotamus
mole." (" The State," p. 231, September, 1912.)
Hlonipa. — (Kaf. in Tloni, shyness, bashfulness, shame;
uhu Hlona, to be afraid of reverentially.) This word is used
to describe a custom among the Kaffirs applying exclusively
to females, according to which if' a mother-in-law meets her
son-in-law she may not speak to him ; a woman may not
mention the name of her husband nor of her father-in-law ;
the women of a tribe may not mention the name of a dead
chief, nor may they use any word in which these names occur.
This curious custom has had a powerful effect upon the lan-
guage itself, as will be readily understood. The word hlonipa
AFEICANDEEISMS 213
means that they are too bashful or polite to use such names
in common everyday speech.
Hock. — (D. hok, a pen, kennel.) A small enclosure for
fowls or small animals.
Hoek. — (D. hoeh, an angle, corner.) A narrow glen or
corner formed by the junction of hills or mountains, the en-
trance to it being also the exit : e.g. Fransche Hoek.
" In visiting Franche Hoek I did not as before regard
without interest that race of French refugees formerly per-
secuted by their unjust country." (Le Vaillant's "New
Travels," i. p. 33, 1796.)
Hoeka. — ^(Hot. " huga, adv. von Alters her, von jeher,"
Kronlein.) This word is occasionally heard among the
coloured farm servants, meaning " of old ".
Hoenderspoor. — (D. hoen, a hen ; spoor, a spur.) Scolopia
Zeyheri. The name refers to the shape of the thorns. See
Doom Peer (Sup).
Hoepelbeen. — (D. hoep, a hoop ; been, a leg.) Cape Dutch
for bandy-legged.
Holderstebolder. — (D. holder debolder, topsy-turvy.) Head
over heels, topsy-turvy.
Hole in the Wall. — A curious natural phenomenon on the
coast of Pondoland. See quotations.
" Two ponderous black rocks arose from the water's edge
upwards of 80 feet above its surface, exhibiting through
one of them the phenomenon of a natural archway called by
us The Hole in the Wall." (Owen's " Narrative," i. p.
280, 1833.)
" Some fine scenery is met with on the coast-line, notably
Hole in the Wall, one of the lions worth seeing in the
Transkeian Territories." (Henkel's " The Native or Trans-
keian Territories," p. 14, 1893.)
Home. — This word is employed by English colonists
throughout South Africa when speaking of England, often
even when they are African born and their parents too.
Hondeklip Bay.-^(D. hond, a dog ; klip, a rock.) A small
bay on the Western coast, named from an isolated and con-
spicuous rock, which in its outline somewhat resembles a
crouching dog.
Honey-bird or Guide. — Several birds of the family Indi-
catoridce have been thus designated from their habit of guid-
ing men and animals to the nests of bees. They flutter about
214 AFEICANDEEISMS
the traveller and make a peculiar noise to attract attention.
A portion of the honey is invariably left for the httle
guide.
" There is reason to suppose that the moroc of Abyssinia
and the bee-cuckoo, which I have described above, are one and
the same bird." (Sparmann's " Voyage," ii. p. 193, 1785.)
" Up comes a honey-bird . . . ' chet, chet, chet, chee,'
he said, vrhich is his way of saying as how he's found a honey-
tree, and wanted some one to go shares with him." (Glan-
ville's " Tales from the Veld," p. 52, 1897.)
" An interesting family are the Honey guides (Indicatoridm),
several species of which are widely spread throughout South
Africa . . . they are undoubtedly like cuckoos, parasitic in
their breeding habits and deposit their eggs in the nests of
other birds." (" Science in South Africa," p. 141, 1905.)
Honey-eaters or suckers. — Birds of the family Necta/ri-
niidcB. These exquisite little creatures with their bright
metallic colours flashing in the sun are exceedingly attractive.
They live on nectar, pollen, and insects. See Sun birds.
" Larks, doves, and honey-eaters flock in countless numbers
round." (Fleming's " Southern Africa," p. 397, 1856.)
" Honey-suckers or Sun-birds that flit like living gems from
flower to flower." (Eussell's " Natal," p. 36, 1891.)
Honey-pot. — This is a rather amusing example of " striv-
ing after meaning ". The Dutch name of this richly flavoured
grape, the muscat of Alexandria, is Haanepoot (q.v.). This
name has been corrupted by English colonists into " Honey-
pot," approaching the Dutch name in sound, but having refer-
ence to the lusciousness of the fruit rather than to the shape
of the leaf.
" He led us into the vineyard where we found abundance
of the most delicious flavoured grapes, one sort, called the
honey-pot, especially so, and of immense size." (King's
" Campaigning in Kaffirland," p. 190, 1855.)
" The muscatel and sweet-water grapes, and a fine, fleshy,
well-flavoured variety called hanna-poot, or more commonly
honey-pot, are all specially good." (Lucas' " Camp Life
and Sport," p. 36, 1878.)
Honing boschje. — (D. honing, honey.) Syndesmanthus
and several others of the Ericacem are so named in the
Eiversdale District.
Honing koek. — (D. honing, honey ; koeh, a cake.) Honey
AFEICANDERISMS 215
cake or Gingerbread ; the pollen of flowers collected by bees
and known as bee-bread.
Honingthee. — .(D. honing, honey ; thee, tea.) Gydopea
genistoides Vent. An infusion of the leaves of this plant has
a sweet, astringent taste, and is useful in colds and coughs.
Honingwijzer. — (D. wijzen, to show, point out.) See
Honey-bird.
" This bird which, on account of the singular property it
is endued with, is called by the colonists honing-wijzer, or
honey-guide." (Sparrman's " Voyage," ii. p. 190, 1785.)
Hoof and tongue sickness. — Foot and mouth disease. See
Klauw ziekte.
" We have had a great deal of hoof and tongue sickness
amongst our cattle lately." (" Queenstown Free Press," 22
January, 1867.)
Hoog-pister. — (D. hoog, high; pis, urine.) The name
given to a large beetle, Manticora, because it ejects to a con-
siderable height (and whether purposely or accidentally, often
enough into the eyes of its would-be captor) an exceed-
ingly acrid fluid.
Hoog veld. — See also under Bosch veld and High veld.
" Door het Hoogeveld wordt verstaan het eigenlijke plateau
van Drakensberg, dat zich tot aan Magaliesberg en Lijden-
burg, en Westelijk, langs Vaal-rivier uitstrekt." (" De Wor-
stelstrijd der Transvalers," p. 332, 1882.)
Hoorn Pof Adder. — Bitis caudalis, so named because of the
horn-like scales on the head. It is also called the Hornsman.
Hooter. — The steam whistle employed at factories.
" The Aoo^er from the tobacco factory." ("The State,"
p. 287, September, 1911.)
Horensmannetje. — (D. horens, horn ; mannetje, mannikin.)
Bitis cornuta. The so-called homed snake ; these horns are
two curiously modified and greatly enlarged scales, which
stand erect immediately over the eyes and are shed in the
process of desquamation.
" Die Schlange Cerastes, oder die gehornte, findet sich auf
dem VorgebHrge, wenn dem P. Tachard zu glauben." (" Voy.
de Siam," p. 111.) (Kolben's " Beschreibung," p. 353, 1745.)
" In the early morning I found and captured a cerastes or
horned snake sixteen or eighteen inches long. . . . The
colonial name is Horenmanijee." (Baines' "Explorations,"
p. 374, 1864.)
Horensmanooi. — (D. ooi, a ewe.) A horned ewe.
216 AFEICANDEEISMS
Horologieberg. — (D. horloge, a watch ; berg, a mountain.)
A mountain near Worcester in the Western Province, by
the shadow of which upon certain natural objects the early
colonists in the locality were able to tell approjumately the
time of day. Horloge has become Horlosi and even Orlosi in
South Africa, and means a watch or clock.
Horse fish. — See Paarde-visch.
Horse-shoe geranium. — Pelargonium zonale var. steno-
petalum is so called because of the marking of its leaves.
" A large shrub with juicy, green stems and thick leaves,
usually, but not invariably, marked with a dark semicircle,
whence its name horse-shoe geranium." ("Flora Capensis,"
Vol. I. p. 299, 1859-60.)
Horse- sickness.' — Oedema mycosis. A deadly epizootic
disease which has been known in the Cape Colony since 1719.
It seems from the researches of Dr. Edington, Director of the
Government Bacteriological Institute (Report, 1895), to be
due to the presence in the blood of the vegetative spores of a
micro-organism of a fungoid character. In one of the serious
outbreaks of this dreaded disease, no less than 70,000 horses
and mules, worth £525,000, died in the Cape Colony alone.
" As the season for Paarde-ziekte, or horse distemper, was
expected to begin, generally about the beginning of February,
a party of people set out this day for the Colony, taking with
them a great number of horses." (Burchell's "Travels," i.
p. 509, 1822.)
" The establishment of Mr. Cloete on the Breede Eiver is
very extensive. . . . The horse-sickness is, unfortunately, not
unknown even here, but at times commits dreadful ravages
among the herds of horses which are obliged to remain at
pasturage during the periods of its visitation." (Nicholson's
" The Cape and its Colonists," p. 137, 1848.)
Horse whim. — A large wooden wheel, used in the early
days of the diamond fields, for hauling the buckets, which
contained the diamondiferous soil, up from the mine.
Hot en haar. — (D. hot, hotom, to the left ; haar, haarom,
to the right. Cf. G. Hott und har, on all sides, and the
Piatt Deutsch phrase, "He weet nich hutt! noch hoh!")
These words are equivalent to the "off" and "near" of
English drivers, and are employed : (1) To describe the, posi-
tion of the oxen in a span or team. (2) To direct the oxen
which way to turn : hot, to the left ; haar, to the right. In
AFEICANDEEISMS 217
the expression, Hij het hot en haar, " he has it rough," "he
has plenty to contend with," sometimes heard, the idea seems
to be that the person spoken of is getting buffeted from all
sides.
" Each ox will pay attention, and go to the right or to the
left, merely upon hearing its own name pronounced with a
hote or a haar added to it." (Sparrman's "Voyage," i. p.
127, 1786.)
" These two words ha/r and hot, to which the dictionary
gave no clue, puzzled me not a little, and the only explanation
I can offer is contained in the names of two towns on the
opposite sides of the Seine, Harfleur and Honfleur, so I leave
the matter to better hnguists than myself." (Barter's " The
Dorp and the Veld," pp. 61-62, 1852.)
"Literally I did not know my right hand from my left
when hot stood for one and haar for the other, sounds intel-
ligent enough to the most stupid bullock that ever bore the
yoke." (" Cape Monthly Magazine," i. p. 194, 1870.)
" Men kan kwalijk een ' voor-os ' ' achter ' spannen, of
een dier dat hot (aan den linkerkant), trekt, haar (aan den
rechterkant)." (" De Worstelstrijd der Transvalers," p. 104,
1882.)
Hotnot. — A common Dutch pronunciation of Hottentot.
Hotom. — A porridge made of meal and water.
Hottentot. — This name is generally supposed to be onoma-
topoetic (cf . Barbarian), imitating, as nearly as possible, the
clicking sounds made by these people in their speech ; but it is
referred by Dr. Th. Hahn, in his work " Tsui-goab, the
Supreme Being of the Khoi-Khoin," to the old German or
Frisian Htittentut, the gibberish used by the astrologers and
quack doctors. The people call themselves " Khoi-Khoin," or
men of men.
' ■ " The Europeans call those people Hottentots, perhaps
because they have always that word in their mouth when
they meet strangers." ("A Voyage to Siam performed by
Six Jesuits," p. 68, 1688.)
"Die Hottentotten gefiel die Freygebigkeit und das an-
nehmliches Wesen dieses Admiral's dermassen wohl, das sie
gar bald einen Vergleich mit ihm schlossen." (Kolben's
" Beschreibung," p. 12, 1745.)
" The more general name of Hottentot has been given
probably from their language, which is harsh, broken, full of
218 APEICANDEEISMS
monosyllables. ... It is as if one heard nothing from them
but hot and tot." (Arbousset's " Narrative," p. 242, 1846.)
Hottentot. — Gantharus blochii. A small fish of excellent
quality abundant in Table and False Bays. The name refers
to its colour and stunted shape. See Hangberger and Mud-
fish. In Natal the name is given to Cantha/rus natalensis.
See Eock fish.
"The Hottentot fish, which is like a sea-bream, is daily
brought to market in great plenty." (Stavorinus' " Voyages,"
I. p. 560, 1798.)
" Abundance of excellent fish are to be procured here, such
as the delicious Eoman fish, Hottentot." (Alexander's " Ex-
pedition," I. p. 88, 1838.)
Hottentot bean tree. — Scotia 'speciosa. An old colonial
name for this tree. See Boerboon.
" The Hottentot's bean tree. — The clusters of scarlet
flowers, intermingled with the small and elegant green foliage,
give it a remarkable pre-eminence over the tall trees of the
ravines." (Kay's " Caffrarian Eesearches," p. 106, 1833.)
Hottentot bonnets. — Disperis capensis was known by this
name, now it is more generally known as Moeder kapje (q.v.).
" Disperis capensis ... is known by the name of the
Hottentot bonnet, on account of the pecuUar shape of its
purple and green flowers." (Bunbury's " Cape of Good Hope,"
p. 88, 1848.)
Hottentot bread. — Testitudinaria Elephantipes. The
plant more generally known as Elephant's foot (q.v.).
" Testitudinaria Elephantipes, Hottentot's bread, found on
the Karroo about Uitenhage." (Backhouse's "Narrative,"
p. 326, 1844.)
Hottentot cherry. — The leathery berry of Maurocenia
capensis. See also Aasvogel besjes and Kaffir cherry.
" M. capensis . . . Engl, name Hottentot cherry."
(" Flora Capensis," Vol. i. p. 465, 1859-60.)
" The Kaffir apple, Hottentot cherry . . . wilde pruimen,
and many another shrub." (Bryden's "Kloof and Karroo,"
p. 130, 1889.)
Hottentot fig. — Mesembryanthemum edule. A trailing
evergreen, with succulent, three-cornered leaves and pretty
flowers. The fruit is full of small seeds and has a not un-
pleasant flavour. The word "fig" refers to its shape and
small seeds. See Ghokum and Gouna vijg.
AFBICANDBEISMS 219
"Dicke dreyeckigte und safftigte Blatter von gewissen
Feigen, die man Hottentottische Feigen nennt." (Kolben's
" Beschreibung," p. 141, 1745.)
" The Mesembryanthemum edule grew here in abundance
and was called Hottentot figs (Hottentot vijgen)." (Thun-
berg's " Travels," i. p. 163, 1795.)
Hottentot god. — There are several of the Mantida thus
designated in South Africa, one or other of which the Hot-
tentots were said to worship. Kolben professes to have seen
them pray to this insect, but his imagination is sometimes
the source of his facts. Sparrman, in denying that they
worshipped the insect, says that there is a variety of mantis
which they think it a crime to injure.
" Die Hottentotten beten auch als eine giitige Gottheit an,
ein Ungeziefer, welches sich, dem Sagen nach, bloss in
ihrem Lande findet."
" Ich habe gar oft dergleichen gesehen : Es hat einen
grunen Eiicken mit weissen und rothen Flecken." (Kolben's
" Beschreibung," p. 98, 1745.)
" There is a genus of insects (the mantis) called by the
colonists the Hottentot's god ; but so far are they from wor-
shipping these insects that they have more than once catched
some of them, and given them to me to stick needles through
them by way of preserving them." (Sparrman's " Voyage,"
I. p; 211, 1785.)
Hottentot's Holland. — The Hottentot's Holland Valley,
now called Somerset West, together with other territory, was
purchased from the Hottentots for a mere trifle in 1672 by
the Dutch.
" Der Name Hottentottisch-Holland kommt nicht daher
als ob diese Gegend der Provinz Holland ahnlich sahe : sie
ist grosser von ganz anderer Gestalt, und gebiigrig. Man hat
ihr den Namen gegeben, weil sie bey der ersten Untersuchung
sehr bequem schien die Heerden der Compagnie zu ernahren."
(Kolben's " Beschreibung," p. 214, 1745.)
Hottentot's Kauw goed. — (D. kauwen, to chew ; Jcomw,
a quid ; goed, stuff, goods.) Mesembryanthemum tortuosum,
L., is so called in the Karoo.
"The plant which goes under the broad designation of
Hottentot's Kauwgoed, grows in the Karoo." ("Trans. S.A.
Phil. Society," p. 48, ix., 1898.)
Hottentot's Kooigoed. — (D. kooi, a bed, couch ; goed,
220 AFEICANDEEISMS
stuff.) A soft woolly substance obtained from the shrub
Eriocephalus v/mhellatus. See Kapok.
" Boegoe, anys, hottentot's kooigoed, katte kruie van alles'n
weinig op water getrek en enige male per dag te drink."
(Dijkman's "Kook, Koek en Eesepten Boek," p. 121, 1898.)
Hottentot's tea. — Helichrysum serpyllifoUum, Less.
Largely used by the coloured people and infused as tea.
Hot winds. — Northerly winds heated by their passage
over the hot plains of the interior, sometimes make the heat
of the summer almost unendurable.
" At certain seasons, however, northerly breezes prevail ;
these are termed by the colonists ' hot vnnds '. On these
occasions the wind feels as if it were blowing off a furnace in
a glass foundry, being heated in its passage over the burning
sands of the great Kalahari desert." (Gordon Cumming's
"Adventures," i. p. 60, 1850.)
Hours. — Distances by road in South Africa are measured
by the time it takes a man on horseback to cover them at the
ordinary rate of travelling, say about six miles an hour. The
reply to a question as to distance generally being, " Oh, so
many hours ".
" The uur or one hour on the road is reckoned as much as
a man can ride on a round trot." (Sparrman's "Voyage," i.
p. 81, 1785).
" A Dutch mile which they in general call an hour is about
three miles and a half English." (Stavorinus' "Voyages," i.
p. 58 n., 1798.)
House snakes. — Boodon infernalis, B. guttatus, and B.
lineatus. These snakes are distinguished as the black, the
spotted and the brown house snakes in the neighbourhood of
King William's Town. They are non-poisonous. Another
species, B. mentalis, is found in Damaraland.
" These house snakes are more serviceable to man than
cats, for they can follow rats and mice into their hiding-
places." (" East London Dispatch," p. 7, 1 September, 1911.)
Hout Bay. — (D. hout, wood.) Too often spoken and
written " Hout's Bay," as though it had been named after a
person. The Bay was at one time well wooded all round its
shores, and it is this fact that is commemorated in the name.
It is on record that Kiebeeck "found there the finest forests
in the world, containing as lofty, thick, and straight trees as can
be desired ". (Hoodie's " Eecords," p. 34, 1838.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 221
" Der Holz-Bay (Hout Ba/y) ist nicht weniger schlimm.
Dieser Bay hat den Namen von einem grossen Wald der sie
umfasset." (Kolben's " Beschreibung," p. 204, 1745.)
" 1663, 11 July. Proceed with the sloop behind Table
Mountain to examine and sound the bay there called by us
in consequence of its forests, Hout Bay." (Leibbrandt's
Precis, "Van Eiebeeck's Journal," Part r. p. 76, 1897.)
Houtkapper. — (D. hout, wood ; happen, to chop, cut, fell.)
(1) A bird of the Gapitonidce family — Lybius torquatus is so
called. (2) The name is also given to a species of termite —
Hodotermes havilandi, which is destructive to growing crops.
"A noisy little barbet which the Hottentots called Hout-
kapper (wood-cutter) from the noise it makes with its beak
against the branches of trees in search of insects." (Bur-
chell's " Travels," i. p. 318, 1822.)
" The trouble here is not the small white ant, but the large
brown black head, locally known as Houtkapper or wood-
chopper." (" C.G.H. Agric. Journal," p. 471, 1904.)
Houtpaard. — (D. hout, wood ; paa/rd, a horse.) A wooden
block 6 or 7 feet in length, with a peg driven in at one
end, used by the Hottentots to assist them in crossing flooded
streams and rivers.
" Being loaded each vdth three or four bundles they would
not perhaps have found it practicable to cross the stream with-
out the assistance of what the Klaarwater Hottentots termed
a Houte-paard (wooden-horse)." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p.
415, 1822.)
Hump. — Generally applied to the protuberance on the
back of an ox, between the shoulders, a favourite piece with
South African housewives for salting.
" One day I dined on beef-steak, on lion, and hump ' de
rhinoceros ' done in the ashes. . . . Ehinoceros hump was a
frequent and favourite dish of mine." (Anderson's " Okavango
Eiver," p. 130, 1861.)
Hunger-belt. — A thong of hide (according to Kronlein the
Namaqua words for hunger and for riem are from the same
root, *a, to hunger), worn as a belt by the Namaqua Hottentots
which in times of scarcity is gradually tightened to deaden
the gnav?ings of hunger. Lichtenstein, literally translating
the German name for a similar contrivance, which, he says,
is used by the people of the lower classes in that country,
calls it the " girdle of emptiness " (Schmachtriemen ; compare
222 AFEICANDEEISMS
Den Sckmachtriemen umschnallen, to starve ; schmachten, to
languish, pine, especially for want of food).
" He had rather buckle the girdle of emptiness round him
than submit to such exertions as going to the chace, or catch-
ing insects." (Lichtenstein's " Travels," ii. p. 46, 1814.)
" Dying of hunger and my girdle of famine — the leather
strap worn round the waist is called by the savages a lambele
strap or ' hunger-girdle ' — tightened to the last hole. I felt
strangely tempted to devour my Christmas dinner uncooked."
(Harris' " Wild Sports," p. 293, 1839.)
" Food he had none, for every man carried a signal of dis-
tress round his belly." (Baines' "Explorations," p. 8, 1864.)
(On p. 467 Baines gives an illustration of a "Makalaka with
the first reef in his hunger-belt".)
Muspot. — (F. hochepot; Bng. hodge-podge; D. hutspot.)
The South African name for a kind of ragout of meat and
vegetables.
" Haricot (Cape name, huspot)." (Hilda's " Where is it?
of Eecipes," p. 91, 1901.)
Huurkamer. — (D. huur, rent, hire, lease ; Jcamer, a
chamber.) Booms built for hire. In most South African
inland towns rooms are to be found built for the use of the
owners or visitors at Nachtmaal time, when there is a large
influx of farmers from the surrounding district wdth their
wives and famihes. At other times they are nearly always
empty, but they are still termed huur-kamers.
Hyaena man. — See Great elephant.
" Another of his (Chaka's) designations has been the
' Hysena man,' as being descriptive of the revolting scowl and
dark treachery of that ferocious beast." (Hoodie's " Battles
in South Africa," i. p. 392, 1888.)
Ice-plant. — Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, B., is so
called because it has the appearance of being covered with
ice-sparkles, and is always cool to the touch. " See Slaai
bosch.
" The vegetation is confined chiefly to some sorts of the
Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, or ice-plant, as it is gener-
ally called." (Lichtenstein's " Travels," i. p. 44, 1812.)
I.D.B. — These initials stand in South Africa for "Illicit
Diamond Buying," a crime severely punished. Previous
to the estabhshment of the Compound System (q.v.) at
the Diamond Fields, the native labourers in the mines would
AFEICANDEEISMS 223
frequently steal the stones and dispose of them to unscrupu-
lous persons for a sum considerably less than their market
value ; to such an extent was this illicit trade carried on that
it was estimated that from one- fifth to one-furth of the
diamonds found in the mines failed to reach their lawful
owners. This condition of things brought about the establish-
ment of the Compound System and the passing of most
stringent laws, making it a crime to be in possession of an
uncut diamond without a licence.
" ' The fellow had money there with which he turned
I.D.B: 'What's that?' said Carr. 'Illicit Diamond
Buyer,' said Cobus. ' I forgot that the expression had been
coined since you left, and an I.D.B. renders himself amenable
to the law.' " (" At Home in the Transvaal," p. 520, 1884.)
" They have given an unenviable reputation to three letters
of the alphabet — I.D.B., which mean 'Illicit Diamond
Buyers,' and refer to some of the most cunning and unscru-
pulous rascals in creation." (Glanville's " The Possicker,"
p. 290, 1891.)
I.D.B. Act. — The common name of the Diamond Trade
Act, which came into force on 1 September, 1882. It was
framed to suppress, if possible, the nefarious traffic above
described.
Idle Dick or Lazy Jack. — Sphencecicus natalensis. The
common names of this bird in Natal.
" If flushed more than once, it betakes itself to a clump of
grass or bush, and will suffer itself to be taken with the hand
rather than rise again ; for this reason it has acquired the
name of Idle Dick or Lazy Jack." (Layard and Sharpe's
"Birds of South Africa," p. 281, 1875-1884.)
Ifafa Lily. — The name given in the Transkeian territories
to Cyrtanthus lutescens. Herb.
Iguana. — See Guana.
" Hence the Iguana, a small kind of crocodile, proceeds on
shore at night and takes chickens from the hen-roosts and
eggs from the fowl-house." (Bisset's " Sport and War in
South Africa," p. 179, 1875.)
" In South Africa this reptile — the Nile Monitor — is often
miscalled an iguana." (Bryden's " Animals of Africa," p. 174,
1900.)
Ihashe. — This word, in use among the Kaffirs, is the re-
sult of their efforts to reproduce the English word " horse ".
224 AFBICANDBEISMS
Ijzer-magauw. — Dutch name for Manis temmincki, a
nocturnal animal which feeds on ants and termites ; it breaks
into their nests with its powerful claws and catches the occu-
pants on its sticky tongue. See Pangohn.
Ijzerpaard. — (D. ijzer, iron ; paard, a horse.) (1) The
railway engine. (2) Sometimes applied to a bicycle.
Ijzer vark. — (D. varken, a. T^ig.) Histrix cristatus, L . The
Dutch name for this animal.
" The hystrix cristata of LinnsBus, called by the colonists
here yzter-varken (or iron hog), is the same animal as the Ger-
mans carry about for a show in our country by the name of
porcupine." (Sparrman's "Voyage," i. p. 151, 1785.)
Ijzer vogeltje. — (D. vogel, a bird, fowl.) Alseonax adusta.
The Dutch name of a small bird of the Muscicapidee family.
The name refers to the iron colour of the bird.
Imfe.— (Kaf. im Fe.) Holchus saccharatus. A sweet
cane grown and chewed by the natives ; it is of little good
for any other purpose.
" A species of sugar cane, called imfe, is grown in great
abundance ; of this the natives are remarkably fond." (Kay's
"Eesearches in Caffraria," p. 123, 1883.)
Impala. — Mpycerosmelampus, aometiraescaileA the pallah.
" We sat like statues as the impala walked out from its
stall between Teddy's knees." (Fitzpatrick's " Jock of the
Bushveld," p. 802, 1907.)
Impi. — (Kaf . im Pi, an army, an enemy.) An army or
regiment, an enemy.
" Hanta . . . heads, by right of office, the impi yakwom-
kulu, or regiment of the great place." (Holden's " Past and
Future of the Kaffir Eaces," p. 155, 1866.)
Inbooking. — (D. boeken, to enter, to book.) The anglicized
form of the word used by the Dutch in the Transvaal for a
system of apprenticing natives that was open to great abuse.
See Black ivory.
" Under the specious name of inhooking (a form of appren-
ticeship) they were actually made slaves for an indefinite
number of years." (" At Home in the Transvaal," p. 255,
1884.)
" He must have been one of those inboeked children that
never grow out of their apprenticeship." (Ibid., p. 522.)
Indaba. — (Kaf. in Daba, news, information.) A native
council meeting for the discussion of business of importance
AFEICANDBEISMS 225
to the tribe. It seems as if the word were likely to pass into
South African slang.
" Es wiirde sehr freuen, wenn ich zu ihm kommen und
die indaba (Neuigkeit) von Sekukuni erzahlen woUe."
(Wangemann's " Bin Eeise-Jahr in Siid-Afrika," p. 522,
1868.)
" The general conduct of his daily life, his work, his hunts,
, . his indabas, differ little from the vogue and usage of the
past." (Eobinson's " A Life Time in South Africa," p. 313,
1900.)
" At this stage the indaba was adjourned for half an hour."
(" East London Dispatch," 1 July, 1907.)
Indian flame plant. — Poinsettia pulcherima has been thus
designated, the reference being to the bright red bracts be-
neath the inflorescences.
"If the curious draw them apart he will find between
floral organs pretty much the same as occur upon the Poin-
settia or Indian flame plant, and the melkbosch." ("East
London Dispatch," p. 6, 18 October, 1912.)
Indian pride or Pride of India. — The handsome Lager-
stroemia indica is so named in Natal.
" This little lonely tenement is marked out by an oblong
heap of stones, with a dwarf bush of Indian pride at either
extremity." (Methuen's " Life in the Wilderness," p. 284,
1848.)
Indian shot. — Canna indica. The popular South African
designation of this plant ; it refers to the striking resemblance
which the seeds bear to swan-shot.
Induna. — (Kaf . in Duna, councillor, one of rank.) A man
in authority ; one who is next in rank to the chief. The
word is more frequently used by the Zulus than among the
Kaffirs of the Cape Colony.
"While Uys and his people were occupying Dingaan's
attention, the English settlers proceeded with their natives
against the kraals of Sotobo and another in-duna situate
between Mooi Eiver and the Tugela." (Shooter's " Kaffirs
of Natal," p. 322, 1857.)-
Inj^elegd. — (D. inleggen, to pickle, preserve; cf. G.
einlegen, to salt, pickle.) Pickled, preserved ; the Cape
Dutch name also for pickled fish, the adjective being used
as a noun in the Eastern Province of the Cape Colony.
" Geelbek, commonly called Cape Salmon, . . . makes
15
226 AFKICANDEEISMS
good fish pie, ' smoorfish,' engelegte, or pickled fish." (Hilda's
" Diary of a Cape Housekeeper," p. 65, 1902.)
Ingubu. — (Kaf. in Gubo, a garment, skin, blanket.) A
dress or garment of any kind is offered for sale to the Natal
natives under this name.
" Cast-off articles of European attire known to the natives
as Ingouboos." (EusseU's " Old Durban," p. 187, 1899.)
Inja. — (Kaf. in Ja, a dog.) (1) A dog. (2) The term is
applied also to subordinates. (3) It is further used as a term
of opprobrium or contempt, as by KafHrs to Fingoes. As
employed, however, by a chief of any of his indunas or people
it is regarded as a compliment, indicating loyalty and fidelity.
" On these occasions the inja (dog), although of the most
wretched description, appears to render exceptional service."
(Kay's " Caffrarian Eesearches," p. 134, 1833.)
" The word incha (dog) has two meanings diametrically
opposed to one another in the metaphorical language of these
tribes. To call a man a ' dog ' would be the most unpardon-
able insult, but a chief will say of one of his subordinates,
' That man is my dog,' and the appellation will be received
with a smile of assent by the person on whom it is bestowed."
(Casalis' " Basutos," p. 177, 1861.)
Ink -berry. — The small black berries of Oestrum umbel-
latum, the juice of which was sometimes used by the early
colonists as a substitute for ink — hence the name.
" Its scientific name is Gestrum umbellatum and the
children often call it ink-berry." (" East London Dispatch,"
p. 6, 10 November, 1911.)
Ink-fish. — An East London name for the cuttle-fish
(sepia) ; it has reference to the inky fluid which the animal
ejects when irritated or disturbed.
" The ink- fish or squid is caught out at sea in the trawl
nets." ("East London Dispatch," 21 November, 1905.)
Inkosi. — (Kaf. in Kosi, a term denoting respect, a chief,
king. ) (1) The bestower of a benefit ; a chief or commander.
(2) Shortened to " inkos " this word is often used in the
common parlance of the Border districts as an acknowledg-
ment of some benefit. A KafiQr will express his sense of
indebtedness for a favour by saluting the person bestovying
it as an "Inkosi" or benefactor. The word has, however,
in the form enkosi come to be regarded, and is often used by
colonists, as being the equivalent of the EngHsh " Thank you ".
AFEICANDEEISMS 227
" Calling the King Kousi, which is not his name, but his
title, Kousi signifying king, or principal chief in their lan-
guage." (Thompson's " Travels and Adventures," p. 118,
1827.)
"A lav? has been laid down by the great Inkos, the Su-
preme Chief, who lives at Government House." (Statham's
"Blacks, Boers, and British," p. 145, 1881.)
Inkosikazi. — (Kaf. in Kosi, a chief ; kazi, denoting
female.) (1) A wife of a king or chief. (2) Often used by
the natives when addressing a white woman as equivalent to
mistress or lady ; and also of their own wives whether of
the blood or not.
" He (the washing Kaffir) acquits himself at his task
better than the Inkosigas (white mistress) who bungles hers
so sadly." (Eoche's " On Trek in the Transvaal," p. 246,
1878.)
Inkruipers. — (D. inkruipen, to creep in between.) Men
who had secured farms in the way described under Inkruip
plaats (q.v.) were so designated.
Inkruip plaats. — (D. inkruipen, to creep in between ;
plaats, a place ; CD. a farm.) In early days in the Orange
Free State and the Transvaal when an applicant for a Be-
quest farm (q.v.) could find no suitable vacant site, he would
sometimes squat between two such farms the owners of which
had included (not an uncommon occurrence) within their
boundaries much more than the stipulated 3000 morgen, and
at the survey would claim the excess land from each or both
to make up his required area. Such a farm was known as
an Inkruip plaats.
"But there were many seekers after spare land, and
among them one Floores Tromp, who under the impression
that the owners of Boschhoek and Waterval claimed more
land than they were entitled to, squatted on the south side
of the Incandu Eiver, near the Drift, and put in an application
for any spare land which might be held by the original
grantees. When the surveyor, Mr. Bell, came along a couple
of years later, he cut off nearly 3000 acres from the adjoining
farms, and TroTop ohta,meA the inkruips plaats." ("Bloem-
fontein Post.")
Insangu. — (Kaf. i Sangu, the leaves or seeds of the wild
hemp.) The Kaffir name for Cannabis sativa, the dagga
(q.v.) of the Hottentots.
15 *
228 AFEICANDBEISMS
" The smoking of insangu or ' dacca ' as it is variously
called is a widely distributed habit throughout South Africa."
(Schulz and Hammar's "New Africa," p. 201, 1897.)
Inspan. — (D. inspannen, to put to, as horses to a carriage.)
To yoke oxen or to harness draught animals to a vehicle.
" I determined as a rule to inspan as early as possible in
the morning, lest the people should annoy me with impor-
tunities." (Baine's " Explorations," p. 48, 1864.)
Interior, The. — The countries nearer the equator than
those referred to in the expression up country.
Intombi. — (Kaf. in Tombi, a maiden.) A girl or young
unmarried woman.
Intonga. — (Kaf. in Tonga, an article or weapon for defence,
a stick.) The KafiSr name of the fighting stick which the
natives generally carry.
"The only weapon carried by anyone of them was the
itonga or fencing-stick." (Kay's " Caffrarian Eesearches," p.
269, 1833.)
Inyoka. — (Kaf. i Nyoka, that which glides away, a snake.)
A snake.
" I described the noise to Jack in the morning, and he at
once said it was made by a nhoca snake as thick as his arm."
(Eose Monteiro's " Delagoa Bay, Its Natives and Natural
History," p. 114, 1891.)
" One of the Amatongas . . . gave a most unearthly howl,
and a bound which I never saw equalled, dropping all his
assegaies, whipping off his moutcha in a twinkling, saying
that an inyoha snake had bitten him." (Baldwin's "African
Hunting," p. 112, 1894.)
Ipimpi. — (Kaf. i Pimpi, the snake which flattens its neck.)
The native name for the Einghals (q.v.), a snake resembling
the cobra de capello in its manner of flattening and inflating
the neck.
"Intelhgence reached me of the pitiable situation of a
native female . . . who had been bitten by an impimpi or
cobra de capello." (Kay's " Caffrarian Eesearches," p. 198,
1833.)
Ipiti or Piti. — (Kaf. and Z. i Puti, the small blue buck.)
Cephalophus monticola, the smallest of the South African
antelopes, known in the Cape Colony as the small Bluebuck,
and in Natal by this name. See Bpiti.
" The presence in Swazieland of the dehcately formed
AFEICANDBEISMS 229
little Natal bluebuck, more generally known as the piti, was
not suspected until recently." (" East London Dispatch," p.
4, 18 November, 1908.)
" The beautiful little ipiti, no bigger than a toy terrier,
and quite as sprightly and alert." (Green's " Eichard Hartley,
Prospector," p. 244, 1905.)
Iron-wood. — Olea laurifolia, Lanh. The wood known to
the natives as " Umsimbiti " (q.v.), largely used in making
the framework of wagons. It is known in the Cape as
Black iron-wood.
' ' The hardest and toughest of the Natal woods is that
known under the native name ' Umzimbiti ' {iron-wood)."
(Mann's "Natal," p. 157, 1859.)
" Olea laurifolia (Black iron-wood). This tree reaches the
stature of a medium-sized or large timber tree, but the wood
is excessively hard and not durable in the ground." (" Science
in South Africa," p. 391, 1905.)
Iron-wood tree. — In the Transvaal Gopaifera mopane,
Kirk, is known by this name. See Turpentine tree.
Isandhlwana. — (Kaf. dim. of i Sandla, the hand.) The
name of the mountain in Zululand close by the scene of the
disaster to the British troops under General Thesiger (Lord
Chelmsford) on 22 January, 1879. See Superintendent.
Isicoco. — (Z. isi Coco, the head-ring.) The Zulu name for
the head-ring of the Zulu and Matabele warriors. See Einged,
To be.
"All their heads were shaven, sufficient hair only being
left to attach the isiqoko, which is composed of sinews
attached to the hair and blackened with grease." (Harris'
" Wild Sports," p. 120, 1839.)
Ivy-leaved geranium. — Two species of Pelargonium are
thus designated : P. peltatum. Ait., and P. lateripes — two
species doubtfully distinct.
Izibongi. — (Kaf. uhu Bonga, to praise, extol.) The Zulu
izihongi, Kaf. imbongi, are officials whose duty it is publicly
to proclaim the various titles and praises of their respective
chiefs.
" Mr. Shepstone, with Cetewayo and some of his followers,
retired to a hut to consult on different subjects ; while this
was going on inside an amusing scene was taking place out-
side between two izihongi (jesters or praisers), each yelling
out the string of praises of their respective chiefs — Mr.
230 APRICANDEEISMS
Shepstone and Cetewayo — and trying to outdo each other."
(Hoodie's " Battles in South Africa," ii. p. 474, 1888.)
Jaagspinnekop. — (D. jagen, to hunt ; spinnekop, a spider.)
An arachnid of the Order SolifugcB ; it hunts its prey with
considerable swiftness. See Eooiman and Haar-scheerder.
" There are worms to cut off your young vegetables . . .
horrible looking jaagspinnekoppen (hunting spiders) to startle
you." (Du Plessis' " In the Heart of Africa," p. 55, 1905.)
" They are variously known locally by the name of
Romans, jagd-spinnekoppen (hunting spiders) or haar-scheer-
ders (hair cutters), and there is a current belief that they cut
off the hair of a sleeping person at night." (" Science in
South Africa," p. 178, 1905.)
Jaarhonderd. — (G. jahrhundert, a century, an age.) In
South Africa this word is employed by the Dutch with the
meaning of a long time, an indefinite period.
Jackal. — (Turk, tchakal ; Pers. chagal.) Canis meso-
melas. This animal commits great depredations among the
small stock of the colonial farmer, and is the cause of con-
siderable loss. It is as cunning as it is destructive, and is
trapped or poisoned with difficulty. See Silver jackal and
Eooi jakhals.
Jackal. — A piece of Hottentot attire depending in front
from the thong or belt generally worn round the waist, just
as the Staart-riem (q.v.) does behind. It is so called because
it is generally made from the skin of the jackal.
" This covering consists of a bag or flap made of skin. . . .
They call this purse by the Dutch name of Jackall." (Sparr-
man's " Voyage," i. p. 185, 1785.)
" It was not possible for the motion of the limbs to be
less impeded by clothing, as he wore nothing more than his
jackal." (Burchell's " Travels," ii. p. 64, 1824.)
Jackal buzzard. — Buteo jakal. So called because its
cry strikingly resembles that of the common jackal. See
Jackal vogel.
" A neighbour of ours (Mr. Joseph Wilmot) saw one of
these birds (Jackal buzzard) doing battle with a large snake.
After watching this singular affray for some time he went to
the spot to see what snake the bird was fighting with and
found a large ' ringtals ' (!) quite 'hors de combat'." (La-
yard's " Birds of South Africa," p. 27, 1875-84.)
" The Jackal Buzzard (buteo jakal) is fairly common
AFEICANDBEISMS 231
throughout South Africa." (Haagner and Ivy's " Sketches
of South African Bird Life," p. 58, 1908.)
Jackal's besjes. — (D. bezie, a berry.) The fruit of Sider-
oxylon inerme, L.
Jackal's kost. — (D. host, victuals, food.) Hydnora A/ri-
cana. An offensively smelling plant, parasitic on the roots
of Euphorbia.
" Further along the coast at the foot of Sugar-loaf Hill is
found the curious Hydnora Africana or Jackal's host growing
parasitically on the roots of the Euphorbia caputmeduscB."
(Noble's " The Cape and its People," p. 259, 1869.)
" Not a few solved the problem as some higher beings
have done since, by making others work for them — the mistle-
toe and loranthus, the dodder and Jakhal's kos (Hydnora)
are examples of this class, and, be it noted, they bear the
marks of their laziness on their own degenerate bodies."
(" East London Dispatch," p. 8, 29 March, 1912.)
Jackal vogel. — (D. vogel, a bird, fowl.) See Jackal buz-
zard.
" Sometime after a Jackal vogel' s nest came to view,
built on the top of a large tree, which grew out of the face of
a perpendicular and lofty ' kranz ' or precipice." (Fleming's
" Southern Africa," p. 380, 1856.)
Jackass penguin. — See Penguin. So named from the
strange noise which it makes, very much like the braying of
a donkey.
" This species is known to seafaring men as the Jackass
penguin ; and its most favourite resorts are the Ichaboe,
Mercury, Hollanisbird, and Possession Islands." (Andersson's
" Birds of Damaraland," p. 348, 1872.)
Jack hanger. — Lanius coUaris. This designation has
reference to the bird's habit of hanging his captures on thorns
until they are to his taste. See Butcher bird and Fiscal.
" The butcher bird, called by the colonists Jack hanger,
likes to eat his game high . . . small birds, beetles, locusts,
etc., impaled on the long stiff thorns, form his well-stocked
larder." (Martin's "Home Life on an Ostrich Farm," p.
252, 1890.)
Jacky hangman. — Natal name for the above bird.
" The boys call it Johnny Hangman from the extra-
ordinary habit it has ... of impaling its prey after killing it,
on the thorns." (Woodward's " Birds of Natal," p. 40, 1899.)
232 APEICANDEEISMS
Jag. — (D.jagen, to hunt, chase.) To hunt, pursue, give
chase.
" I directed Cobus to ride round and jag them up to
me." (Gordon Cumming's " Adventures," i. p. 119,
1850.)
" These being very v^ild I y ached them on the Boer prin-
ciple." {Ibid. 11. p. 373.)
Jagziekte. — (D.jagen, to hunt ; ziekte, sickness.) Chronic
catarrhal pneumonia in sheep is thus designated, the panting
of the animal making it look as if it had been hunted.
" In the later stages the poor beast stands with its ribs
fixed and flanks heaving, panting for breath, hence the
Dutch name jagziehte or droning sickness." (" C.Gr.H.
Agric. Jour.," p. 526, 1905.)
Jakob Evertsen. — Sebastes cwpensis, Cuv. A highly prized
fish, named, it is said, after a ship's captain of the early days,
who had a very red face and projecting eyes, the fish bearing
a likeness to him in these particulars. The Japan and Am-
boyna fishes of the same name — see first two quotations —
must belong to other species. Kolben quotes Francisci's ac-
count of the origin of the name, and then adds : " Der neue
Name allenthalbenaus gebreitet wurde. Die Einwohner des
Vorgebiirges, welchen den Evertsen gar wohl kannten, hielten
ihn fur gar wol ausgesonnen, und also wurde es garbald in
verschiedenen Indianischen Compagnien eingefuhrt, woselbst
man die rothen Brassen nimmer anders heisset, als Jacob
Evertsen." (" Beschreibung," p. 369, 1745.) See Karl
grootoog.
" Three of them came on board ... to sell us fish . . .
amongst others red steenbrassem, salammets, and Jacobs
Ewertzen." (Kaempfer's " History of Japan, 1690-2," Eeprint,
I. p. 12.)
" There is likewise, it is said, a large fish near the pier-
head at Amboyna, to which the name of Jakob Evertsen has
been given, and they pretend that it takes away one man
every year." (Stavorinus' " Voyages," ii. p. 362, 1798.)
" Abundance of excellent fish are to be procured here such
as the delicious Eoman fish, Hottentot, Jacob fever."
(Alexander's " Expedition," i. p. 88, 1873.)
" Called Jacob Evertsen, after a Dutch captain remarkable
for a red face and large, projecting eyes." (Pappe's " Edible
Fishes of the Cape of Good Hope," p. 10, 1866.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 233
Jakob Zwart. — (D. zwwrt, black.) The Jeffrey's Bay
name of the Eooi stompneus (q.v.).
Jamboes. — (Mai. "jambu, a common name for several
fruit trees of different genera " (Crawford). " The Sanskrit
name Jambu is, in the Malay language, appUed with distin-
guishing adjectives to all the species " (Eugenia). (Yule and
Burnell's "Anglo-Indian Glossary".) See the Eose-apple.
Janblom. — A huge frog is so named by the Dutch.
" The shriek of the loorie, the metaJlic croaking of the
Jan blom frog." (" Cape Times," p. 9, 17 September, 1912.)
Jan Frederik. — Gossypha caffra. Onomatopoetic name
of the Cape red-breast.
" The male sings very pleasantly, and his notes have been
likened to the following differently intoned syllables, Jan
Fredric-dric-dric-fredric, whence its colonial name of Jan
Fredric" (Andersson's " Birds of Damaraland," p. 119, 1872.)
" You may see and hear the lively, inquisitive Jan Frederic
thrush, -with, his pleasing song and his curious note — Jan
Fredric-dric-dric-fredric." (Bryden's " Tales of South Africa,"
p. 109, 1896.)
Jan groentje. — The name given to the exquisite Httle
Sugar-birds (q.v.) which " like emeralds feathered in flame "
hover over the flowers of garden and bush.
" There is a reason . . . and a very cogent one, for Ja7i
groentje to wear a fine coat." (" East London Dispatch," p.
4, 2 April, 1909.)
Janklass or Jakklaas. — A corruption of the Dutch jakhals,
jackal.
Jan tadental. — See Tarantall.
Jantjitrap-zoetjes. — (D. trappen, to tread; zoetjes, gently,
softly.) An appropriate name for the slow-moving chameleon,
" Johnny go-lightly ". See Verkleurmannetje.
Japanese Quin(;e. — The name given in South Africa to
Cydonia Japonica, which with its brilliant flowers makes a
fine show in the garden in winter.
Jawoord. — (G.jawort, consent.) Acquiescence, consent.
Jekkert. — (D. jeJcker, a coat.) A coat, jacket.
Jersey lily. — Nerine Sarniensii, Herb., sometimes called
the Guernsey lily — a beautiful Amaryllid native on Table
Mountain.
Jerusalem oak. — Chenopodium Botrys, L. An alien plant
naturalized and known by this name in the Transvaal.
234 APRICANDEBISMS
Jerusalem pony. — A euphemism for Cimex lectula/rius —
bed-bug.
Jeukbol. — (D. jeuhen, to itch ; hoi, a bulb.) Idothea
ciliaris, Kth. The bulb is dried and used as an emetic.
Jig-a-jig. — Under this name Queenstown boys eat the
bulb of a small liliaceous plant — Dipcadi hyacinthoides, Baker.
See Curly curly.
Jigger. — Sarcopsylla penetrans. The West Indian chigoe
was introduced into Africa via the Guinea Coast some years
ago ; it seems to have made its "w&y right across the Continent,
and to be travelling southward. Stanley gives an interesting
account of its African journeyings in the Introduction to
Decle's " Three Years in Savage Africa " (xxi, 1898). The
female burrows under the skin of the feet, often under the
toe-nail, and becoming considerably distended with eggs
occasions great pain, and, if not properly attended to, may
occasion the loss of the toe or foot.
" They told me that now I had returned the locusts and
the jigger would flee away, and their land would be at rest."
(Scott Elliot's " Naturalist in Mid Africa," p. 258, 1896.)
" We hear that the jigger, an insect the size of a pin's
head, is invading South Africa, and is now as far as Beira."
(Baden Powell's " Matabeleland Campaign, 1896," p. 448,
1897.)
Jimmy. — A recently arrived emigrant is thus designated
in Natal.
" A raw emigrant and what Natalians call a Jimmy."
(Aylward's " The Transvaal of To-day," p. 216, 1878.)
Job's tears. — (1) The hard involucres of Coix lachryma
have received this poetic designation. (2) Gyanotis (Trade-
scantia) also blossoms for a day and then perishes, or " dis-
solves in tears," whence it is known as " Job's tears ".
(Stoneman's " Plants and their Ways in South Africa," p.
183, 1906.)
Jolin Brown. — Gymnocrotaphus curvideus. See Tambrijn.
John dory. — Zeus capensis, a near relative of the Euro-
pean fish of the same name — Zeusfaber.
Jointed cactus. — Opuntia pusilla, a dangerous weed ; it
is a near relative of the prickly pear, and threatens to become
a great pest.
Jonas Itlip. — (D. klip, rock.) Dolomite is so called in
Bechuanaland.
AFEICANDEEISMS 235
" It is stated where Jonas klip (dolomite) is present the
disease (lamziekte) will occur." (" S.A. Agric. Jour.,"
p. 39, July, 1912.)
Jong. — (D. jong, young, a young one.) In the Cape
Colony this word was originally applied to young male slaves ;
but now throughout South Africa it is applied to young men
indiscriminately, and often by girls to girls. See Klong and
Ou' Jong.
" Tied his jong, or young bushman slave, to the wheel
of his wagon, where he was severely flogged." (Arbousset's
" Narrative," p. 253, 1846.)
" These slaves were called yungs or ' boys,' and to this
day the Bastaards, when asked what they are, will say,
' Ek es ein yung ' (I am a yung or boy)." (Farini's " Through
the Kalahari Desert," p. 279 n., 1886.)
" Presently a couple of jongs came along with dainty
cigarettes in their mouths." (" East London Dispatch," p.
8, 13 February, 1912.)
Joseph or Josvisch. — Gallorhyncus antarticus. How the
fish came by its trivial name is not clear. Dr. Gilchrist
(" History of the Local Names of Cape Fish ") suggests that
" it may be a corruption of ' Jood's visch ' or ' Jews' fish ' ".
The fishermen of the Cape suggest that the name is derived
from the brilliant and varied colours of the living fish. See
Eabbit fish and Elephant fish.
" Among the various sorts of fish that appeared on the
tables at the Cape were the Ghimara callorhyncus (Dodskop
or Joseph), the flesh of which is white and well tasted ; and
the Baja miraletus (or Eock)." (Thunberg's " Travels," i. p.
295, 1795.)
Juffer or Juffrouw. — (D. juffer ; cf . G. Jungfer, Jung-
frau, maiden, miss.) This word is commonly used in Cape
Dutch when speaking of or addressing a married woman ;
the etymological significance of the first syllable has so far
disappeared that a maiden is spoken of or addressed as jonge-
juffrouw. Juffer is equivalent to the English " mistress ".
Jummers. — (D. immer, always, evermore.) Again and
again, repeatedly.
Jump, To. — (1) A process by which a " Claim " (q.v.) on the
Diamond Fields, if not worked for a certain period, might be
legally appropriated by the first person who desires to have
it. (2) The word has now, as a slang term, a much more ex-
236 AFBICANDEEISMS
tended application, and refers to the wrongful appropriation
of another person's property.
" Five thousand bricks weve jumped the other night from
. . .'s brickyard at Klipdrift." (" Queenstown Free Press,"
18 August, 1871.)
" He told me he hai jumped the claim six weeks ago, and
had no cause to curse his luck. I don't know that I have ex-
plained this term jumping. When a digger vacated his claim
for eight consecutive days, not putting pick in it nor sorting
stuff, it became ' jumpable ' by the old committee rules, and
the first man who noticed its idleness might take it over."
(Boyle's " To the Cape for Diamonds," p. 165, 1873.)
" But ivory is not now so difficult to procure, and land so
much more scarce and less e&siiy jumped." (Bryden's " Kloof
and Karoo," p. 284, 1889.)
Jumpers. — Those who entered into the occupation of
vacated claims under the above regulation.
Jumping seeds or eggs. — The seed capsules of Excoeca/ria
reticulata are sometimes found inhabited by the larvae of a
small moth — probably Garpocapsa saltitams. These capsules,
when fallen from the tree, may sometimes be observed to jump
to a considerable height, the result of the vigorous movements
of the insect inside. Similar jumping seeds have been observed
both in Natal and in the neighbourhood of Cape Town.
" These are the only jumping seeds of which I had heard
until I met with those of Natal." (Wesley, " NaturaUst," in.
p. 22, 1889.)
' ' Having seen an account in ' Science Gossip ' for August
of a jumping seed found at Beaufort West, I thought a note
on the so-called jumping ' eggs ' found round Cape Town
might be of sufficient interest for insertion in the ' Scientific
African '." (" Scientific African," p. 28, December, 1894.)
Kaaiman. — The word appears to be of American origin,
and outside of South Africa it is applied generally to the large
saurians of America, and occasionally to those of the Eastern
hemisphere ; but among the Dutch of South Africa it is ap-
phed, not as one would expect to a crocodile, but to a small
lizard, though Backhouse seems to use it of the Legavaan (q.v.).
" We saw a young Kaimon swimming in the river ; it was
of a species that attains to four feet in length, and which
climbs in the bushes by the river side and catches birds, etc."
(Backhouse's " Narrative," p. 237, 1844.)
AFEICANDEKISMS 237
Kaaiman bloemen. — (D. bloem, a flower.) The sweet-
scented flower Nymphcea stellata, Willd., the blue one.
Riversdale name.
Kaalblad. — (D. Tcaal, bald, bare ; cf. Bng. callow ; hlad,
leaf.) The variety of the prickly pear (Opuntia), the
leaves of which are almost bare of thorns. Whether this is
really a variety or only a " sport " is not quite clear ; it appears
to revert very quickly to the prickly type. The combination
of " epitaphs " in the second quotation is particularly fine.
" The kaalblad is not only safe but the birds evince a
decided liking for its leaves and frait." ("Queenstown Free
Press," 4 September, 1877.)
" Select a farm that has on it especially plenty of spec
boom, and ca/rl prickly pear." (Douglas' " Ostrich Farming,"
p. 66, 1881.)
"The Kaal-hlad is a 'sport' of the 'prickly pear,' but
the seeds yield for the most part the original prickly pear."
("Handbook of the South African Exhibition," p. 290, 1885.)
"One kind — the kahl-hlad ox ' bald-leaf ' has no thorns."
(Martin's " Home Life on an Ostrich Farm," p. 57, 1890.)
Kaalgare. — (D. kahel, cable ; garen, thread, yarn ; kabel-
garen, rope-yarn.) The tarred rope-yarn used to bind the
reeds when thatching.
Kaalkop. — (D. kaal, bare, bald ; kop, a head.) (1) A bald
head. (2) By hunters it is applied to a tuskless elephant.
" The bush was very good, a moderate breeze of wind
which I kept always below, but I had great difficulty in get-
ting the bull out from the company of the carl-kop (naked
head)." (Baldwin's " African Hunting," p. 301, 1894.)
Kaal laagte. — (D. kaal, bare, bald ; laagte, a valley.) A
valley or hollow bare of vegetation.
Kaal perske. — (D. kaal, bare, bald; perzik ; G. Pfirsch;
F. peche, a peach ; from the Lat. persicum, the fruit of the
persicus oxpersica a/rbor, peach tree.) The Gape Dutch name
for the nectarine.
Kaam-besjes. — (H.oi. * kamab, the hartebeest; bezie, a
berry.) Pappea capensis, E. and Z., also called Wilde pruimen
(q.v.). The fruit resembles a plum, has a pleasant taste, and
makes a refreshing beverage and good vinegar. See also
Kaffir plum.
"Sapindus Pappea (Sond.). . . . The fruit called 'wilde
preume, oliepitten, wilde amandel, t'kaambesje,' is edible,
238 AFEICANDBEISMS
and a bland oil is expressed from the seeds." (" Flora £)apen-
sis," Vol. I. p. 241, 1869-60.)
Kaapenaar. — A resident of Cape Town or of the Cape
Peninsula.
' ' The Gapenaars have always attempted to justify the
holding of human flesh in bondage by appeals to Scripture."
("C.G.H. Literary Gazette," iv. p. 180, November, 1834.)
" He was a Kaapenaar, came to the country in 1868 in the
humble capacity of cook and valet to the chief." (Dower's
"Early Annals of Kokstad," p. 99, 1902.)
Kaapenaar. — The Port Elizabeth name for the fish Dentex
argyrozona, known at Cape Town as the silver fish.
Kaaps. — (D. kaap, a cape.) Used by the Cape Dutch of
anything South African.
Kaapsche nooitje. — (D. kaap, a cape ; CD. nooi, a young
woman.) The Eiversdale and Knysna name for the Pompel-
moosje (q.v.).
Kaapsche wolf slang. — (D. slang, a snake.) Lycophidium
capense.
Kaarshout. — (D. kaars, a candle ; hout, word.) Accord-
ing to Sim (" Forest Flora ") this is another name for Gardenia
Bothmannia. See Aapsekost. But the name is universally
applied to Pterocelastris variabilis, Sond., which is very
resinous.
Kabaai. — (" This word seems to be one of those which
the Portuguese received in older times from the Arabic (kaba,
a vesture). By them it was introduced into India, thence to
the Malay countries, and is in common use in Java. ... It
has become familiar in Dutch from its use in Java." — Yule
and Burnell.) The word came to the Cape in the old Dutch
East India Company's days and is applied to a sort of dress-
ing-gown or pyjamas.
" There was here an Ambassador who had brought Hidal-
can a very rich Cabaya . . . which he would not accept of,
for that thereby he would not acknowledge himself subject to
the Turk." (Cogan's " Voyages and Adventures of Ferdinand
Mendez," done into Enghsh by H. E. Gent, pp. 10-11, 1653.)
"He takes his solitary cup of coffee or sopie or both, and
smokes his pipe, then lounges about the house in his slaap-
mutz and nagt-cabaay, his night-cap and gown." (Barrow's
" Travels," I. p. 104, 1801.)
Kabeljauw (D. kabeljauw, a cod, codfish.) Scicena
AFEICANDBEISMS 239
aquila is known by this name in the Cape Colony ; in Natal,
however, it is known as the Cape salmon (q.v.).
" A pleasant river called Cableows Eiver, from a fish which
goes by that name, and which is a species of cod, being found
near its mouth." (Paterson's "Narrative," p. 80, 1789.)
" We got a great prize in a stranded cabaljao, fifty pounds
weight, hke a huge salmon." (Alexander's " Expedition," ii.
p. 83, 1838.)
" The Natal ' Cape salmon "... proves to be our well-
known and very common Kabeljaauw, called for briefness
' cob ' or ' kob ' (Scicena aquila). This fish is very widely
distributed, and is not rare on the British coast, where it is
known as ' meagre '." ("East London Dispatch," 26 June,
1906.)
Kaboe mealies — (Kaf . i Qubu, a heap of Kaffir corn before
it is winnowed ; anything done stealthily or in haste.)
Mealies stripped from the cob and boiled without removing
the skin.
" They gave me something to eat, just what they had ready
— kaboe mealies (boiled maize)." (Kestell's " Through Shot
and Flame," p. 14, 1903.)
Kaduks. — (F. caduc, decrepit, decayed ; Lat. caducus,
frail, perishable.) Weak, decrepit, to live poorly.
Kaffir. — (Ar. Kafir, an infidel, an unbeliever in Islam.)
The Arabs applied this word to the negroes of the interior ;
from them it was adopted by the early Portuguese navigators,
our countrymen in turn taking it over from them, and sub-
sequently applying it specially to the Bantu tribes of South
Bast Africa. This term, like the term Hottentot, is entirely
unknown in the language of the people to whom it is thus
specifically applied, and I have known it to be vigorously re-
pudiated by them as a national designation.
Eaw or Eed Kaffir, the latter sometimes shortened to
Eeds, are designations applied to these peoples in their un-
civilized condition ; the epithet " red " having reference to the
red clay or ochre with which they smear themselves. A
School Kaffir is one who has been brought under the influence
of the Christian missionary, or has been taught at one of the
schools established for that purpose.
"He learnt that the whole people of the island of S.
Lorenzo . . . were black Cafres with curly hair like those of
Mozambique." ("Barros," ii, i. 1, 1552.)
240 AFEICANDEKISMS
" Nunmehro sind wir bey dem Lande von Natal angelangt,
welches die Kaffern oder Gaffern bewohnem." (Kolben's
" Beschreibung," p. 74, 1745.)
" Fear made them imagine that they saw Gaffres every-
where." (Le Vaillant's " Travels," i. p. 282, 1796.)
" Last night seven of the School Kaffirs with their families
decamped." (Godlonton's " Kaffir War, 1850-51," p. 508, 1852.)
" The Beds have been largely influenced." (Cook's " Mis-
sion Tour," p. 93, 1893.)
"The Bed Kaffir is in truth a savage." (Ballantyne's
" Six Months at the Cape," p. 44, 1879.)
Kaffir almanac. — A species of Hcemanthus is so called in
Natal, because the Zulus sow their mealies when this plant is
in flower.
Kaffir-boom. — (D. boom, a tree.) Erythrina caffra. A
winter-flowering species of leguminous " coral tree ". " The
scarlet blossomed ornament of the mid-winter landscape."
See Kaffrarian pea.
"I frequently noticed the Erythrina caffra, or corallo-
dendron (called by the colonists Gafferboom)." (Pringle's
" Narrative," p. 36, 1840.)
" The Kaffir-booms, with their magnificent scarlet flowers,
look gorgeous when growing, as they habitually do, among
the boulders." (Balfour's "Twelve Hundred Miles in a
Waggon," p. 170, 1895.)
Kaffir- bread tree. — Encephalartos altensteinii, a species
of Gycadacece. The name is applied to other members of the
same family, because it is said, in times of scarcity, the Kaffirs
ate the nutty flavoured seeds.
" Two plants of the palm tribe were frequently met with,
one the Zamia cycadis or Kaffir's bread-tree, growing on the
plains." (Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 189, 1801.)
" Our local Cycads, known to science by the generic name
Encephalartos, are commonly called Kaffir-bread, ' bread fruit
tree,' ' bread-palm ' or simply ' palm '. A few of the more
knowing call them zamias, the name of an alhed genus not
found in South Africa." (" East London Dispatch," 24
December, 1908.)
Kaffir chestnut. — The fruit of Brabejum stellatifolium is
sometimes so called. See Wild almond.
Kaffir chief. — GoUopasser procne ; this bird is known also
as the Long-tailed finch (q.v.), and in Natal as the Sakabula.
AFEICANDEEISMS 241
Kaffir circus. — A slang name for the market on the Stock
Exchange, where transactions in South African land, mining,
and other stocks are carried on.
Kaffir corn. — Andropogon sorghum, Brot. Next to the
mealie, this is the most important native-grown grain, and is
largely employed in the concoction of Kaffir beer.
" Several of the English settlers had at different times
planted considerable quantities of Kaffir-corn." (Kay's " Caff-
rarian Eesearches," p. 144, 1833.)
" Utshuala, a fermented liquor made from the grain of the
amabale, or Kaffir-corn." (Barter's "The Dorp and the
Veld," p. 217, 1852.)
Kaffir or Hottentot clierry. — Maurocenia capensis. The
name given to the fruit of this shrub. See Aasvogels besjes
and Hottentot cherry.
" The Kaffir apple, Hottentot cherry (Aasvogels besjes or
vulture's berries, as the Boers call it) . . . blossomed on
every side." (Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo," p. 330, 1889.)
Kaffir crane. — See Mahem. The name is sometimes
given to Bug er anus carunculatus also. See Wattled crane.
Kaffir doctor — See Doctor.
Kaffir doom. — In the Riversdale District this name is
given to several species of Lycium.
Kaffir druiven. — (D. druif, a grape.) Pollichia campestris,
Ait. A Sterkstroom name.
Kaffir fink. — Calliopasser procne. See Kaffir chief.
Kaffir gods. — I have not been able to identify these flowers.
" It graphically pictured the tawny Kaffir gods rising on
slender stems, with soft, rich petals flaming in the long grass."
(" Cape Times," Weekly Ed., 11 March, 1903.)
And where will you find such beauty
At the close of a hunter's day
As in a klump of Kaffir gods
Where wandering sun-beams stray ?
Kaffir jack. — An Eastern Province name for the Common
hornbill. See Toucan.
" The nasal whistle of the common hornbill or Kaffir jack
is almost certain to come from various quarters." (" East
London Dispatch," 4 August, 1906.)
Kaffirland. — The territory formerly occupied by the Kaffirs,
with a sea-board of 250 miles eastward from the Great Eish
River.
16
242 AFEICANDEEISMS
" The elephants in this colony are now become more wary,
withdrawing ... far up the country on the north side of
Visch-river and into Gafferland." (Sparrman's "Voyage,"
I. p. 335, 1785.)
" Kaffirland, a country of mountain, of forest, and of
kloof." (Godlonton's " Case of the Colonists," p. 71, 1845.)
Kaffir orange. — The Natal name for the fruit of Strychnos
spinosa, Lam. The shell is hard, the seeds poisonous, but
the pulp surrounding the seeds is thought by some to be
pleasant. See also Clapper, Gulugulu, Wooden and Wild
orange.
" The Kaffir orange of the sea-coast bush is a strychnos,
and has strychnine in its seeds." (Mann's " Natal," p. 159,
1859.)
" A kind of strychnia, called the Kaffir orange ... the
seeds had better be rejected." (Baines' " Gold Regions of
South East Africa," p. 9, 1877.)
Kaffir piano. — A native musical instrument — the marimba.
It is made of flat bars of hard wood fastened across a frame,
beneath which a number of calabash shells are fixed. The
bars of wood when struck emit sounds that are not at all
unmusical. The instrument is sometimes called the " Cala-
bash piano".
" The song had a rapidly played accompaniment on the
Kaffir piano." (Monteiro's " Delagoa Bay," p. 253, 1891.)
"They manufacture excellent earthen pots for cooking
food. With an instrument called a calabash piano they make
a rude kind of music." (Whiteside's " New Geography of
South Africa," p. 73, 1890.)
Kaffir plum — The fruit of Odina caffra. This is a hand-
some tree growing in the kloofs and forests ; the fruit is not
unlike an acorn in shape and size, the colour is a bright red,
the flavour sub-acid, and the stone large. Backhouse gives
this name to the Kaam besje (q.v.).
" I visited a steep wood ... to see the tree known in the
colony by the name of pruim or Gaffer-plum, Pappea capensis."
(Backhouse's " Narrative," p. 205, 1844.)
" Seein' him about reminded me of the Kaffir plums."
(Glanville's "Tales from the Veld," p. 18, 1897.)
Kaffirs. — The slang name on the London Stock Exchange
of the various South African land, mining, and other stocks.
" There has been a substantial rise in Kaffirs during the
AFKICANDEEISMS 243
last few days." ("The Empire," p. 25, 12 December,
1897.)
Kaffir slangen wortel. — (D. slang, a snake ; wortel, a
root.) Polygala serpentaria, E. and Z. The roots of this
plant are regarded by the natives as a certain cure for snake-
bite.
"According to Ecklon and Zeyher, confirmed by Dr.
Pappe, the root is a Caffir remedy for the bite of serpents,
whence the specific name, and the colonial Kaffir schlagen (!)
wortel." ("Flora Capensis," Vol. i. p. 93, 1859-60.)
Kaffir sorrel.^ — Pelargonium scutatum, Sweet. The astrin-
gent sap of the leaves is used to relieve sore throat.
Kaffir tea. — Helichrysum nudifolium, Less., is so designated
in Kaffraria ; but in Natal the name is given to another plant,
Ath/rixia capensis.
" An indigenous herb both nutritive and refreshing, which
is known to us as Kaffir tea {A thrixiaphylicifolia)." (Eussell's
" Old Durban," p. 96, 1899.)
Kaffirtjes. — The Eiversdale name for Wurmhea capensis,
Thun. The flowers are nearly black.
Kaffir truclc. — The beads, cotton blankets, brass wire, arm
and finger rings, and other articles in demand among the
natives, are known collectively as Kaffir truck.
" This portion of South Africa is dependent entirely on
the P.M. Berg traders for . . . Caffre truck." (Mason's
" Life with the Zulus," p. 133, 1855.)
" Glass, beads, knives, scissors, needles, thread, small
looking-glasses — such are the chief staples of Kaffir truck."
(Eobinson's "A Life Time in South Africa," p. 279, 1900.)
Kaffir water-melon. — Citrullus vulgaris, var. This plant
is a native of the Eastern coastal districts. See Bitter melon
and Tsama water melon. The Kaffirs call the melon um
Xoxozi.
Kaffraria. — This name seems to have been applied at one
time to the whole of the territory from the Great Fish Eiver to
Delagoa Bay, including, that is, Natal and Zululand. Subse-
quently the country from the Great Fish Eiver to the Eiver
Umtata was thus designated. Now, however, it is generally
employed of the territory that was embraced by British
Kaffraria, lying between the Keiskama and the Kei Eivers.
The whole of this country — including British Kaffraria and
the Transkeian Territories — is splendidly watered and is one
16*
244 AFEICANDEEISMS
of the most fertile regions of South Africa. Its rivers are
numerous, a few of them fairly large, but none of them of
much use for navigation. Its forests, along the Ama tolas,
contain magnificent trees, supplying good timber ; while all
along its coast, the land and the climate are both alike favour-
able to the cultivation of almost any kind of fruit, field, or
garden produce.
" Gaffraria, a country of Africa of large extent. It lies
from the kingdom of Angola in the north to the Cape of
Good Hope, and is bounded east, west, and south with the
ocean ; the south-eastern part is fruitful and well peopled ;
the rest barren, mountainous, and little peopled. The in-
habitants are so barbarous that they are called by this name
from their rude way of living, which signifies the lawless
people ; they were all heretofore man-eaters, and many of
them continue such to this day. They call themselves Hot-
tentots. Mr. Herbert, an Englishman, who was in these
parts, will scarcely allow them to be perfect men ; and saith
they sell man's flesh in the shambles." (" Geographical Dic-
tionary, very necessary for the right understanding of all
modern histories." By Edmund Bohun, Esq., London.
Printed for Charles Brome at the Gun, at the West End of
St. Pauls, 1691.)
" The term Kaffraria has sometimes been applied to
the whole territory lying between the Great Fish Eiver and
Delagoa Bay. . . . But from this point (the Umtata) to the
Great Fish Eiver is properly designated Kaffraria." (Smith's
" Sketches," " Wesleyan Methodist Magazine," p. 56, 1849.)
Kaffrarian pea. — The seed of the Kaffir boom (q.v.). I
have never known the Kaffirs to use the seed of this tree as
an article of food as suggested by Mr. Friend in the follow-
ing quotation ; they make ornaments of them by stringing
them together like beads. The tree is known to the Kaffirs
as um Sintsi.
" Another writer speaking of the Erythrina or Coral trees
says that they have been named from the vivid scarlet colour
{ipvOptxi) of their splendid blossoms. The seeds of one
kind are called Caffrarian peas by Barrow, probably because
those people used to eat them as such." (Friend's " Flowers
and Flower Lore," p. 524, 1886.) [What Barrow really says
is : " But one of the largest and most showy trees, and at
this time in the height of its bloom, was the Kaffirs' bean tree
AFEICANDBEISMS 245
— the Erythrina corallodendron." ("Travels," i. p. 188,
1801.)]
Kains. — (D. kaan, animal fat rendered down.) The
browned pieces of skin remaining after the internal fat of an
animal has been melted out ; these are eaten cold with a little
salt and are highly esteemed. In my young days the same
thing was known in East Kent by the name of browsels or
brownsels.
Kajaten hout. — Strychnos Atherstonei. See Cape teak.
Kakelaar. — (D. kakelen, to chatter.) Irrisor viridis. This
bird has a loud and harsh voice — hence the name. See
Monkey bird.
" Its voice is harsh and resounding, and has acquired for
it the name of Eackela among the Dutch, which signifies the
' Chatterer '." (Layard and Sharpe's " Birds of South Africa,"
p. 137, 1876-84.)
Kalander. — See Calander.
" Kalanders uit Koren te hou. Sit enige stukke wilde
dagga tusschen di koren in di sakke." (Dijkman's " Kook,
Koek en Eesepten Boek," p. 98, 1898.)
Kalbas. — The Cape Dutch form of the word " calabash ".
Kalbasdop. — A jocular term for the head.
Kalbassies. — A designation sometimes given to the mumps.
See Pampoentjes.
Kalk gras. — (D. kalk, lime, chalk.) Fingerhuthia afri-
cana, Lehm., a Bechuanaland name for this grass.
Kalkoen. — (Shortened form of Kalikoenschen haan or hen,
a turkey-cock or hen ; this is derived from the name Calicut,
the city whence the bird was supposed to have been brought.)
A turkey.
Kalkoeneier. — (D. ei, an egg.) A person with a freckled
face is jocularly so called, the reference being to the spotted
appearance.
Kalkoengift. — (D. kalkoen, a turkey ; gift, poison.) Phy-
salis minima, L.
Kalkoentj'e. — Macronyx capensis and in Natal M. croceus
are known by this name ; the former is also called the Cut-
throat lark (q.v.). They have a gamey scent sufficiently strong
to mislead dogs.
" This handsome pipit, which is called the ' Cut- throat
lark ' by the English colonists, Kalkoentje by the Dutch, is
common throughout all the open country of the Colony."
246 AFEICANDEEISMS
(Layard and Sharpe's " Birds of South Africa," p. 630, 1875-
84.)
Kalkoentje. — The western province name of Gladiolus
alatus. In Namaqualand Gladiolus alatus, Linn. var. y8.
namaquensis, Ker., is so styled. But in the Eiversdale
District the name is given to Tritoma crosata, Ker.
" Kalkoentjes and patrijsjes are good names for some
floveers, if one understands Dutch." (Stoneman's " Plants
and their Ways in South Africa," p. 107, 1906.)
Kalk-visch. — Lepidopus argyreus. See Scabbard fish.
Kalmus. — (Lat. calamus ; Gk. KoKajio^, a cane or
reed.) The Cape Dutch have given this name to Alepidea
amatyhica, one of the UmbellifercB. The root is finely
powdered and administered in small doses for stomachic
pains. It is known to the KafSrs as * Qwile.
" De kastoor-oheboom {Bicinus communis), de aloe, stra-
monium (Datura stramonis), kalmus en andere planten groeien
in het wild, terwijl de inboorhngen van kniiden en wortelen
gebruik maken, die in de pharmacopeia kwalijk bij name be-
kend zijn." (Cachet's " De Worstelstrijd der Transvalers,"
p. 342, 1882.)
Kalotjes. — (D. kalot, a skull cap ; F. calotte.) (1) A
small cap. (2) Ixias — the popular name of these pretty wild
flowers.
" Kalossies from pale yellow to bright orange, with black
centre, or whole flowers metallic blue." (Hilda's " Diary of
a Cape Housekeeper," p. 241, 1902.)
Kalver bosje. — (D. kalf, calf ; hos, bush, shrub.) Pelar-
gonium sidoides, D.G. This species which is not described
in the Flora capensis has reddish coloured roots possessing an
agreeable scent.
Kalver-kop.— (D. kalf, calf ; kop, head.) The Berg Eiver
name of a fish.
Kama. — (Hot. * omeJ, with initial lateral click. The
Namaqua name of a Buchu bush used in the preparation
of skins.) The name given to a karoo plant (Order Ficoidece),
the fleshy, juicy leaves of which are used in the preparation of
skins for karosses, voorslag, and other uses.
" I told the man to take off the skins (ostrich) and prepare
them. . . . He first pressed them into kama (a soft, salt, juicy
bush) for about a week, then he brayed the skins and finally
put them into mimosa bark. ... I can assure you it made
AFEICANDEEISMS 247
good shoe leather, especially the leg parts." ("East London
Dispatch," p. 4, 8 October, 1912.)
Kamassiwood. — Gonioma Kamassi, Mey.
" The Knysna export under the name of Boxwood was all,
or mostly, Kamassiwood, without any Boxwood." (Sim's
" Forest Flora of Cape Colony," p. 323, 1907.)
Kambaroo. — Several species of Fockea, which are eaten raw
by the natives and made into preserve by the farmers' wives,
are so called.
" ' Have you seen a Cape Kamaroo ? ' asked the doctor, ' that
enormous plant of milky tubers, of which locally, by the way,
we make an alluring komfyt?' . . . The Kew Gardens
Kamaroo weighs over 141 lb." (" East London Dispatch," p.
10, 27 July, 1912.)
Kameel. — (D. kameel, a camel.) The Cape Dutch name
of the Gamelopardalis giraffa.
"De giraffe, kameel geheeten, wordt aangetroffen in het
Bosch veld, tusschen de Olifante-rivier en den Limpopo."
(Cachet's " De Worstelstrijd der Transvalers," p. 344,
1882.)
" Eather suddenly we came upon a klompje of giraffe, and
as ... we wanted meat, I rammed the spurs in and galloped
headlong for the kameels." (Bryden's "Tales of South
Africa," p. 70, 1896.)
Kameel doom. — (D. doom, thorn, brier.) Acacia giraffcB,
Burch. One of the largest of the Acacias is so named by the
Dutch.
" A large solitary tree of Kameel-doorn (camel thorn, or
tree upon which the Gamelopardalis generally browses), the
first I had seen of the species, was standing there. " (Burchell's
" Travels," i. p. 453, 1822.)
Kamferfoeli. — (D. kamperfoeli, the honeysuckle; this is a
corruption of the Latin caprifolium. The Cape form of the
word seems to have been influenced by the well-known
kamferboom, camphor tree.) The woodbine or honeysuckle.
Kamma. — (Hot. * gami (lateral chck), water.) The word
often occurs in aboriginal place names ; e.g. Kraggakamma,
Sapkamma, Tsitsikamma, etc.
Kammetjes. — ^(D. kam, a comb.) Freesia refracta, Klatt,
is so called in the Eiversdale District, the reference being to
the comb-like arrangement of the flowers.
Kammassie-hout. — (D. hout, wood.) Gelastrus ellipticus.
248 AFEICANDEEISMS
"An erect, greyish shrub, called Kammassie-hout by the
colonists." ("Flora Capensis," Vol. i. p. 459, 1859-60.)
Kanalje. — (F. cannaille, rabble, mob; L. canis, a dog.)
As used in Cape Dutch this word means a rogue, a rascal.
Kanaribijter. — (D. kanarievogel, a canary bird ; bijten, to
bite.) Another name for the Butcher bird (q.v.).
" The loud and clear whistle of the canari-byter (canary
biter), a species of Lanius is heard from afar." (Burchell's
" Travels," i. p. 18, 1822.)
Kaneel. — (F. cannelle, cinnamon ; dim. of canne, Lat.
canna, a cane, reed. Cf. Wychffe, N.T., Apoc. xviii. 13,
canel, cinnamon.) The Cape Dutch name for cinnamon.
Kaneelbloem. — (F. cannelle, cinnamon ; D. bloem, a flower.)
Ixia cinnamomea (Thunberg's " Flora Capensis," p. 57,
1823) = Hesperantha cinnamonea, Ker.
Kaneeltjes. — A wild flower is so called because of its cinna-
mon-like scent.
Ranker -blaren. — (D. kanker,ca,nceT; 6Zad(pl. bladeren),&
leaf.) Ranunculus pinnatus, Povr. The Dutch use the fresh
juice of this plant for ulcers, etc. — hence the name.
" One of them {B. pinnatus) called Kanker-blaren is a
colonial remedy for cancerous sores." (" Flora Capensis,"
Vol. I. p. 6, 1859-60.)
Ranker boschje. — Sutherlandia frutescens, B. Br. is so
named in the Eiversdale District. See also Keurtjes.
" Di Kanker-bossi is ni alleen ver kanker goed ni, mar oek
ver gewone maag kwale." (Dijkman's " Kook, Koek en
Eesepten Boek," p. 124, 1898.)
Ranna. — (Hot. * kan * ga (with cerebral click before each
word), adj. half-yellow, half-grey, the eland.) Taurotragus
oryx. The Dutch form of the Hottentot name of this animal.
See Eland.
" The eland, called kanna by the Hottentots, is a hand-
some animal of a stouter make than the other antelopes, yet
still possessing much elegance, to which its straight, spiral
horns, pointing backwards, and their legs in a great measure
contribute." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 312, 1822.)
Ranna. — Mesembryanthemum emarcidum (Thunberg's
"Flora Capensis," p. 415, 1823), a Karoo plant = Mesewi-
bryanthemum anatomicum, Haworth.
Rannabosch. — Salsola aphylla and S.foetida, Del. Prob-
ably so named from being the chief food of the kanna or eland,
AFEICANDEEISMS 249
The ashes of this bush are used to make lye for soap boiling.
The name is applied to several other plants also.
"A species of Mezemhryanthemum, which is called Ghanna
by the natives, and is exceedingly esteemed among them."
(Paterson's " Narrative," p. 23, 1789.)
" The plant alluded to was a species of salsola or salt- wort.
It is known to the country people by the Hottentot name of
Ganna, and is that plant from the ashes of which almost all
the soap that is made in the colony is made." (Barrow's
"Travels,"i. p. 91, 1801.)
" The Kanna-hosch (written Ganna by the Dutch) may
probably have been considered as the favourite food of the
kanna (eland)." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 267, 1822.)
Kannaland. — The part of the colony lying between the
little Zwaart Berg Eange and Touws Eiver, probably so called
as being the habitat formerly of the kanna or eland.
" This is called the Ghanna Land ; and derives its name
from a species of Mezemhryanthemum, which is called Ghanna
by the natives, and is exceedingly esteemed among them."
(Paterson's "Narrative," p. 23, 1789.)
" The word Kannaland, the name of a part of the Cape
Colony, may ... be supposed to intend a country abounding
either in the eland or in this shrub." (The kannabosch.)
(Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 267, 1822.)
Kannidood. — (D. kan-niet-dood, cannot die.) The popular
designation of several varieties of aloe, especially A . variegata ;
it refers to the striking way in which these plants will exist
and flourish for a long time apparently without sustenance.
" Here we find . . . several kinds of ' air plants,' Ganne
doets or aloes, and the ' Zoute bosche '." (" Trans. S.A. Phil.
Soc," I. Part I. p. 24, 1878.)
" Another excellent example of the efficiency of these
protective arrangements is supplied by the so-called Kan-niet
dood plants. . . . Suspended in the air, they economize the
water and food materials originally contained in their leaves
and stem so well that they are able not only to live a year or
more, but also to produce flowers." (Edmonds and Marloth's
" Elementary Botany for South Africa," p. 125, 1897.)
" Di blare van'n kan-ni-dood warm maak, en'n gat daarin
snyen di vinger daarin steek." (Dijkman's "Kook, Koek en
Eesepten Boek," p. 118, 1898.)
Kanot grass. — (Z. u Gonoti, a thin stipk which bendg
250 APEICANDEEISMS
easily ; rattan ; Kaf. in Gonoti, rattan, a reed.) Flagella/ria
guineensis Schumach.
" The bush on the coast is rendered impenetrable by a
dense undergrowth of shrubs and climbers ... or pliant
monkey-ropes and kanot grass." (Chapman's " Travels," ii.
p. 446, 1868.)
" The materials consisted of wattles and the konotie tree-
runner from the bush for tying." (Eussell's " Old Durban,"
p. 90, 1899.)
Kantoor. — (D. kantoor, a counting-house, office ; F. comp-
toir.) A magistrate's or other office.
Kaparngs. — The wooden sandals worn by the Malays.
" The old coloured woman walking carefully in ka/proens."
(" The State," p. 596, December, 1911.)
Kapater. — (Mansvelt recognizes this word as being related
to D. kapoen, a capon, and happen, to cut ; but this can
scarcely be all that is to be said upon the etymology of this
curious word.) A castrated goat.
" She kindly invited us to supper, for which she had the
head of a large kirpater bok." (Shaw's " Memorials," p< 126,
1841.)
" One of the biggest goats — a great blue ' kapater ' with
long beard, massive horns." (Glanville's " Tales from the
Veld," p. 228, 1897.)
Kapitein visch. — (D. kapitein, captain ; visch, fish.) Glinus
anguillaris.
Kapje. — (D. kap, a cap, hood.) A useful article of female
attire largely worn in the country ; it is made to shade the
face and to protect the back of the neck at the same time.
It cannot be said to enhance in any way the appearance of
the wearer.
" Upon their heads is tossed the kapje (cappy), a hideous
calico funnel of which the coal-skuttle bonnet of our grand-
mothers was the refined and graceful model." (Boyle's
" To the Cape for Diamonds," p. 327, 1873.)
Kapok. — (Mai. kapuk, the cotton tree, Eriodendron an-
fractuosum ; Kapas, cotton.) (1) Cotton-wool is spoken of
among the Dutch as kapok, as is also the woolly material
which encloses the seed of a Karoo bush — Eriocephalus um-
bellatus. (2) The word is also used of snow. See Hotten-
totskooigoed.
" Capok is the denomination given to the cotton which
APEICANDBEISMS 251
incloses the seed in the capsule of the silk-cotton-tree {bom-
hax pentandrum), and is not used for spinning but for making
mattrasses, bolsters and pillows. The other cotton is the
produce of a perennial shrub (gossypium herbaceum). Its
seed vessels contain a very fine cotton, called capas, which
is woven into an infinite number of cotton and calico pieces."
(Stavorinus' " Voyages," i. p. 74 n., 1798.)
" Thans kan het hier koud worden. Tot mijne verbaz-
ing hoorde ik, dat op twee plaatsen reeds kapok gevallen
was." (Hofmeyr's " Twintig Jaren in Zoutpansberg," p. 206,
1890.)
" On the evening of this my first Sunday among the
Griquas, it began to snow. . . . The storm lives in the
memories of the older Griquas as De groote kapok, and the
season of it was a time to date from : De jaar van de groote
kapok." (Dower's " Annals of Kokstad," p. 25, 1902.)
Kapok -haantje. — (D. haan, a cock.) A Bantam cock.
Then by metaphor a diminutive but pugnacious man. A
Bantam hen is also known as the Kapok-hennetje.
Kapok vogeltje. — (D. vogel, a bird.) Mgithalus minutus.
This is the smallest of the Cape birds ; it owes its popular
name to the fact that it builds its pretty and ingenious nest
of wool or wild -cotton (kapok), which is woven so closely as
to resemble white felt. The entrance to the nest can be
closed by the inmates against snakes and other intruders.
Adding to the ingeniousness of the contrivance, a small out-
side compartment is made just under the entrance, perhaps,
as the natives declare, for the use of the male bird, but per-
haps also to mislead egg-seeking snakes.
" The capok-vogel (cotton-bird) so called on account of its
curious bottle-shaped nest, built of the cotton-like down of
certain plants." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 214, 1822.)
" Kapok-vogel, the ingenious constructor of a wonderful
nest, a good illustration of which appeared in ' Good Words '
for August last." (" Scientific African," p. 76, 1896.)
Karanteen. — Sargus cervinus. The Natal name of this
fish. See Gold stripes.
" The fish pictured to-day is a Karantine. It is a local
species, and so far as I know has not been classified."
(" Natal Mercury Pictorial," p. 334, 1905.)
Karba. — (Pers. qarabah, a large flagon.) A wicker-covered
bottle, a demi-john. Cf. Eng. carboy with the same origin.
252 AFEICANDBEISMS
Kardoesi. — (D. kardoes, a cartridge ; F. cartouche ; L.
charta). A paper bag, the paper cornet used by grocers.
Karl grootoog. — (D. groot, great ; oog, an eye.) The
Struis Bay name for Sebastes capensis. See Jakob Bvertsen.
Karmasten. — (F. gamaches ; G. Oamaschen ; Eng. ga-
mashes, gaiters, or leggings.) Gaiters, leggings.
Karoo. — (Hot. * kur^ (dental chck), to be dry, sparsely
covered, hard.) This is the term applied to a large extent of
country in South Africa. It is divided into the Great and the
Little Karoos, the average elevation of the former being about
3000 feet above the sea level. The soil is exceedingly fertile
when water is procurable, indeed in the spring, after rains,
it is a veritable flower garden. The vegetation consists of
fleshy, succulent-leaved herbs and shrubs, and deeply rooted
bulbous plants, which afford splendid pasturage for sheep
and goats.
"In certain districts, where the land is, as it is called,
carrow, or dry and parched, the Hottentots, as well as the
Colonists, are ' shepherds '." (Sparrman's " Voyage," i. p. 197,
1785.)
" Next day we proceeded through what the Dutch call
Karo, which is a very extensive plain, interspersed with small
succulent and fruitescent plants." (Paterson's " Narrative,"
p. 44, 1789.)
" Naked, arid plains of clay, known to the natives and
also to the colonists by the name of Karoo." (Barrow's
" Travels," i. p. 11, 1801.)
' ' The country west of De Aar ... is genuine sweet Karoo
forming excellent pasture for sheep, goats, and ostriches."
(Wallace's " Farming Industries of the Cape Colony," p. 16,
1896.)
Karoo bush. — The various succulent leaved shrubs re-
ferred to above are spoken of generally as " Karoo bush ".
" The herbage consisting principally of Karoo bush, thinly
scattered over a stony ground." (Nicholson's " Cape and its
Colonists," p. 48, 1848.)
Karoo lark. — Alamon nivosa is so called.
Karoo veld. — (1) The herbage peculiar to the Karoo.
(2) The area covered by Karoo herbage.
" The carrow-veld taken in its most extensive signification
is horribly parched up and arid-" (Sparrman's "Voyage,"
I. p. 246, 1785.)
AFEICANDBEISMS 253
Karos. — (Hot. khoh, skin, hide ; khoros, dim. form.) A
skin blanket. This was practically the only article of clothing
which the native in his raw condition wore. Originally the
karosses were made exclusively of skins, but in recent years,
owing to the disappearance of the larger animals and the in-
troduction of cotton blankets, these have almost entirely
superseded the real karos. The article itself was common to
both the Hottentots and Kaffirs — " beyderseits in krossen
gehen " (Kolben) — but the Kaffirs have their own name for
it — um Nweba.
" Kros — ein Mantel von Schaafs Fellen, dergleichen die
Hottentotten tragen." (Kolben's " Beschreibung," p. 28, 1745.)
" The Hottentots do not burden themselves with a great
many changes of their cloaks or krosses (as they call them in
broken Dutch"). (Sparrman's "Voyage," i. p. 87, 1785.)
" In cold weather (Lobengula) wraps himself well up in a
large skin kaross." (Wood's " Through Matabeleland," p.
54, 1893.)
Karper. — (D. karper, a carp — Cyprinus ca/rpio, L.) Spiro-
hrancJms capensis is known by this name among the Dutch.
Karree or Kiri. — (Hot. *karib (cerebral click) , honey-beer.)
A drink prepared by the coloured people from honey or prickly
pear syrup, to which a smallquantity of the dried and powdered
root of a certain plant (concerning which they are very secre-
tive, but which appears to be Mesembryanthemum stella-
tum, Mill) is added, and the whole fermented. See Moer-
wortel.
" They have long been acquainted with a particular plant,
which grows in some of the most arid situations of the interior
of the colony, and is only known to a few of them ; this plant
as well as the drink which is made by its means, is called
karree." (Hoodie's " Ten Years in South Africa," i. p. 229,
1835.)
" Out of the honey, young bees and bee bread which we
acquired our men brewed a really good wine, which they
termed kirrey. It was quite as strong as porter, and only
took a few hours to make ; the only addition besides water,
being a whitish powder. The powder increases itself with
each brew, like the vinegar-plant. It adds a splendid flavour
to ordinary sugar-water, and as yeast for bread making simply
cannot be equalled." (" East London Dispatch," p. 5, 20
December, 1911.)
254 AFEICANDEEISMS
Karree boom. — (D. boom, a tree.) Bhus viminalis, Vahl.
The well-known Graaff Eeinet tobacco pipes are made of this
wood, which is of a dark red colour.
Karree- or Kiri-moer. — (D. moer, lees, dregs.) The dried
and powdered sediment of the fermented liquor "karree''.
It is used as a barm or leaven by many Karoo housewives
for making bread, and is in great request.
" The people . . . were . . . drinking honey-beer made
with honey and water, mixed in a bambus, and fermented by
means of a root called mor, but which I only saw when
ground." (Alexander's " Expedition," i. p. 155, 1838.)
" A little barme or moer obtained from the Kuruman
people." (Chapman's " Travels," i. p. 273, 1868.)
Karre oogie. — (Hot. * uri (cerebral click), white ; oog, an
eye.) Zosterops capensis. See Witte oogie.
Karwats. — (D. karbats, a scourge of leather ; Pol. karbacz ;
Turkish kyrbatsj, a whip of rhinoceros hide.) A whip made
of one piece of hide throughout.
Kasarm or Kasern. — (D. kazerne, barracks ; Span, caserne ;
Lat. quaterna, a chamber to hold four or a quaternion.) (1)
The small quarters erected between the ramparts and houses
of a fortified town, to obviate the necessity of billeting the
soldiers on the inhabitants. (2) Barracks. (3) The name
was also given to a row of huts occupied by the slaves or
servants.
Kastrol. — (F. casserole, a saucepan ; casse, a crucible ;
O.H.G. kezi, a stove.) A common name for a saucepan or
stewpan.
Katdoorn. — (D. kat, a cat ; doom, a thorn.) (1) Aspara-
gus retrofractus. The Wild asparagus is so called because its
thorns are hooked like the claws of a cat. (2) The name is
also given to one or two other plants for a similar reason,
e.g. Acacia caffra, W., Zizyphus mucronata, Brogn., Scutia
indica, etc.
" Scutia commersoni ... a shrub, 4 to 5 feet high,
Katdorn ; branches sub-angulate." (" Flora Capensis," Vol.
I. p. 478, 1859-60.)
" The forest generally consists of various kinds of mimosas,
acacia, and other thorny trees, such as the ' wagt-een-beetje,'
kat doom, etc." (Chapman's " Travels," i. p. 24, 1868.)
Katel. — (Hind, khat, a light bedstead ; Tamil and Mai.
kattil ; in this form it was adopted by the Portuguese. The
AFEICANDEEISMS 255
word was introduced into South Africa in the old Dutch
East India Company's days, where, with a slightly different
meaning, it has found a permanent home.) A stout, wooden
frame with raw hide thongs interwoven ; this is swung under
the tilt of the buck-wagon, and, when travelling, makes a by
no means uncomfortable substitute for a bed. The name is
sometimes given to a bed that has no tester, and so reverts
to its original meaning — a light bedstead.
" Indian bedsteads or Gadels." (Van Twist's " Generall
Beschrijvinge van Indien," p. 64, 1648.)
" I accepted an invitation to avail myself of the Gadel or
bed swung in the wagon." (Baines' " Explorations," p. 22,
1864.)
" A sort of framework made of leather (called a cartel) on
which were placed mattresses and pillows." (Pritchard's
" Friends and Foes in the Transkei," p. 66, 1880.)
Katjepiring. — (Mai. kacha-piring, Gardenia florida.) In
South Africa the name has been transferred to Gardenia
Thunbergia. The striving after meaning has resulted in the
assimilation of the first part of this Malay word to the name
Katje (Katie) all over South Africa.
" Koezschebyring eine Stande die man aus Madagascar
gebracht hat, an welchen Ort er diesen Namen traget, und weil
ihn die Europaer beybehalten, so fiihre ich ihn ebenfalls an
ohne einige Veranderung." (Kolben's " Beschreibung," p.
444, 1745.)
" Wild Catjepiring is a hard and strong kind of wood, and
on this account used for clubs." (Thunberg's " Travels," ii.
p. Ill, 1796.)
" Vying in sweetness with the wild Katjepeering and the
overpowering 'asparagus'." (Noble's "The Cape and its
People," p. 373, 1869.)
Katje thee. — In the Eiversdale District Gladiolus angustus,
Linn., is known by this name.
Katlachter. — (D. kat, a cat ; lachen, to laugh.) Erythro-
pygia Goryphceus, Lay. The name refers to the unmusical
noise which this bird makes. See Slang verkhkker.
" The Bosch-creeper or Katlachter was repeatedly noticed
among the bushes which fringe the Orange Eiver." (" Scien-
tific African," p. 76, March, 1896.)
Katstaart. — (D. hat, a cat ; staart, a tail.) Various
species of LacAewaMa— especially the pale ones— are known by
256 AFEICANDEEISMS
this name in the South-Western Districts of the Cape
Province.
Katte kruiden. — (D. kat, a cat ; hruid, herb, grass ; Katte-
kruid, Nepeta Gataria, catmint.) In South Africa this desig-
nation has been transferred to Ballota Africarm, Benth., not
because cats are supposed to be partial to it, but because it is
covered veith soft hairs. Decoctions of its leaves are used
for coughs, colds, and asthma.
" Boegoe, anys, hottentotskooigoed, katte kruie van alles
'n weinig of water getrek en enige male per dag te drink."
(Dijkman's " Kook, Koek en Eesepten Boek," p. 121, 1898.)
Katunker or Katonkel. — (M. ketung, the name of a fish
given by Crav^ford. Suggested as the possible origin of the
Cape word.) Thynnus pela/mys, one of the Scomberidce.
" Many of the Cape fish are endowed with the quaintest
Dutch names. Here are a few of them : Kabeljouw, baard-
mannatje, poempelmoesje, katunka, elftvisch, stinkvisch,
poeskop, dageraad, and others." (Bryden's " Gun and Camera
in South Africa," p. 449, 1893.)
Kauwgoed. — (D. kauwen, to chew ; goed, goods, things.)
The Dutch name for Mesembryanthemum tortuosum, L.
Keesjesblaren or Kissiblaar. — (D. keesjeskruid, the mallow ;
blad, a leaf. Cf. G. Kase-pappel, Eng. " cheeses," the fruit
of the mallow.) (1) Malva rotundifolia, L. A poultice of
the leaves of this plant is used for sore throat, sore eyes, boils,
etc. The emollient quality of the mallow is suggested by its
English name — mallow ; Dat. malva ; G. fiaXaxv from fia\,-
aaa-w, I soften. (2) In the neighbourhood of Bast London this
name is applied to an acanthaceous plant — a favourite food of
the bush-buck, Isoglossa sp.
" The plant known as kissie-blad." (" East London Dis-
patch," 9 June, 1911.)
" Graaff Eeinet. A farmer of this district reports losing
seventeen ostriches and a horse through feeding them with
mallows (kiesie bladeren)." (" Queenstown Eepresentative,"
p. 8, 30 August, 1912.)
Keever beetle. — (D. kever, a cock-chafer.) Heteronychus
arator.
" Heteronychus arator, the Keever-beetle, is very injurious to
the roots of growing grain. It is widely distributed and is
one of the most destructive insects in South Africa." (Gil-
christ's " South African Zoology," p. 138, 1911.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 257
Kehla. — (Zulu, i Kehla, a young man who has taken the
head-ring.) A " ringed " or married man. See Einged, To be.
" The excited savages fell back yielding place to a couple
of tall amakehla, or head-ringed men, grim and ferocious of
aspect in their war dresses, with their great shields and broad-
bladed spears, who advanced to the fore." (Mitford's " The
Gun Eunner," p. 182, 1893.)
Kei apple. — See Apple.
Kei lily. — Gyrtanthus sanguineus is known by this name
in some parts of the Transkei.
Kelkie wijn. — (D. kelk, a cup, glass ; wijn, wine.) The
onomatopoetic name of the Namaqua partridge (q.v.), by
which it is known in the Karoo.
" Wegen ihres Eufes beim Fliegen heissen die hubschen
Thierchen (Namaqua = Eebhuhn) auch kelchie wyn, doch
horte ich viel deutlicher die englischen worte ' pretty war '
heraus." (Bachmann's " Stid-Africa," p. 69, 1910.)
Kerel. — (D. kerel, lad, fellow ; cf. Eng. churl.) In familiar
conversation this word had the meaning of "fellow"; e.g.
"een slim kerel," a smart or sharp fellow.
" Well sonny he went ; and bymeby back came the same
cart — the same identical cart — with another kerel." (Glan-
ville's "Kloof Yarns," " The Empire," p. 7, 15 October,
1898.)
Kerfstok. — (D. kerf, a notch ; cf . Ger. kerben, to notch ;
Eng. carve ; D. stok, a stick.) The sticks upon which the
Bushmen " herds " nicked the losses in the stock entrusted to
their care. Have we not here a hint as to the origin of the
" tallies " of the English Exchequer ?
" On the return of their masters they would with the help
of their kerf-stok (or nickstick) account for the loss of every
ewe, wether, or lamb which had died or been lost, with a dis-
tinctness and fidelity truly surprising." (Cloete's "Five
Lectures on the Emigration of the Dutch Farmers," p. 36,
1856.)
Kerkdorp. — (D. kerk, a church ; dorp, a village, hamlet.)
A small village, consisting of a church and a few small cottages,
which are only used by those who have built them, at service
time.
"Door een kerkdorp verstaat men in Zuid-Afrika een
plaats, waar een kerk gebouwd is en eenige huizen, die slechts
bii ' kerkgelegenheid ' in gebruik zijn, doch zonder winkels of
17
258 AFEICANDEEISMS
gouvernementskantoor. Zulk een dorp is Amersfoort."
(" De Worstelstrijd der Transvalers," p. 360 n., 1882.)
Kermes. — (D. kerkmis or kermis ; Ger. Kirchmesse, wake,
fair, the old English " church-ale ".) This word is no longer
known among the South African Dutch in the sense which it
bears in Holland, and among the French-speaking Belgians,
who still remember so much of their Flemish origin as to re-
tain their kirmess or kirmes ; but it still lingers in South
Africa in one or two expressions with which parents will deny
children a pleasure they ask for : e.g. T is nijederdag Kermis
ni, — It is not a holiday every day. One's luck does not
always hold.
Kersbosje. — (D. kaars, a candle ; bos, a bush.) Sarcocaulon
Burmanni. The candle-bush, so called from the readiness
and steadiness with which it burns even when green.
" The Kerzbosch, or candle-bush, a stunted thorny plant,
if lighted at one end in the green state will burn steadily just
like a wax candle." (Martin's " Home Life on an Ostrich
Farm," p. 60, 1890.)
Kersehout. — (D. kers, a cherry ; hout, wood.) Pterocela-
strus variabilis. This name must not be confounded with
Kaarshout (q.v.).
Kersopsteektijd. — (D. kaars, a candle ; opsteken, to light,
kindle ; tijd, time.) (1) The gloaming. (2) The Malay
Khalifa (q.v.).
Kettle, To cook the. — A colloquialism common in South
Africa, for making the water in the kettle to boil.
" As soon as we got to the top we outspanned, and . . .
made a fire, and began cooking the kettle." (Hick's " The
Cape as I Found It," p. 71, 1900.)
Keurboom. — Virgilia capensis, Lam. A tree growing
along river courses or in damp places, bearing a light purple
flower.
Keurtje. — Sutherlandia frutescens, B. Br. See Kanker
boschje.
Keurtjeboom. — The Eiversdale District name for Psoralea
pinnata, L.
Khakibush. — A species of Aplopappus. The name has
reference to the dull fawn colour which the withered leaves
assume. (See "C.G.H. Agric. Journ.," p. 76, 7 January,
1907.) The name ia also applied to Alternanthera Achyrantha,
B. Br., a troublesome weed now spread widely throughout
South Africa, the seeds having been introduced from the
AFRICANDEEISMS 259
Argentine Republic with imported fodder. The name was
given to this plant because it made its appearance in military
camps during the late war in places where it was previously
unknown.
Khalifa. — (Ar. Khalifa, the title assumed by the successors
of Mahomet ; a Vicegerent.) The designation in South
Africa of a Malay religious festival. See Kersopsteektijd.
" Town Hall, Kimberley. Khalifa representation in aid of
the fund for the relief of the sick and wounded in the Trans-
vaal War." (" Diamond Fields Advertiser," 31 May, 1900.)
Khoi-Khoin. — (Hot. khoii, a man; khmn, the men.)
Men of men. The title by which the Hottentots were wont
to speak of themselves ; it is still retained by the Namaquas
as their national name. The name Hottentot was originally
accepted by these people under the impression that it was a
Dutch word.
" The name which they bear among themselves in every
part of the country is Quai-quae." (Barrow's " Travels," i.
p. 161, 1801.)
" Der Verfasser . . . wurde 1850 nach Siid-Afrika ausge-
sandt und von 1851 hat er bis kurzem unter den Khoi-Jchoin
(Namaqua-Hottentotten) besonders auf der Station Bersaba
gearbeitet." (Kronlein's " Wortschatz der Khoi-Khoin," iii.
1889.)
Kiewits. — (G. Kibitz, peewit.) Stephanibyx coronatus.
An onomatopoetic name for this noisy plover.
" Flocks of keuwitts screamed out a disagreeable sound,
resembling that of the name they bear." (Sparrman's
" Voyage," i. p. 153, 1785.)
Kikvorsch vanger. — (D. kikvorsch, a frog ; vangen, to
catch.) Circus ranivorus, Baud. A variety of falcon which
feeds chiefly on frogs and small water birds.
Kimmelsaad. — (G. Kilmmel, cummin, caraway seed ; L.
cuminum; D. saad, seed.) Caraway seeds.
" Kimmel saad brandewyn — \ lb., kinvmel saad, three
bottels brandevyyn," etc. (Dijkman's " Kook, Koek en
Eesepten Boek," p. 83, 1898.)
Kina bosje. — (D. kina, from Peruvian cinchona bark.) A
variety of protea is so called because of the bitter quinine-like
taste of its leaves. See Pinang bosje.
Kinderbesje. — (D. kind, a child ; hezie, a berry.) Halleria
elliptica, the black berries of which are eaten by children.
17 *
260 AFEICANDEEISMS
Kinderbewijs. — (D. hind, a child ; bewijs, title, deed.) A
bond passed by the surviving spouse of tv?o persons married
in community of property, to secure the property of the
children accruing from the deceased parent.
King. — Abbreviated form of King William's Town in
general use. This town, named after William IV, is situated
at the foot of the Amatolas, on the Buffalo Eiver, and was
the chief town of British Kaffraria.
"Nach der Sitte der Englander, Alles abzuktirzen wie
sie z. B. anstatt 'King Williamstown ' nur 'King' sagen."
(Kranz's " Siid-Afrika," p. 190, 1880.)
" A grog wagon (i.e. a wagon with liquor on board that
had come from King, and which very often followed the
troops) had arrived that day." (Browning's " Fighting and
Farming in South Africa," p. 119, 1880.)
King bream. — The Natal name of a fish.
" The species mostly in evidence are salmon, king bream."
("Natal Pictorial Mercury," p. 138, 28 November, 1906.)
King -fish. — A fish of the genus Caranx is so called in
Natal.
"A king-fish is illustrated, the particular specimen
weighing 28 lb." (" East London Dispatch," 26 July, 1906.)
King klipvisch. — See Koning klip-visch.
" For a hot climate, many of the fish in the Cape waters
furnish excellent eating, the Eoman, Kingklipvisch . . . being
among the choicest." (Bryden's " Gun and Camera in South
Africa," p. 449, 1893.)
King of six. — A King Williamstown name for the Eooi-
bekje (q.v.). The reference is to the number of females by
which the male is generally accompanied during the breeding
season.
King of the red bills. — Vidua principalis is thus designated
in Natal ; its pretty wax-hke red bill makes a marked contrast
with the black and white of its plumage.
King vulture. — See Koning aasvogel and Zwart aasvogel.
" Because the others will not venture near a carcase when
a black vulture is feeding, it is often called the King vulture."
(" Agric. Journ. S.A. Union," p. 367, April, 1911.)
Kinkel bosches. — Tetragonia fruticosa and other species ;
the seeds when mature rattle in the fruit, " hence the Dutch
name " (Sim).
Kinkhost. — (D. kinkhoest, whooping-cough. Pegge in
AFEICANDEEISMS 261
the Supplement to Grose's " Provincial Glossary," gives " hinh-
haust, a violent cold with a congh," as a Lancashire term ;
it occurs also in Scotland.) The whooping-cough.
Kip-kippies. — A wild fuchsia-like flower is so called in
Namaqualand ; it bears a very inflated, red and green seed-
pod.
Kippersol. — (" The word is Portuguese, quita-sol, ' bar
sun '." — Yule and Burnell's " Anglo-Indian Glossary ". At one
time the word was in frequent use in India in the form
kitty-sol, which was the name given to the bamboo and paper
umbrellas imported from China. It is of interest to note
that the other popular South African names of this tree have
reference to the shade which it affords : Noois boom, Parasol
tree.) The name has been given in South Africa to a tree —
Gussonia Thyrsiflora— which, grows something like an um-
brella in shape ; its roots contain a large quantity of moisture,
and in times of drought are in great request, being dug out
by the Bushmen and Hottentots and chewed as a means of
quenching thirst.
"Above his head was borne two kippe-soles, or sun
skreens, made of paper." (" Van Twist," p. 51, 1648.)
" Upon the summit of a precipice a kippersol tree grew,
whose palm-like leaves were clearly cut out against the night
sky." (Olive Schreiner's "Dream Life and Eeal Life," p.
26, 1893.)
Kiri. — This word, which is in constant use throughout
South Africa, seems to be of Hottentot origin and to have
been applied to a stick of hard and tough wood, used some-
times in digging and sometimes in self-defence. The " knob-
kiri " is a stick with a large knob at one end of it ; at close
quarters it is quite a formidable weapon, but both Hotten-
tots and KaflSrs can often throw it a good distance with much
skill and accuracy. The " Knob-kiri " is called by the Kaffirs
i Gqeba.
" Der Kirri ist entwann drey Fuss lang und eines Daumes
dick. . . . Der kirri hat zwey stumpfe Bnden, und dienst die
Pfeile, Hassagayen, Eackums, und was der Feind sonsten,
herwirfft, zu pariren." (Kolben's " Beschreibung," p. 86,
1745.)
" He — Gaika — had in his hand an iron Kiri, and his cheeks
and lips were painted red." (Smith's " Sketches of South
Africa," " Wesleyan Methodist Magazine," p. 410, 1849.)
262 APRICANDEEISMS
" The skulls were frightfully broken, exhibiting marks of
the knob-kerries and stones with which they had been
fractured." (Fleming's " Southern Africa," p. 340, 1856.)
Kiriehout. — Bhus IcBvigata. See Bosch taaibosch.
Kitchen Dutch or Kaffir. — The mixture of English and
Dutch or English and Kaffir words frequently employed when
speaking to servants by those who understand neither Dutch
nor Kaffir perfectly. It is interesting to find that this epithet
" kitchen " was applied to bad Latin as far back as three
hundred years ago. Minsheu, " Guide to the Tongues," 1617,
has — " Kitchin latine . . . L. Barbaries, oratiomal^ latina".
" By this time they could both speak Sesuto and ' Low ' or
Kitchen Dutch (as it is called in those parts) well." (Barkly's
"Among Boers and Basutos," p. 109, 1893.)
Kivitje. — Dim. of Kiewits (q.v.). The word is generally
used in this form in the Karoo districts, where the bird is
also known as the Mannevogel (q.v.).
" Clouds of long-legged, white-winged Kee-vekies, the pest
of the hunter, circled overhead." (Glanville's " The Eos-
sicker," p. 142, 1891.)
" Here and there . . . the plover of the country would
scream out of its plangent keviche." (Stuart's " Pictures of
the War," p. 315, 1901.)
Klaar. — (D. Klaar, clear, ready.) This word is in every-
day use in the Midland Districts of the Colony, both among
English and Dutch, in both its meanings — clear and ready.
Then the bachelor rises and shaking ofE sleep,
Hastens down to his kraals to look after his aheep ;
Whilst I as a guest, no enjoyment to mar,
Lie slumbering on till the coffee is klaar (ready).
(Hudson's "Features of South African Frontier Life," p.
208, 1852.)
" It is anticipated that in six months' time the long-talked-
of bridge will be un fait accompli, or to suit the times should
one say it will be klaa/r? Shades of old Kurveyors, what
wouldn't you have given for that bridge." (" East London
Dispatch," p. 8, 2 July, 1912.)
Klaas vaak. — (D. Klaas, shortened form of Nicolas ; vaak,
sleepiness.) The " dustman " familiar to Enghsh children.
Klapklapertje. — Megalophonus Apiatus, Vieil. An ono-
matopoetic name which has reference to the curious sound
made by this bird's wings when rising.
AFEICANDEEISMS 263
" This beautiful lark ... is well known from its singular
habit of rising 15 or 30 feet into the air, perpendicularly,
making a sharp cracking noise with its wings as it rises
uttering a long shrill ' phew ' and then falling as abruptly to
the earth." (Layard's " Birds of South Africa," p. 216, 1867.)
Klapmuts. — (D. klapmuts, a riding-cap ; cf . Scotch mutch,
a woman's cap or bonnet.)
Their toys and mutches were sae clean,
They glancit in our ladies' e'en. — (Allen Bamsay.)
(1) " A quaint, though not unbecoming cap often seen in
Gerard Dow's pictures, and still worn here and there by old-
fashioned ladies of Dutch descent." (De Vere's " American-
isms ".) (2) The name of a village in the Western Province
near to which is a peculiar dome-shaped mountain, which is
supposed to bear some resemblance to this old-fashioned
article of female attire.
" 1657, 22 October ... in the afternoon passed the kloof
between the Diamandt and the Paarl Bergh, and on the other
side of the Clapmus Bergh, partly good soil, but generally
bare and sandy." (Van Eiebeeck's " Journal," Hoodie's
"Eecords,"p. 112, 1841.)
" At half-past six we came to Albertyn's farm, lying at
the foot of a mountain, called de Klapmuts, where we passed
the night." (Stavorinua' " Voyages," ii. p. 71, 1798.)
Klappers. — See Clappers.
" It is also called klappers from the character of the some-
what horny pods, in which the seeds rattle about." (" S.A.
Jour, of Science," vii. p. 269, 1911.)
Klapper taart. — (Mai. kUapa, klapa, coco-nut ; D. taa/rt,
a tart.) A tart, the contents of which are chiefly coco-nut.
Klappertje. — (D. klapper en, to chatter.) Gisticola terres-
tris and C. textris are both known by this name.
" The Klappertje as it is called by the Dutch colonists, is
not uncommon at Nel's Poort." (Layard and Sharpe's " Birds
of South Africa," p. 236, 1875-84.)
Klauw ziekte. — (D. klauw, a claw, paw ; ziekte, sickness.)
Foot and mouth disease affecting horned cattle and some
other animals. See Hoof and tongue sickness.
" A disease called the klow sickness, which rages among
the horned cattle in the summer, and numbers of cattle die."
(Paterson's " Narrative," p. 96, 1789.)
264 APEICANDBEISMS
" Many sheep perished this season from the klamv ziekte
or foot-rot." (Backhouse's " Narrative," p. 305, 1844.)
Klaver. — (D. Maver, clover.) Clover, but in some of
the south-western districts this name is also applied to Lu-
cerne— Medicago sativa.
Klein baas. — (D. klein, little, small.) The designation
given by farm labourers to the eldest son of the farmer, and
also to a sub-manager.
" The next morning I went for a walk with Smith, who
was the Klein-baas of the farm. Klein-baas is the term used
for the sub-manager, and ' baas ' is the manager or proprietor."
(Clairmonte's " The Africander," p. 15, 1896.)
Klein sijsje. — (D. klein, little, small ; sijsje, a linnet.)
Serinus flaviventris and S. marshalli.
" The Kleine seisjes . . . make handsome cage birds in
their greenish-yellow and bright golden colours." (Haagner
and Ivy's " Sketches of South African Bird Life," p. 84, 1908.)
Klein sperwel.^ — (D. klein, small ; sperwer, a sparrow-
hawk.) Malierax gabar.
" Der siidafrikanische Gabar ist bedeutend grosser als
jener von West- und Nordostafrika," (Holub und Pelzeln's
" Omithologie von Siidafrika," p. 34, 1882.)
Kleintjes. — (D. klein, little, small.) Little ones, often ap-
plied to children.
" While the partners ate and drank heartily, the clynies
were busy in their way." (" South Africa a Century ago,"
p. 138, 1901.)
Klimop. — (D. klimop, ivy ; klimmen, to climb ; op, up,
upon.) (1) The South African name for the creeping plant
Gynanchum capense, TJmnb., which has been proved to be
poisonous to sheep and cattle. (2) The name is also given
to the Wild clematis.
"Clematis . . . One species is wild in England, and many
are cultivated in gardens. The colonial name for the Cape
species is Klimop." (" Flora Capensis," Vol. i. p. 2, 1859-
60.)
" Cattle and sheep when tied up at the JS^Kmqp . . . showed,
fifteen or thirty hours afterwards, the first symptoms of
' krimp-ziekte '." (" C.G.H. Agric. Jour.," p. 399, October,
1904.)
" Klimop or ' Traveller's joy '." (Stoneman's " Plants and
their Ways in South Africa," p. 214, 1906.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 265
Klinkers. — (1) A brick that has been partially vitrified in
the kiln used for paving courtyards. (2) The term is also
applied (as in the quotation) to a specially hard sort of biscuit.
" On some of the wagons we found klinkers, jam, milk,
sardines, salmon, cases of corned beef, and other such pro-
visions in great variety." (De Wet's " Three Years War,"
p. 48, 1903.)
Klip. — (D. klip, a rock, reef.) (1) In Cape Dutch this
word is used of rock in general, and also of a pebble. (2) It
is also used in the slang of the Diamond Fields for a diamond.
" Stooping to set large klips (stones) behind the wheel, to
prevent the wagon from slipping back." (Barter's " The
Dorp and the Veld," p. 50, 1852.)
" Then Senior went on to tell them about the Kaffirs he
had seen flogged to death for stealing a klip (as the Dutch and
many of the Kaffirs call a diamond)." (Couper's " Mixed
Humanity," p. 48.)
" The natives had not yet acquired a knowledge of the
value of diamonds or Mips as they were then termed."
(Matthews' " Incwadi Yami," p. 186, 1887.)
Klip bloem. — (D. klip, a rock ; bloem, a flower.) Some of
the Grassulacea are so named by the Dutch.
Klip dagga. — See Dagga.
Klip das. — See Dassie, which is the diminutive of Das.
" The rock -rabbit or hyrax, known all over South Africa
by its Boer name Dassie (which is a diminutive of Klip das,
literally, rock-badger), an absurd title, is a most amusing and
interesting little beast." (Bryden's " Animals of Africa," p.
57, 1900.)
Klip els. — (D. els, alder.) Plectronia mundii.
Klipesse. — (D. esch, an ash tree.) (1) Bhus Thunbergii,
which is found in rocky situations in the western province —
Stellenbosch, Worcester, and Clanwilljam Districts. See
Kliphout. (2) Plectronia Mundtiana is also known by this
name.
" Kliphout or Klipesse of the colonists." (" Flora Capen-
sis," Vol. I. p. 521, 1859-60.)
Klip fisli. — Clinus superciliosus, a fish with a great variety
of brilHant colouring ; it belongs to the Blenniidce family,
which has many representatives in the waters of the Southern
Hemisphere. This name is also applied to the Glinidm
generally.
266 AE'EICANDEHISMS
Klip gift. — (D. gift, poison.) The name given to a sub-
stance scraped from the surface of the rock in caverns and
employed by the bushmen, vpith other poisons, to envenom
the tips of their frail but effective arrov?s.
" The upper part of the cavern -w&a covered v?ith a thick
coating of dark, pitchy matter, which I at first took to be merely
the effect of smoke, but vsras subsequently told that it was
Klip-gift or rock-poison, with which the Bushman always en-
venoms the points of his darts." (Kay's " Caffrarian Ee-
searches," p. 101, 1833.)
Klip haas. — (D. haas, a hare.) Lepus crassicaudatus.
This animal is also known as the Eoode haas and Eooi stert.
Kliphout. — (D. hout, wood.) Bhus Thunbergii. SeeKlip-
esse.
" There are numbers of Cape plants which yield tannin,
and some of them, such as kreuppelboom, wagenboom,
kliphout.. . are unequalled for tanning purposes." ("Castle
Line Guide to South Africa," p. 62, 1888.)
Klip icous. — A large Haliotis which is found on the rocks
when the tide is very low ; it is exceedingly tough and re-
quires a deal of stewing, but when properly prepared is very
good . See Paarlmoer.
" The Klip-kousen are sometimes called by the virtuosi,
Nabel-snails. These are frequently found at the Cape."
(Kolben's " Present State of the Cape of Good Hope," ii. p.
209, 1731.)
" A sort of snail or cockle. Klip kous {Haliotis, Linn.), from
half a foot to a foot and a half diameter, is usually stewed."
(Sparrman's " Voyage," i. p. 26, 1785.)
" The people eat sea-ears, which are called Klipkausen."
(Le Vaillant's " Travels," i. p. 18, 1796.)
Kiip Icraal — A Kraal (q.v.) with walls of packed stones.
Klipneuker. — (D. klip, rock ; CD. neuken, to hit.) A
species of hzard. See Klipsalamander.
Klipplaats. — (D. klip, rock ; plaats, place.) A stony
ledge ; a rocky locality, e.g. Klipplaats on the Midland Eail-
way.
" These ledges or Klipplaats ... are to be seen in all the
Natal rivers." (Barter's " The Dorp and the Veld," p. 60,
1852.)
Klipsalade. — See Dolossi.
Klipsalamander. — (D. klip, rock ; Lat. salamandra, a
AI'BiCAKDEJllSMS 26?
reptile resembling a lizard, Salamandra terrestris, Brongn.)
The name is given to several varieties of rock-loving lizards.
"'A dassie could not live here,' said a Boer, 'only a klip-
salamander.' " (Alexander's " Expedition," i. pp. 142-3, 1838.)
" A species of lizard with a long name, Mip-salamander ,
vyhose sole occupation is to lie all day on a rock in the blaz-
ing sun — though not asleep, for its eyes are always open."
(" The State," p. 251, September, 1911.)
Klipspringer. — (D. klip, rock ; springer, leaper.) Oreo-
tragus saltator. This pretty little animal is, in habit,a miniature
chamois of extraordinary activity, and is found only on almost
inaccessible mountain heights. See African chamois.
" The Klipspringer, is as a rule, little known to Europeans."
(Bryden's " Kloof and Karroo," p. 70, 1889.)
Klip, To. — To place a stone behind a wheel to prevent the
vehicle running backwards.
" Crawling into the wagon, the wheels of which were
klipped to keep us from running down the hill." (Roche's
" On Trek in the Transvaal," p. 91, 1878.)
Klip uyntjes. — (D. ui, an onion.) The Namaqualand name
of a bulbous plant, Babiana sp., with a pretty blue flower
and hard, sharp-pointed leaves, found growing among rocks.
Klip zuiger. — (D. zuigen, to suck.) Chorisochismus
dentex. This fish is so called from its habit of adhering to
rocks. See Sucker-fish.
Klip zweet. — (D. zweet, sweat, perspiration.) See
Dassiespis.
Klis or Klits grass. — (D. klissen, to be entangled.) Set-
aria verticillata, Beauv., a grass very common in some parts
of the country, the seeding part of which, furnished with
numerous minute hooks, knots and tangles in the most
curious fashion. It is a source of much trouble and annoy-
ance to farmers and gardeners.
"Klitsgras may be disregarded and weduwenaars don't
excite much remark. But there is a weed the seed of which
gets into your clothes first and into your flesh afterwards,
and unless promptly removed, causes excessive irritation and
discomfort." (Du Plessis' " A Thousand Miles in the Heart
of Africa," p. 139, 1905.)
" The fruits of such plants as the burr- weed and klis grass
are a source of trouble and loss." (" East London Dispatch,"
p. 5, 23 July, 1909.)
268 APEICANDEEISMS
Klokjes. — (D. Uoh, a bell; G. Glocke ; Eng. clock) In
Holland a klokje is a bell-shaped flower, but in South Africa
the name has been applied to Er odium moschatum, W. , for the
reason set forth in the quotations.
" This morning in throwing out some water I observed
some seeds of the pest-grass . . . begin to writhe about in
the ground, some jumping and alighting on one end (the seed
end), which was propelled into the earth like a corkscrew. In
this manner, I suppose, it is provided by nature that when
the first rain falls, these seeds, lying on the baked earth, in
inactivity, spring into life and plant themselves, while the
spiral vnrithing of the shaft end or beard propels the seed
underground." (Chapman's " Travels," ii. p. 163, 1868.)
" Each carpel has a hard point at the base, like an awl ;
the style curls round in a close spiral, like a corkscrew ; and
its top is flattened out like the feathered arrows of a weather-
cock. When it falls upon broken ground or among grass, the
seed end, being heavier, strikes the ground first, pegs itself
in slightly, and the weathercock end projects to catch every
puff of air. Bound it goes and round again, till the seed is
cleverly screwed into the ground. Most Cape children know
the peculiarities of this plant, and loosen the half-ripe carpels
for the pleasure of watching the springy style tear itself loose,
and begin to take its corkscrew turns, carrying round the
feathered top like the hands of a clock, as they think, and
which has suggested the name Klokjes for the plant." (Prof.
MacOwan, " C.G.H. Agric. Jour.," p. 152, 1897.)
Klompje. — (D. klomp, a clump.) A cluster of trees,
shrubs, animals, or men is termed in the Midland Districts a
" klompje ".
" Even at close quarters of a mile we were able to disperse
small klompjies of Kaffirs and cattle." (King's " Campaigning
in Kaffirland," p. 215, 1855.)
" Snyman also saw nothing except one klompjie of
kameels." (Baines' "Explorations," p. 241, 1864.)
Klong. — (CD. klein-jong, a servant boy ; klong is a con-
traction of this designation.) The word is in common use
in various parts of South Africa, and is applied to coloured
males without reference to age, much as the word " boy " is
among the English colonists ; indeed so far has the original
sense disappeared that the expression " ou' klong " (lit. " old
small youngster ") is by no means uncommon.
AFEICANDEEISMS 269
Kloof. — (D. hloof, a cleft, gap, chasm.) A wooded gorge,
a ravine running up between two hills, or up the side of a
mountain. Compare the U.S. word "clove," a mountain
cleft, a ravine.
" Of these passages or kloofs, as they are called by the
colonists, there are but three that are ever used by wheel-
carriages." (Barrow's "Travels," i. p. 63, 1801.)
" This pass is defended by a block -house and is called the
Kloof, a word of frequent occurrence in this colony, and signi-
fying a pass either over or between mountains, and often a
deep ravine down the side of a mountain." (Burchell's
" Travels," i. p. 15, 1822.)
" There was not a hloof or a ' drift "... where they
might not be cut off." (Bird's " Annals of Natal," ii. p. 4,
1888.)
Klopje. — (D. Mop, a knock.) A hit or blow ; the noise
which a bullet makes when it finds its billet in the body of an
animal is also spoken of as the klop of the bullet. See Clap.
" When I get home I cannot help giving the Hottentot
another klopje, when I am fined £10." (Bryden's " Victorian
Era in South Africa," p. 7, 1897.)
Kloppertje. — Gisticola terrestries, one of the grass warblers.
See Ting-ting.
Kluitje. — (D. kluit, a jest.) In Cape Dutch the word is
applied to an obvious untruth.
Kluit jes. — (D. kluit, a lump, clod.) The South African
name for small dumplings.
" Brood kluitjes (bread dumplings) ." (Hilda's " Where is
it ? of Eecipes," p. 15, 1904.)
Knecht. — (D. knecht, a man-servant. Etymologically this
is the same word as the Bnghsh "knight".) An overseer, a
head servant.
" The trader then instructs his knecht or head servant to
make a parade of the goods." (Gordon Cumming's " Adven-
tures," I. p. 5, 1850.)
Knee = haltered. — A riem attached to the horse's bridle, or
passed round his neck, is fastened round the leg just below
the knee, in such a way that while the horse can feed with
ease it can only move at a slow pace.
" Having knee-haltered my horse to prevent his straying,
I proceeded to dine upon a guinea-fowl, which I had killed."
(Harris's " Wild Sports of South Africa," p. 68, 1839.)
270 AFEICANDEEISMS
Knie-diep-voor-dag. — A curious phrase meaning an hour
or two before sunrise.
Knikkertjes. — (D. knikker, a marble.) The beans of
GcBsalpinia bonducella, a native of South America. They are
often washed up on the coast.
Knob=billed duck. — Sarcidiornis melanonota.
" The Knob-billed duck is nowhere common, and does not
appear to be known south of the Orange Eiver." (Distant's
"A NaturaHst in the Transvaal," p. 123, 1892.)
Knob -nosed Kaffirs or Knobnoses. — The people so called
are a branch of the Baraputses ; the name has reference to
the peculiar manner in which they tattoo their noses, the
flesh being raised in small knobs lengthwise down the nose
like a string of beads. The name was originally given by the
Trek Boers, Knop-neus.
" A friendly tribe of natives, whom, from a'peculiarity in
the nasal prominence, they dignified with the appellation of
Knob-nosed Kaffirs. ' ' (Harris's " Wild Sports of South Africa,"
p. 350, 1839.)
" The degraded Magwamba (' demons ' or ' devils ') called
Knobnoses by the Transvaal Boers." (Keane's "The Boer
States," p. 99, 1900.)
Knob-thorn or -wood. — Xanthoxylon capense, Hars. One
of the well-known indigenous trees of South Africa, the trunk
of which is covered with a profusion of bluntly pointed pro-
tuberances, which give it a very curious appearance. See
Paarde praam.
" For instance between the Shashe and Dopperpan we
passed through a calcareous strip of country, with various
kinds of sweet grass and small shrubs, ;varied with a very
good large bush and trees, as knoppies-doorn." (Du Toit's
" Rhodesia," p. 32, 1897.)
Knock up, To. — To be winded or exhausted.
" The long run added to the steep hill on the other side
took so much out of the horses, that mine knocked up."
(Bisset's " Sport and War in South Africa," p. 6, 1875.)
Knoopdarm. — (D. knoop, a knot, tie ; darm, gut, intestine.)
A disease affecting sheep ; it is a twist or stoppage in the
intestines.
"I notice on p. 619 of your issue, of 27 December,
some cures for Knoopdarm in sheep." (" The Farmer's
Weekly," p. 760, 17 January, 1912.)
AFEICANDBEISMS 271
Knopjies doom. — (D. hnop, head, knob ; doom, a thorn.)
Acacia nigrescens pallens, Benth.
Knorhaan or Korhaan. — (D. knorren, to scold ; haan, a
cock.) These birds, of which there are several varieties, are
bustards : Otis afra, is known as the " common " ; 0. scolo-
pacea, as the "vaal"; and 0. coerulescens, as the "blaanw"
korhaan. The first of these is exceedingly noisy when dis-
turbed, and well deserves the name of " Scolding-cock " ; its
raucous cry has been fairly described as resembling a " shrill-
voiced woman's nagging heard afar, so that the words are
not intelligible ".
" Besides the two species of bustards known in the Colony
by the name of Korhaans, at this place was a third . . . called
here the wilde-pauw." (Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 139, 1801.)
Knorhaan. — The two fish Trigla peronii and T. capensis
are both thus designated because of the peculiar noise which
they make when taken out of the water. See Grunter.
" The Gurnard or Knorhaan {Trigla peronii) not unlike
its European representative (T. gurnardus)." (Gilchrist's
"History of the Local Names of Gape Fish," p. 215, 1900.)
Knysna lily. — A beautiful species of Vallota now being
cultivated both in the Colony and in Europe. See George lily.
" Nysna lily {Gyrtanthus ohliquus) ." (Burchell's " Travels,"
II. Index, 1824.)
Kobeljauw or Kabeljauw.^ — (D. kabeljauw, a cod ; cf.
Scot. " kabbelow, a cod-fish salted and hung for a few days,"
Jamieson.) Scicena hololepidota, Guv. A large fish common
on the South African coast. The name is very ofteii shortened
to Cob.
" At the Cape there are several sorts of the fish called
Gabeliau. . . . The Cabeliau of the sort that is salted at the
Cape is not spotted as in the Indian Gabeliau." (Kolben's
" Present State of the Cape of Good Hope," ii. p. 188, 1731.)
" I found him waxing a stout fishing line for kabbeljauw,
a very large but coarse sea-fish." (Glanville's " Tales from
the Veld," p. 25, 1897.)
" Our well-known and very common kabeljauw, called for
briefness ' cob ' or ' kob ' (Scicena acquila)." (" Bast London
Dispatch," 26 June, 1906.)
Koejava or Qoejava. — Psidium Guayava, L. The Dutch
pronunciation of the name of this fruit.
" Goyavus is eaten, when ripe, both raw and stewed in
272 AFEICANDEEISMS
red wine and sugar." (Thunberg's "Travels," ii. p. 273,
1796.)
Koeriempje. — The name given to an edible wild plant.
Koesijsters. — A confection or sweetmeat which has been
boiled in fat and dipped in powdered sugar.
" Eoesisters (Batavian or old Dutch sweetmeat recipe)."
(Hilda's " Where is it? of Eecipes," p. 128, 1904.)
Koeskoetje or Koestertje. — (F. coucher, to lie down ; from
Lat. coUocare ; cf . G. kuschen, to crouch, to submit.) Various
members of the AlaudidcB family have received this appella-
tion from their peculiar habit of crouching close to the ground
when alarmed.
" Megalophonus cinereus, Lath. Beim Herannahen eines
Menschen oder Thieres duckt es sich nieder, driickt sich flach
auf die Brde, dass man oft einige Schritte an ihn voriibergeht,
ohne es zu bemerken." (Holub und Pelzeln's " Omitho-
graphie von Siid-Afrika," p. 136, 1882.)
Koeskop. — (1) A term applied to hornless cattle and also
to tuskless elephants. (2) It is also used of a fish, a species
of Chrysophrys. See Poeskop.
"If a chief happen to have any hornless cattle {koeskop)
among his herd." (Chapman's " Travels," i. p. 428, 1868.)
" John pulled my sleeve and told me not to shoot, because
it was a koeskop, i.e. an elephant without tusks." (Kerr's
" Far Interior," i. p. 90, 1886.)
Kogg^elaar. — Cossypha bicolor is so called both in Natal
and in the Cape Colony. See Mocking-bird.
" Called by the Boers in Natal Koggelaar." (Chapman's
"Travels," ii. p. 351,1868.)
Koggelmander. — Aga/ma. Several lizards are thus de-
signated. I have also heard chameleons so called — Koggel-
mannetje.
" Jumping up he threw the lizard to Mr. De Beer, who
loudly exclaimed : ' Mr. Chairman, there is a cogolomander
here' and ran away." (Churchill's "Men, Mines, and
Manners," p. 87, 1895.)
" The leguan, a large animal of the lizard tribe ; the
koggelmanner of two sorts, one dull, greyish black, the other
with dark blue head, usually seen on stones." (" Scientific
African," p. 61, 1896.)
" The Hzards, grey kokelmannetje, the little cooking man,
and the blue blinking Agora, have hardly yet crept out to
AFEICANDBEISMS 273
bask in the sun." (Trotter's "Old Cape Colony," p. 234,
1903.)
" They are spiny lizards and bask in full sunlight on
smooth rocks, often nodding their head, and have thus gained
the name of Kokkelmanetje or little bowing man among the
Dutch." (" Science in South Africa," p. 145, 1905.)
Kokerbooin. — (D. koker, a case, sheath; G. Kocher, a
quiver, pen case.) Aloe dichotoma has received this name
because the Bushmen and Hottentots of the western coast
almost invariably made the quivers for their poisoned arrows
from the stem of this aloe ; cleaning out the woody interior
they fixed to the tough bark cylinder a bottom and sometimes
a lid. The word kokur (a quiver) occurs in " The Chronicle of
Robert of Gloucester," about a.d. 1300, " Mid swerd and bowe
bisyde, and o kokur fol of flon " (and a quiver full of arrows).
(Ed. Wright, ii. Ap. H, 1. 66.)
"A large Aloe dichotoma. . . . This plant is called the
Koker boom, or Quiver tree ; and has its name from the use
to which it is commonly applied by the natives." (Paterson's
" Narrative," p. 58, 1789.)
"It is called in the country kooker-hoom, or quiver tree,
its pithy branches being employed by the Bosjesmans and
Hottentots as cases for their arrows." (Barrow's " Travels,"
I. p. 381, 1801.)
" The natives more towards the western coast frequently
use the branches of the Aloe dichotoma, which is therefore
called by the Hottentots and colonists kokerboom or quiver
tree." (Burchell's " Travels," ii. p. 199, 1824.)
Koko. — Gelastrus undatus is thus named by the Hottentots.
" An erect shrub, koko, of the Hottentots." (" Flora
Capensis," Vol. i. p. 457, 1859-60.)
Kol bosch. — Is this Cussonia thyrsiflora ? See Cabbage
tree.
" We have had left at our office ... a couple of roots of
a bitter herb which grows in the veld both in this and the lower
districts, which has proved to be a certain cure for gall-sick-
ness . . . the plant is called ZoZSosA by the Dutch." ("Queens-
town Free Press," 3 May, 1875.)
Kolbrook. — The name given to a variety of pig, v?ith short
legs, said to be so designated from the ship " Colebrook,'
vnrecked off Cape Agulhas, from which the variety was first
obtained.
18
274 AFEICANDEEISMS
Kol haas. — (D. haas, a hare.) Lepus saxatilis.
" Backed into the shelter of an untidy bunch of what
looked like coarse ' grass "... there lay in his well couched
' form ' a fine big kalhaas." (" East London Dispatch," p. 6,
18 October, 1912.)
Kolwa. — (Kaf . uJcu Kolwa, to believe ; i Kolwa, a believer.)
A Christianized Kaffir is so called by his own people. The
initial M in the quotation is the contracted sign of the plural
— ama.
"Accused is a Mkolwa or Christianized native." ("East
London Dispatch," 14 February, 1906.)
Komaroo or Kambroo. — A plant of the genus Fockea
(glabra), the root of which contains a large quantity of
water, of which the natives avail themselves during the long
droughts which sometimes prevail. In the Eiversdale District
the word is sometimes shortened to "Koo ".
" Kamerup was the name given here to the Hottentots'
water melon, a large succulent root." (Thunberg's " Travels,"
11. p. 150, 1796.)
" The natives of the central and northern districts know
very well how to find such underground reservoirs of the
precious liquid, e.g. the Komaroo (Fockea) and ' Barroe '
(Gyphia)." (Edmonds and Marloth's " Elementary Botany
for South Africa," p. 125, 1897.)
Komberse. — (D. kombaars, a coverlet, rug.) A rug,
blanket ; sometimes a kaross is so styled.
" In the evening I took my pillow and Komberse, or skin-
blanket, to the margin of a neighbouring vley, where I had
observed doe blesboks drink." (Gordon Cumming's " Ad-
ventures," I. p. 186, 1850.)
Kombuis. — (D. kombuis, kabuis, a nautical term for the
cooking place aboard ship ; cf. Eng. caboose.) Cape Dutch
for the kitchen. The word used in Holland is keuken.
"In de kleinere huizen is de ' vuurhaard ' aan het eene
einde van het voorhuis, doch meestal heeft men een ' kook-
huis ' buitensdeurs, of een Kombuis, evenals de slaapkamers
door een dunnen muur van het woonhuis afgeschoten."
(Cachet's " De Worstelstrijd der Transvalers," p. 423, 1882.)
Komfoor. — (D. komfoor, kafoor, a chafing dish; F.
chauffoir, a foot-stove ; chauffer, to warm.) The description
of this article as used in South Africa, given in the quotation,
is as accurate as the author's etymology appears to be in-
accurate.
AFEICANDBEISMS 275
" To preserve warmth the Dutch women use an apparatus
to set their feet upon called a homfoor. It is a square box,
with a few holes cut through the top, and closed only half-
way up the front. Into the inside a few hot charcoal embers
are introduced from time to time in an iron basin. The
name is compounded of Kom, a basin, and Vuur, fire, changed
into Foor. Our English word comfort might almost be thought
to have had its origin from this apparatus." (Backhouse's
" Narrative," p. 84, 1844.)
Komtnetje. — (D. hom, a basin ; kommetje, a small cup.)
(1) In Cape Dutch this is a small basin. (2) The term is
also applied to the basin-like depressions that in some locali-
ties are very numerous in the veld. See Comitjes.
" The cluck of the liquor as it passed into the tin komeJcy."
(Glanville's " Tales from the Veld," p. 122, 1897.)
" A feature of this part is the peculiar surface conforma-
tion known as Kommetjes, in which flat or gently sloping
ground, overlying an impervious ironstone gravel, has the
surface closely but irregularly pitted to a depth of about 2
feet, while the adjoining ground is sinoilarly elevated, it is
said by the action of earthworms." (Sim's " Forest Flbra of
Cape Colony," p. 2, 1907.)
Kommetje -gat kat. — Herpestes caffer. See Grijse muis-
hond.
Kommetje thee water. — The Western Province name of
a wild flower.
" The quaint little Kommitje thee water (little cup of
tea), with its pink and white flower, that looks as though it
were made of china." (Hilda's "Diary of a Cape House-
keeper," p. 190, 1902.)
Konfijt. — (D. konfijt, preserve.) Various fruits are splen-
didly preserved by the Dutch housewives ; whether in syrup
or candied they form a very appetizing adjunct to the tea
table, and are known by this name.
" The Dutch, I must tell you, rise so early that a twelve
o'clock dinner is honestly earned after seven hours dawdling
about, and then they have a long ' siesta ' in their darkened
rooms ; after which coffee and cakes, tea and comfddt until
it is time to go to bed again at ten." (" Cape Monthly
Magazine," in. p. 25, 1871.)
Koning aasvogel. — (D. honing, king ; aas, carrion ; vogel,
a bird.) Otogyps auricularis, the Black vulture.
18*
276 AFEICANDEEISMS
" Their is another fairly well-known species, the Black
vulture, called by the Boers Koning aasvogel (King vulture)."
(Haagner and Ivy's " Sketches of South African Bird Life,"
p. 4, 1908.)
Koning klip-visch. — (D. klip, rock ; visch, fish.) Epine-
phelus gigas, a delicious table fish. See Garoupe.
Koning riet-tiaan. — (D. riet, a reed ; haan, a cock.) Por-
phyria madagascariensis.
" The ' Blue Gallinule ' or ' Koning riet-haan ' is generally
distributed throughout the Colony." (Layard and Sharpe's
" Birds of South Africa," p. 619, 1875-84.)
Koning rooibekje. — (D. rood, red ; bek, a beak, bill.)
Vidua principalis, a well-known little bird.
" It is known to the Boers as the Koning rooibekje (King
red-bill)." (Haagner and Ivy's " Sketches of South African
Bird Life," p. 72, 1908.)
Konya. — (Kaf. um Konya, an unknown noise or voice
heard at night, regarded by the natives as a bad omen ;
chirping insects generally are known as isi Konyana, more
particularly the insects (Pneumora) known to the Dutch as
Opblasers (q.v.). The name refers to and imitates to some
extent the weird noise which the insect makes at night. See
Gonya.
" A large kind of grasshopper, called by the natives um-
konya, a name which is intended to represent its call. The same
name, though with an introductory guttural — ghonya is used
by the colonists also." (" East London Dispatch," p. 5,
8 January, 1909.)
Konza, to. — (Kaf. uku Konza, to wait upon, to serve.)
To pay one's respects to the chief ; to act as a minister of the
chief ; to attend to the request or command of another.
" It is the custom for all the young men in the country
to spend a few months every year Konzaing, i.e. paying their
respects at court ; but not to put too fine a point on it, this
means in fact that they have to hoe the king's corn, and at
the same time find themselves in provant." (Leslie's
" Zulus," p. 93, 1875.)
" It suits them for the time to come and konza, to make
peace." (Baden Powell's " Matabeleland Campaign, 1896,"
p. 137, 1897.)
Kooboo besjes. — (D. hezie, a berry.) The sweet, edible
stone fruit of the Elaeodendron spharophyllum.
AFEICANDEEISMS 277.
Koodoo. — (Kaf. i Qxid/ti.) Strepsiceros capensis. One of
the largest and perhaps the most handsome of all the South
African antelopes. The horns of a full-grown bull are mag-
nificent in their proportions and appearance, diverging in a
splendid spiral until they are several feet apart.
" Koedoo is the name given by the colonists to a beautiful
tall gazelle, vnth long and slender shanks, which is larger
though much less clumsy and heavy than the elk-antelope.
The horns too of the koedoo, besides that the spiral twist on
them is more deeply embossed and is embellished with a
singularly prominent edge, or rib, are twice as long as the
horns of the elk." (Sparrman's " Voyage," ii, p. 213, 1786.)
Kooi. — (D. kooi, cage, fold, pen.) In Cape Dutch this
word is used of a bed. It appears to have been taken over
from the sailors.
" De Afrikaner zegt niet ' in de kraam kom ' maar in die
bed (kooi) kom." (" The Northern Post," p. 12, 20 June,
1912.)
Kook-a-vic. — The onomatopoetic name of Laniarius
gutturalis. See Bakbakiri.
" The Kook-a-vic was piping his shrill note in a bush hard
by — ' Kook-a-vic, kook-a-vic, kook-a-vic '." (Clairmonte's
" The Africander," p. 126, 1896.)
Kooi hout. — (D. kooi, coal; hout, wood.) Lachnostylis
capensis. See Coalwood.
Kooltry. — (Spelt phonetically.) A general term in the
Eiversdale District for Grassula and Cotyledon.
Kooi zonder spek. — (D. lit. " cabbage without bacon ".) A
humorous designation for a ladies' party without gentlemen.
Kooper. — (D. koopen, to buy, purchase.) In the early
days of the diamond fields the diamond buyers were known
as "koopers ".
"It came under earnest debate whether to burn the pro-
prietors' tents ... or to seek the stalls of the koopers."
(Boyle's " To the Cape for Diamonds," p. 182, 1873.)
Koord haar. — (D. koord, cord, string, rope ; haa/r, hair.)
Various species of the genus Passerina are so named because
their tough bark is made into a rough sort of rope for thatch-
ing purposes.
Koom kriek. — (D. koorn, koren, corn, grain; kriek, a
cricket ; kraken, to crack, creak.) Eugaster longipes, an in-
sect belonging to the Locustidce ; it is very destructive to
278 AFEICANDEEISMS
pumpkins, mealie cobs, etc., and does at times great damage
to crops.
Koorts pijpje. — (D. koorts, fever, ague ; pijp, a pipe, tube.)
A clinical thermometer.
Kop (D. Jcop, a head, pate.) (1) In common use in
Dutch for the head. (2) The term is also used when speaking
of a hill — the diminutive " Kopje " being invariably employed
of hills of low altitude.
" We did not advance this day more than ten miles into
the country, but halted for the night in the plain at Kopjes
Fontein, so called on account of several low hills in the sur-
rounding distance." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 285, 1822.)
Kopdoek. — (D. kop, a head ; doek, a cloth.) A head cloth.
See Doek.
" He deposited his shapeless hat on the floor, tapped his red
kopdoek with a claw-like forefinger, and waited for an inspira-
tion." (" The State," p. 642, December, 1911.)
Kop-en-duik.^ — (D. dMiken, to dive, stoop, duck.) In the
neighbourhood of Queenstown a small lizard is known by
this name from its habit of ducking its head when disturbed.
Kop-en-pootje. — (D. poot, a foot.) The designation of a
favourite Dutch dish, the principal ingredients of which are
sheep's head and feet.
Koper draad. — (D. koper, copper ; draad, thread, wire.)
Aristida sp. This name describes this grass when ripe;
it is really a valuable pasture grass, because, when burnt off,
it shoots up in the spring a month earlier than other grasses,
and is then succulent and nourishing, but when ripe it is
hard and wiry and of little worth as food for stock.
" Koper-Sraad, or copper-wire grass. Andropogon ex-
cavatus becomes so hard and bristly as it matures that it has
been favourably mentioned as a suitable material from which
to manufacture paper, yet in the early stages of its growth it
is of great value as a pasture grass." (Wallace's " Farming
Industries of Cape Colony," p. 103, 1896.)
Kopje. — See Kop.
Kopje walloper. — One who visited the diamond diggers at
their claims in the early Kimberley days to purchase their
diamonds.
" The kopje walloper was generally a gentleman of the
Hebrew persuasion hailing from Petticoat Lane or the Min-
ories." (Matthew's " Incwadi Yami," p. 227, 1887.)
AFEICA:^JDBEISMS 279
" That rara avis a kopje walloper who could read and
write." (Cohen's " Eeminiscences of Kimberley," p. 38, 1911.)
Koren bloemetjes. — (D. Jcoren, korn ; bloem, a flower.) Ixia
flexuosa, Linn., and other species are so named in the Kivers-
dale District.
Korenkrekel. — (D. koren, corn ; krekel, a cricket.) The
Dutch name for members of the Locustidce or Green grass-
hopper family — Eugaster longipes, etc. See Koorn kriek.
" The korenkrekels, e.g. Eugaster, are, however, common
enough. These are rather stoutly built insects with the first
pair of wings much reduced and the second absent. The first
pair are capable of producing a shrill, piercing sound." (Gil-
christ's " South African Zoology," p. 120, 1911.)
Korenland kraai. — (D. koren, corn, grain; kraai, a crow.)
Gorvus segetum has been thus named by the Dutch, because
of its habit of frequenting cornlands.
" The Korenland kraai (comland crow) of the Dutch, Gor-
vus segetum of Temminck." (Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo,"
p. 54, 1889.)
Korhaan. — See Knorhaan.
Kos, — (D. kost, food, victuals.) Food ; " Veld kos " is such
food as the veld will furnish; "Pad kos," provisions for a
journey. These words are in constant use in the Midland
districts.
" Lebricht Arie owed twelve dollars to a farmer, and not
having the means to pay, engaged with the Boer above men-
tioned to work six months on his farm, at two dollars (three
shillings) per month and his cost (victuals) on condition that
the Boer should immediately discharge his debt." (PhiUip's
" Eesearches," i. p. 156, 1828.)
" He wandered about the country . . . and . . . ate the
?;eM A;os (wild roots of the country)." (Godlonton's "Kaffir
"War, 1850-2," p. 157, 1852.)
Kos natje. — Crassula columnaris has received this appella-
tion— why, I cannot say.
" Here we find . . . the long and short Cos natchie, or
Crassula." (" Trans. S.A. Philos. Society," i. Part i. p. 24,
1878.)
Koster. — (D. koster, a pew opener, sexton; cf. G. Kilster,
a clerk, sexton ; Lat. custor, from custos, a keeper, guardian.)
The title of the sexton or caretaker in the Dutch Eeformed
Church.
280 AFEICANDEEISMS
" A little further on lived a hosier or sexton, a set of people
that are more respected by the colonists than with us."
(Sparrman's " Voyage," i. p. 67, 1785.)
Kous-bandje. — (D. hous ; F. chausse, a stocking ; D. house-
band, a garter.) Flaps HygecB Merr. A small, vicious snake,
marked in transverse bands of scarlet and black, is thus named
in the Midland districts. Compare the Cape English " Garter
snake," which is, however, given to another snake.
" The Kouse hand, or Garter snake, is another of the
poisonous reptiles of that country ; it is particularly dangerous
to travellers, as it resembles the soil so much that it is not
readily perceived." (Paterson's " Narrative," p. 163, 1789.)
Kraai bek. — (D. Jcraai, a crow ; bek, bill, beak.) See
Papegaai Visch.
Kraai uijntjes. — (D. kraai, a crow; ui, an onion.) A
blue crocus-like flower is so named in Namaqualand. It is
very much like the flower of the Klip uijntje (q.v.) ; the latter,
however, has very sharp, almost thorn-pointed leaves, while
those of the Kraai uijntje are quite soft.
Kraal. — (Sp. corral, a court, enclosure ; Port, curral, a
cattle pen, paddock.) (1) An enclosure for stock. (2) A
Hottentot village. (3) Any native village or collection of
huts. The word seems to have been introduced by the Dutch
and applied somewhat contemptuously at first to the Hotten-
tot and Kaf&r holdings and villages.
" Der Hauptmann verspricht . . . keins Veranderung in
den Gesetzen und Gewohnheiten des kraals vorzunehmen."
(Kolben's " Beschreibung," p. 77, 1745.)
" A place or fold where sheep or cattle were enclosed in
the open air was called a kraal." (Thunberg's "Travels," i.
p. 164, 1795.)
" Places where cattle are put up at night . . . are called
kraals, a name which they have also thought proper to trans-
fer to the collected huts of the Hottentots or Kaffirs."
(Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 136, 1801.)
Kraal bosje. — Galenia africana, and other plants.
Kraal fuel.— See Mist.
Kraal, To. — To enclose or shut in a kraal.
Kraan oog. — (D. kraan, a crane ; oog, an eye.) The name
given by the Dutch to the seed of Nux vomica, which is
thought to be like a crane's eye.
" The Nux vomica seed, then called kraan oog (crane's
AFEICANDEEISMS 281
eye), was rasped and used with some success." ("C.G.H.
Agric. Journal," p. 61, June, 1904.)
Kraan vogel. — (D. kraan, a crane ; vogel, a bird.) Anthro-
poides paradisea, sometimes called the Blue crane, and
occasionally " Kraan vogel," is corrupted into " Krans vogel ".
Krans. — (D. krans, a wreath, garland ; G. Kranz, a crown.)
(1) A crown of rocks upon the top of a mountain. (2) Thence
the word appears to have acquired the meaning of a precipice,
a sense in which it is constantly used.
" The way ended about half-way up abruptly, against the
side of a precipice. This place the inhabitants of the Cape
call the Krants or wreath." (Stavorinus' " Voyages," i. p. 31,
1798.)
" We passed this morning under a mountain whose sum-
mit is garlanded with a ring of perpendicular rocks appro-
priately termed kranz." (Barker's " The Dorp and the Veld,"
p. 88, 1852.)
" Another range of mingled bush and Krantz." (Fleming's
" South Africa," p. 364, 1856.)
" We hear that five horses were precipitated down a krans
(or precipice) by the same wind and killed." (" Queenstown
Free Press," 16 January, 1861.)
Krans vogel. — See Kraan vogel.
Krawwetjes. — (Mai. krabil, krabu, an ear-ring ; thence D.
oor-krabben, ear ornaments.) Ear-rings are sometimes so
called.
Kreef. — (D. kreeft, a lobster; F. crevette, ecrevisse ; Bng.
crayfish.) Palinurus Jasus lalandii — the cray-fish which
abounds in Table Bay. See Crayfish and Cape lobster.
" A new theological schism Has sprung up amongst the
Malays touching the important question whether Kreef or
crawfish is to be considered ceremonially unclean or not."
(" Queenstown Free Press," 30 June, 1863.)
" Hawkers screaming their wares mid ear-splitting cries
of kreef! kreef! snoek ! snoek!" ("Cape Monthly Maga-
zine," II. p. 81, 1871.)
" The Krief, which resembles our crayfish, and which
abounds in the waters of Table Bay ... is in itself but a
poor libel upon the lobster." (Little's " South Africa," i. p.
161, 1884.)
Kreupelhout. — (D. kreupel, crooked, lame ; hout, wood ;
kreupelhout, underwood.) Leucosperrmtm conocarpum. In
282 AFEICANDEEISMS
Holland the word appears to be applied to brushwood or
undergrowth generally; in Cape Dutch it is limited to the
above wood and has reference to its contorted appearance.
" Another sort of tree at the Cape ... is what the Cape-
Europeans call Cripple-wood. These are dwarf trees with
very crooked, knobbed branches." (Kolben's " Present State
of the Cape of Good Hope," ii. p. 259, 1731.)
" Kreupel boom, a large shrub or small tree, with greyish,
hairy leaves, and compact heads of tawny yellow flowers."
(Bunbury's " Journal," p. 57, 1848.)
Krimmetart. — This word is a corruption of the English
"cream of tartar," and is the name given by the Dutch to
the fruit of the Baobab (q.v.).
"In this capsule numerous kidney-shaped seeds are em-
bedded, between fibrous divisions, iu a white, pulpy, acid
substance, somewhat resembhng cream of tartar in taste
and hence called by the Boers hram-a-tat." (Chapman's
" Travels," ii. p. 441, 1868.)
" In het Noordoostelijke gedeelte van het Boschveld wordt
de baobab (Adansonia digitata) gevonden, door de Boeren
hrimmetat-hoom genaamd, 60 tot 80 voet in doorsnede."
(Cachet's " De Worstelstrijd der Transvalers," p. 341, 1882.)
" With this meat we had to eat Krimmetart, a fruit resem-
bling a cocoanut, but sour and full of small pips." (Hoodie's
" Battles," II. p. 342, 1888.)
Krimpziekte. — (D. hrimpen, to shrink, lessen; ziekte,
sickness.)
" Cattle and sheep . . . showed 15 to 30 hours after-
wards the first symptoms of Krimpziekte." {" C.G.H. Agric.
Journal," p. 399, October, 1904.)
Kring-gat bok. — (D. hring, a circle, ring ; gat, a hole, the
posterior.) The Dutch name of Gobus ellipsiprymnus. Steed-
man (ii. p. 95) says : " It is easily distinguished ... by the
singular and regular ellipse of milk-white hair, which passes
over the croup, down the posterior face of the hips, and be-
tween the thighs, having the tail in its superior focus, vividly
contrasting with the dark vinous-brown colour of the sur-
rounding parts."
" Er sah dicht neben sich ein Eudel Waterbocke (Palla-
falla, Kring-gat), ein seltenes Wild, und er hatte seine Flinte
zuriickgelassen." (Wangemann's " Ein Eeise-Jahr in Siid-
Afrika," p. 409, 1868.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 283
" Zoo vindt men er in die gebergten op onbereikbare
plaatsen,BTiffels,Klipspringers,Koedoes, iJiwg'g'a^^eTi, . . . enz.
enz." (Hofmeyr's " Twintig Jaren in Zoutpansberg," p. 1,
1890.)
" Cohus ellipsiprymnus, Ering-gaat of the Dutch ; Water-
buck of the English." (Selous' " Hunter's Wanderings in
South Africa," p. 218, 1895.)
Krink. — (Mansvelt says : " krink, omdraaien (van't voorstel
van een wagen). Van't oude krenghen, draaien of wenden.")
(1) To turn a wagon. (2) A mode of punishment which
seems to be pecuhar to South Africa, the ingeniousness of
which is only equalled by its brutal cruelty. See quotation.
" He showed us great weals on his dirty skin where
he had been thrashed with the sjambok (raw-hide strip).
He further stated that on the previous day they krinked
him. This is the most dreadful punishment that can be
imagined. . . . The head of the victim is tied to the
off hind wheel of a wagon, and his feet to the off front
wheel. The pole is then pulled over to the near side. The
torture entailed by this process is somewhat similar to that
of the old-fashioned rack." (Clairmonte's " The Africander,"
p. 223, 1896.)
Kroeshaarmens. — (D. kroes, woolly, curled ; G. kraus ; mid
Bng. crous ; D. haar, hair; mensch, person.) Woolly-haired
man. The Hottentots are so called the " Langhaarmens,"
being men of European blood.
Kroeskop. — (D. kroes, woolly, curled ; kop, a head.)
Another nickname applied to the Hottentots.
Kropgans. — (This word bears a different meaning in South
Africa from that which it has in Holland ; as used there the
first syllable is derived from kroppen, to cram, and a kropgans
is a goose that has been fattened by cramming. But as em-
ployed in South Africa the first syllable has reference to the
krop (Eng. crop) of the bird to which the name is applied.)
Pelecanus roseus, at one time fairly common at the mouths
of the rivers and on the vleys of South Africa.
"Pelicans with their large claws (? craws) called here
Kropgans (Pelecanus onocrotalus), which are not scarce on the
coast, were also kept in a tame state, and lived on fish."
(Thunberg's " Travels," i. p. 295, 1795.)
Kruidje-roer-mij-niet. — See Eoer-mij-niet.
Kruip mol (D. Arttipew, to creep ; moZ, a mole.) A mole
284 APEICANDEEISMS
that makes long galleries very superficially without coming to
the surface.
Kruisbesjes. — (D. kruisbes, a gooseberry. Vercoullie says :
"Het eerste lid behoort bij 2. kroes, wegen de kroezelige
haartjes er op ".) The fruit of Grewia occidentalis is known
in the Cape Colony by this name, the reference being appar-
ently to the' cross-like arrangement of the four-lobed drupe.
Kruis bosje. — (D. kruis, cross ; bos, a bush.) Grewia
occidentalis, the colonial Assegai-wood, so called because the
wood is used by the natives to make assegai shafts.
Kruis gras.—Cynodon Dactylon. See Bermuda grass.
Kruit water. — (D. kruit, gunpowder.) Water strongly
impregnated with sulphuretted hydrogen, and giving off an
unpleasant smell of sulphur. The smell disappears after the
water has been exposed to the atmosphere a short time, when
the water may be used for garden and other purposes.
" Such water is called kruid water locally, on account of
the similarity of its smell to that of exploded gunpowder."
(Saunder's " Underground Water Supply of the Cape of Good
Hope," p. 11, 1897.)
"Many of the springs yield kruit water, water i.e. with
the smell of sulphuretted hydrogen, due to the mutual decom-
position of pyrites and the organic matter in the shales in
the presence of moisture." (Eoger's " Geology of the Cape
Colony," p. 137, 1905.)
Kuier. — (D. kuier, a walk.) In Cape Dutch this word
means a visit, an outing.
"Maar de Afrikaner ^re^^niet als hij misschien voor zes
maanden of een jaar op reis gaat om vrienden of betrekkingen
te bezoeken {kuieren, een kuier maken)." (Cachet's "De
Worstelstrijd der Transvalers," p. 40 n., 1882.)
Kuier gast.- — (CD. kuieren, to pay a visit ; D. gast, a
guest.) A visitor, a guest.
Kuifkop. — (D. kuif, a tuft, crest ; kop, head.) See Geelgat.
"The Kuif-kop as it is called ... is found in great
abundance in the neighbourhood of Cape Town." (Layard
and Sharpe's " Birds of South Africa," p. 207, 1875-84.)
Kuifkop -koeskoetje. — (D. kuif, a tuft, crest ; kop, a head ;
F. coucher, to lie down ; G. kuschen, to crouch, submit.)
Megalophonus cinereus. Lay. The name refers to the tuft of
brown feathers on its head. See Padloopertje.
Kuifkop valk. — (D. valk, hawk, falcon.) Lophoaetus oc-
AFEICANDEEISMS 285
cipitalis. This bird has a crest of eight or ten narrow feathers.
See Black hawk.
Kuikendief. — (D-hmk en, a, chicken; dief, a, thiei.) Milvus
eegypticus, a species of kite. See Geelbek wouw.
" A kite which in size, manners, and appearance much
resembles the common kite of Europe ... is known by the
name of Kuikendief (chicken thief)." (Barchell's " Travels,"
I. p. 502, 1822.)
"According to Major Stevenson Hamilton, the Game
Warden of the Transvaal Game Preserves, its Dutch name of
Kuikendief (chicken thief) is not merited, as his experience of
them is that they do not steal poultry." (Haagner and Ivy's
" Sketches of South African Bird Life," p. 60, 1908.)
Kukumakranka. — Gethyllis spiralis and other species.
The peculiar, strongly scented berry of this field plant is thus
designated in the neighbourhood of Cape Town. Steeped in
brandy it is used as a remedy for the colic.
"Kukumakranka (gethyllis) is the name given to the
legumen or pod of a plant, that grew at this time among the
sand hills near the town, without either leaves or flowers. . . .
This pod was the length of one's finger . . . had a pleasant
smell, and was held in great esteem by the ladies. The
smell of it resembled in some measure that of strawberries,
and filled the whole room." (Thunberg's " Travels," i. p.
116, 1795.)
" Onder de plan ten in Zuid-Afrika moet genoemd worden
de Koek-ma-kranke (Gethijlis spiralis) ; het lof bestaat uit
weinige fijne, groene blaadjes met een fraaie vntte bloem, en
de langwerpige, oranje-gele aardvrucht heeft een bijzonderen,
vrij scherpen reuk . . . De vrucht wordt op brandewijn gezet
en deze aangewend tegen koliek." (" De Worstelstrijd der
Transvalers," p. 342, 1882.)
Kupidutje. — A name sometimes given to the Kiewit (q.v.).
Kuranj^. — (Mai. kurang, to be deficient, defective.) A
Malay verb used in Cape Dutch as an adverb = unfairly.
" From Malay or Indian sources we have . . . kurang
(unfair)." (" Northern News," 27 August, 1912.)
Kurper or Kerper. — (D. karper, a carp.) Spirobranchus
capensis, a well-known fresh-water fish. See Karper.
Kurveyor. — (D. karwei, work ; F. corvie, labour, drudgery ;
Lat. corrogata, lit. work done by command.) One who con-
veys goods by wagon. Formerly all goods were conveyed
from the coast inland and up-country by this means ; during
286 AFEICANDBEISMS
the last thirty or forty years the railways have wrought a
change, but kurveying is still a remunerative employment in
some parts. See Transport rider.
" The foundations of some of the largest fortunes in the
Bast were laid by kurveyors." (" Cape Monthly Magazine,"
III. p. 372, 1871.)
" A fine independent young fellow was Eobert Walters,
the transport rider or karveyor, as they are called in South
Africa." (Hobson's " At Home in the Transvaal," P- 27, 1884.)
Kurvey, To. — To convey goods by wagon as above.
" For various reasons not a farmer kurvey s between either
Concordia or Springbok and Port NoUoth." (" QueenstovTU
Free Press," 8 August, 1873.)
" 'There will be an end to those visits one day,' said the
merchant, ' and then good-bye to your kurveying Walters.' "
(Hobson's " At Home in the Transvaal," p. 29, 1884.)
Kusting: or Kustingbrief. — (D. kusting, a mortgage ; brief,
a letter.) A mortgage bond upon a property covering the
balance due on the purchase price of the property.
Kwaad. — (O.D. quaedt, " bad, malicious, perverse " ; quade,
" ill, evil, bad, naughty, wicked," Hexham ; D. kwaad, ill,
angry.) Angry, vexed, put out. The word is used by
Chaucer in the Cook's " Prologue " ; " ' Sooth pley, quoad pley,'
as the Fleming seith," 1. 4857. The word occurs also in
Skelton, who wrote in the latter part of the fifteenth
century : —
This tretise devysed it is
Of two knaues sometyme of Dis.
Though this knaues be deade,
Full of mysohiefe and queed.
Yet where so ever they ly,
Theyr names shall neuer dye.
(Ed. Dyce, i. p. 168, 11. 1-6.)
"The Boers meanwhile smiled and said that Mr. . . .
was a kwaad (angry) man." (Barter's " The Dorp and the
Veld," p. 57, 1852.)
Kwaai. — Angry, vicious, bad-tempered. The word is
used of both animals and men.
" When the birds are savage— gue* the Dutch call it, they
become very aggressive." (Martin's " Home Life on an
Ostrich Farm," p. Ill, 1890.)
" You'd have to ride Pansy, and she's in a camp full of
kwaai birds." (Mitford's " Aletta," p. 53, 1900.)
AFEICANDBEISMS 287
Kwartel. — (D. Jcwartel, a quail.) Coturnix africana, the
Cape quail.
" The Cape quail (Coturnix africana), the Kwa/rtel of the
Dutch, does not need any description, being too well known
throughout the length and breadth of the land." (Haagner
and Ivy's " Sketches of South African Bird Life," p. 46,
1908.)
Kwedini. — (Kaf. in Kwenhwe, a boy ; in Kwenkwendini, the
Voc. case, boy ! Kwedini is a contraction of the latter and
is only used in Kaf&r in the vocative case.) A term applied
on the Border to a native boy, but never by the Kaffirs to a
circumcised lad, however young he may be.
" A young native boy was badly hurt with a blow from the
pole, owing to the fastening of the chain to the yoke of the
oxen giving way ; and this hweedini was walking behind the
pole driving the bullocks on; the snapping of the chain
took place just when the strain was heaviest." (" Queenstown
Eepresentative," p. 5, 27 January, 1912.)
Kweek gras. — (D. kweek, dog's grass.) See Quick grass.
Kween. — (D. kween, a barren ewe.) A barren animal of
any sort. See Queen.
Kya — (Kaf. i Kaya, a place of abode, home ; in Dlu is
the KafSr word for a house, hut.) A house, hut.
" A native living in a kraal at Lydenberg quarrelled with
another native, whom he accused of having fired his kya . . .
the first native made a torch . . . and set about two dozen
newly made kyas alight and fled to the adjacent hills." (" East
London Dispatch," 24 November, 1911.)
Kyk. — (D. kijken, to look, see, peep. Cf. G. gucken.)
To look, pry. Chaucer uses the word in the same sense : —
Into the roof they kyhen and they gape
And turned all liia harm unto a jape.
(" The' Milleres Tale.")
Laagte or Leegte. — (D. laagte, a valley.) A valley or
shallow dip in the veld.
" We emerged on a sandy elevation or ' buet ' (? bult)
overlooking an extensive undulation or leegte." (Chapman's
" Travels," i. p. 25, 1868.)
" As far as I could see up the open laagte the ground was
teeming with heavy game." (Schulz and Hammar's " New
Africa," p. 188, 1897.)
288 APEICANDBEISMS
Ladies' fingers. — The name given in Natal to a variety
of small, delicately flavoured banana.
Lady bird. — The Ghrysomelidce are known by this name
in South Africa, because of their superficial resemblance to
the lady-birds — Goccinellidce. See Blauw beesje.
Lady's heart grass. — A variety of grass — Briza maxima,
Linn. — v?ith a heart-shaped head is so called in the neighbour-
hood of Queenstown. It has been introduced from England
M^here it is known as " quaking grass ".
Lager. — (G. Lager, a camp ; lagern, to encamp.) The
extemporized wagon fortifications so successfully employed
by the Dutch voortrekkers in their frequent conflicts with
the natives. The wagons were drawn up in a circle, and
fastened together with the trek-touws, the spaces between
were filled with goods and thorn bushes, and the famiUes and
oxen placed within. The meaning of the word has been gradu-
ally extended, and now it is used of any extemporized fortifica-
tion or stockade, and, in the German sense also, of an
encampment. It is an interesting fact that the Helvetians, in
their conflicts with the Romans under Julius Caesar, adopted
the same method of defence, as appears from the following :
" But the greatest trouble he had was to distresse their campe,
and to breake their strength" (or lager) "which they had
made with their cartes". (North's "Plutarch," v. p. 19.
Tudor Translations.)
" There is a good strong laager at Jakins." (Godlonton's
" Kaffir War, 1850-52," p. 196, 1852.)
" At every laager the Zulu forces were driven back."
(Holden's " History of Natal," p. 92, 1855.)
Lager, To. — To adopt the defensive measures described
above.
" Had the camp been at once laagered in the Dutch
fashion, on the first" indication of the enemy's presence . . .
it may be that
Another sight had seen that morn,
Prom Pate's dark book a leaf been torn.''
(Eussell's " Natal," p. 229, 1891.)
Lager, To go into. — In times of Kaffir disturbance people
were said " to go into lager," when, from scattered farms, they
gathered for mutual protection within some such temporary
defence as above described.
Lalcsman. — (Mai. laksamana, the title of one of the highest
AFEICANDEEISMS 289
dignitaries in the Malay State — the Commander of the Forces.
Is this word the Malay rendering of the Dutch fiskaal ?
This latter officer was authorized to inflict corporal punish-
ment on slaves and Hottentots for petty offences ; the present
debased meaning of the word would be thus accounted for.)
(1) The public executioner. (2) A name given in some parts
of South Africa to the Fiscal or Butcher bird (q.v.) appar-
ently because of his doings as an executioner.
" Laksman, sn. hangman." ("Patriot Woordeboek,"
1902.)
" It is commonly known as the ' Jack-hanger ' and
' Butcher bird ' in the Cape, the ' Jacky-hangman ' in Natal,
and the Lachsman in the Transvaal." (Haagner and Ivy's
" Sketches of South African Bird Life," p. 95, 1908.)
Lamvanger. — (D. lam, a lamb ; vangen, to catch.) Aquila
rapax. This bird, also known to English colonists as the
golden eagle and to the Dutch as the coo vogel, is so de-
structive to flocks as to cause it to be destroyed on all occa-
sions. See Coo vogel.
" The English of the Cape call it the Golden eagle, on
account of the reddish colour of its neck and belly, and the
Dutch farmers lamvanger, or lambsiezer, because it is accus-
tomed to seize and carry off to its aerie a lamb or kid."
(Arbousset's " Narrative," p. 220, 1846.)
" The bird which Chapman says is called by some Lam-
mitjie vanger (lamb catcher), and by others the Golden eagle,
differs so far as I can find only in the lighter colour of its
plumage from the European kind." (Baine's " Explorations
in South East Africa," p. 194, 1864.)
Lamziekte. — (D. lam, lame; ziekte, sickness.) Osteo-
malacia. Paralysis generally of the hind-quarters of cattle,
but in acute cases the paralysis is sometimes complete. Dr.
Theiler, the Director of Veteripary Eesearch for the Union
of South Africa, has arrived at the conclusion, after an elabor-
ate series of experiments, that Lamziekte is neither infectious
nor contagious. Careful microscopic investigation has failed
to discover any specific organism to which the disease could
be traced. He advances the following theory as a working
hypothesis, that " Lamziekte is primarily a disease of the
muscular system caused by a toxin which accumulates in the
muscles and is obtained from grasses of certain regions where
it is produced under the influence of certain climatical and
19
290 AFEICANDEEISMS
tellurical conditions ". By this theory the Doctor says that
it is possible to explain, if not all observations, at least the
great majority. (" Agric. Journ. S.A. Union," p. 49, July,
1912.)
" The lamziehte is when cattle are not able to stand ; it
comes on gradually, and is slow in its progress ; after the
death of the animal the bones of its legs are found to be with-
out marrow, instead of which they are filled with water."
(Stavorinus' " Voyages," ii. p. 64, 1798.)
"It is, therefore, very probable that congestion of the
liver, giving rise to indigestion, may act as the exciting cause,
and produce a serious complication of these cases of so-called
acute lamziehte." (" Science in South Africa," p. 361, 1905.)
Landdrost. — (D. landdrost, a, sheriff; cf. Ger. Drost, a
governor of a province.) The Board of Landdrost and
Heemraden was a judicial court ; it consisted of the Land-
drost and six Heemraden, who acted in much the same ca-
pacity as the county magistrates and their courts do in
England. These courts were formed under the old Dutch
law of the colony, but were continued long after the British
had taken possession. See Drost.
" Er setzte den ersten Landdrost oder Eichter, ein, von
beeden Colonien, Stellenbusch und Drachenstein. " (Kolben's
" Beschreibung," p. 236, 1745.)
" The colony ... is divided into eleven districts. Each
is placed under the superintendence of either a Landdrost or
a deputy landdrost, who administers the government, in
most respects as the representative of the Governor ; and
it is through him that all laws, proclamations, and inferior
regulations are carried into effect." (Burchell's " Travels," i.
p. 75, 1822.)
Lands. — Those portions of a farm that can' be brought
under cultivation for cereal or other crops are termed " the
lands," often only too small a proportion of the whole pro-
perty.
" In front of the house the lands (fields) stretch away in
the distance." (Clairmonte's " The Africander," p. 6, 1896.)
" The day was frightfully hot, and at all the Kaffir lands
the men picked up water-melons, tasteless to eat, but thirst
quenching." (Stuart's " Pictures of the War," p. 320, 1901.)
Landsvaders. — (D. land, country ; vader, father ; lit.
"fathers of the country".) Men whose years and experi-
AFEICANDBEISMS 291
ence have given them influence and authority in the land ;
members of parUament.
" Then follows this : ' There is a possibility of the natives
electing their own representatives to take their place among the
Landsvaders '." (" Queenstown Free Press," 13 May, 1884.)
" In the early days of the Eepublic a farmer was fined
80 rix-dollars because he came to show the Landsvaders
samples of quartz containing visible gold." (Du Toit's
" Ehodesia," p. 81, 1897.)
Lang beentjes. — (D. lang, long; been, a leg.) In the
district of Worcester a species of Leucadendron (Proteacece)
is known by this name.
" Amongst the farmers it is known from its height (the
fully-grown shrub attains about 8 or 10 feet) and slender
branches, as Lang beentjes." {" The South African Medical
Journal," i. p. 128, 1884.)
Langhaarmens. — See Kroeshaarmens.
Lap or Lapje. — (D. lap, a patch, rag.) A rag or clout.
" Blue dungaree, or as it is termed by the natives lap
(corruption of cloth), was the article in greatest request."
(Owen's " Narrative," i. p. 118, 1833.)
" The dish-cloth is a great institution in the Boer house-
hold. A dirty bit of lapje (rag) it is, which fulfils more than
its allotted share in the common round." (Hicks' "The
Cape as I Found It," p. 179, 1900.)
Latje. — (D. lat, a lath.) The tough, young shoots of trees
(chiefly quince, kweepeer) are often used by those in authority
for purposes of castigation.
" Parting the quince luikeys with my hand." (Glanville's
" Tales from the Veld," p. 209, 1897.)
Laughing dove. — Turtur senegalensis, Linn. The name
refers to the strange laughing sort of coo which this bird has.
" The little Laughing dove ... is also common in places,
especially in the Municipal Gardens in Cape Town." (" Science
in South Africa," p. 142, 1905.)
Lavandel. — (D. lavendel, lavender.) The name given in
the Transvaal to Heteropyxis natalensis, Harv.
Lazaretto. — (It. lazzeretto, a plague-hospital.) A lazar-
house, plague hospital.
Lazarus. — (Gk. Ad^apo^, Luke xvi. 20 ; Heb. Eleazar,
he whom God helps.) Leprosy, leper, leprous. Cf. Eng.
lazar, one afflicted with a filthy and dangerous disease.
19*
292 AFEICANDBEISMS
Lazy Jack. — See Idle Dick.
Leader (1) A boy employed, when trekking, to lead the
two front oxen of the span, which he does by means of a riem
fastened to their horns. (2) The two front oxen of a span
are also termed leaders.
" The leader (as the boy is called who leads the two front
oxen of the span) on my first wagon journey was a Bushman."
(Cole's " The Cape and the Kaffir," p. 141, 1852.)
Leader. — A vein of gold-bearing quartz which is supposed
to indicate the whereabouts of the main reef.
" Many quartz veins more or less auriferous have been
found which are supposed to lead to the rich or mother vein;
these are thus called leaders and some of them are giving a fair
percentage of gold." ("Queenstown Free Press," 6 June,
1884.)
Lead water, To. — In many of the towns and villages of
South Africa, water, both for drinking and irrigation purposes,
is brought by means of an open " Furrow " (q.v.). The Dutch
are very expert at this work. For irrigation, each householder
— unless he holds what are known as " dry erven " — has the
right to turn the water from the furrow on to his land for a
time determined by the size of his holding. Guiding the water
from the furrow so as to wet the land uniformly is termed
" leading water ".
" Along one of these (furrows) the water is led to the field
which is to be watered." (Lownde's "Every-day Life in
South Africa," p. 86, 1900.)
Lean-to, A. — A room or shed built against the side or
back of a house, with a separate sloping roof.
" One has not the satisfaction of enjoying the comfortable
bit of shade afforded by the lean-to, which we had rigged up
in the corner of the laagar." (Hutchinson's " In the Tents
in the Transvaal," p. 137, 1879.)
Lechwe. — Gohus leche ; a beautiful species of water-buck
discovered by Oswald, Murray and Livingstone.
"Troops of leches, or, as they are here called, lech/wes,
appeared feeding quite heedlessly all over the flats." (Living-
stone's "Missionary Travels in South Africa," p. 204, 1857.)
" The river and the banks are frequented by the rare
species of waterbucks, called by the natives luchee (Adenota
leche), before noticed in this neighbourhood." (Chapman's
" Travels," I. p. 141,1868.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 293
Leegte. — See Laagte.
Leer visch. — (D. leer, leder, leather ; visch, fish.) Lichia
amvia, known in Natal as the Garrick (q.v.). Gilchrist sug-
gests that the fish was thus named by the early Dutch sailors,
because of the similarity of its leathery skin to that of a fish
so named in the East Indies.
Leeuwbekkies. — (D. leeuw, a lion ; bek, a beak, snout.)
(1) The snap-dragon — Antirrhinum majus — has received this
name from the Dutch. It is known in some parts of England
as " Calf's snout ". (2) The name is also applied to other
ScrophulariacecB with personate corollas.
Legavaan. — (Amer. yuana, Sp. iguana, a lizard.) Both
Varanus niloticus and the smaller V. albigularis are known by
this name. See Guana and Iguana.
" Frequented by numbers of the large amphibious lizards
called the leguan or guana." (Pringle's "Narrative," p. 29,
1840.)
" My though, but he's about the biggest legovaan I've
ever seen ! " (Mitford's " Eenshaw Fanning's Quest," p. 81,
1894.)
Leg off, A. — The leg of an animal broken by a shot or in
any other way is said in Dutch-speaking districts to be
" off" or to have been " shot off".
"Yes, he's wounded certainly, got a a leg off (broken)."
(Watkin's " Prom Farm to Forum," p. 497, 1906.)
Lekker. — (D. lekker, dainty, nice, sweet.) (1) Tasty, de-
licious : in common use in the Midland Districts. (2) Some-
times used of a person the worse for liquor.
They lyvd at ease in vile oxoesa,
They sought for lecker-cost.
(Eiche's " Alarme to England," 1578).
" Unsere Eeisegesellschaft bezeichnete das Wasser leclcer
weil es keinen salz gehalt hatte." (Wangemann's " Ein
Eeise-Jahr in Sud-Afrika," p. 93, 1868.)
" In gaol for drunkenness or violent incontinence of speech
when only lekker or half-tipsy." (" The State," p. 243, Sep-
tember, 1911.)
Lekkers. — (D. lekker, dainty, sweet.) Confections made
of sugar ; sweets.
" As pocket handkerchiefs are the exception and leakers
(a kind of sticky sweetmeat) the rule, your hand, at the finish
294 AFEICANDEEISMS
of a family ' How do you do ? ' has something of the adhesive-
ness and consistency of a glutinous fish." (Atcherley's "A
Trip to Boerland," p. 78, 1879.)
Leispreeuw. — (D. ZeZ, uvula, wattle ; spreeww, a starling.)
Dilophus carunculatus. See Locust bird.
" It is sometimes called leispreeuw on account of the large
'lei' or wattle which the male develops in the breeding
plumage." (" Transvaal Agric. Journ.," p. 529, July, 1908.)
Lemon dove. — Haplopelia larvata. See Cinnamon dove.
Lemon grass. — Elionurus argenteus, Nees., is commonly
known by this name.
Lemon wood. — Xymalos monospora, Harv., common in
Transvaal forests.
Leopard bird. — Another name given by sailors to Ossifraga
gigantea. See Glutton bird.
Leopard toad. — Bufo regulwris.
" A large and extremely handsome form, with bright yellow
spots and markings, is generally known as the leopard toad."
(" Science in South Africa," p. 149, 1905.)
" Several of these were new to science. Among the more
interesting of these may be mentioned a toad which was
marked like a leopard." (W. C. Scully, " The State," p. 222,
March, 1912.)
Lepelhout. — (D. lepel, a spoon; hout, wood.) Ha/rtogia
capensis. In the Transvaal Mystroxylon burkeanum, Sond., is
so called.
" This tree is found in the woods of the districts of Swel-
lendam and Caledon, where it is known by the name of Lepel-
hout (ladle wood) and in the bushy ravines on the eastern side
of Table Mountain." (Pappe's " Silva Capensis," p. 10, 1862.)
Let rip, To. — A slang expression applied to the firing of a
gun, the use of vigorous language, etc.
" I galloped round the kopje with my police and half-a-
dozen volunteers . . . and we let rip, to use the Africander
expression." (Barkly's " Among Boers and Basutos," p. 186,
1893.)
Liddoorn. — (D. likdoren, a corn ; doarn, thorn, prickle.
Cf . the first syllable lih with D, lijh ; Ger. Leiche ; M.E. lich, a
corpse ; A.S. lie, a body.) A corn.
" Voor 't engelse ' corn ' zegt de Hollander meestal ' ek-
steeroog ' en de Afrikaner liddoorng en niet ' likdoorn '."
(" The Northern Post," p. 12, 20 June, 1912.)
AFEICANDEKISMS 295
Lifting the elbow. — A euphemism for " given to drink ".
" There's a sight too many chaps out here who are a deal
too fond of lifting the elbow." (Mitford's " Gerard Eidgeley,"
p. 24.)
Lift, To. — Another word in common use for taking away
unlawfully, stealing. The word is not unknown in this sense
on the Scottish border.
" Cattle were to be lifted from town kraals." (Sheffield's
" Story of the Settlement," p. 227, 1884.)
Lighted candles. — In Natal the flowers of Loranthus
natalitius are thus designated.
" The long tubular flowers are frequently decorated with
alternate transverse bands of colour, white and crimson, and
one (L. natalitius), waxy white, tipped with yellow, has no
fanciful resemblance to lighted candles, by which name I have
heard the children call them." (Chapman's " Travels," ii.
p. 452, 1868.)
" In Natal another species (L. natalitius) has waxy white
flowers tipped with yellow which the children know as lighted
candles." (Stoneman's "Plants and their Ways in South
Africa," p. 128, 1906.)
Lighting matches. — See quotation.
" Every one who lives in the Eastern Province knows
what is meant by lighting matches. The ' matches ' of
Loranthus oleafolius are born in umbels of three to five
flowers, bright red at base and orange in the upper portion
with green tips. . . . When ready for lighting the tips which
hold the ends of the stamens become black. When this
sensitive point is struck by birds, back fly the petals, and
the pollen is thrown some distance as the stamens are freed
from confinement." (Stoneman's "Plants and their Ways
in South Africa," p. 127, 1906.)
Lilac disa. — The trivial name of Disa Harveiana Lind.
Lily, Natal. — Gladiolus psittacinus, Hook, is known in
Grahamstown by this name.
Lily of the hill. — See Trumpet Hly.
Lily, Pig. — This is the unromantic name by which the
beautiful creamy white arum — Bichardia africana — is known
in the neighbourhood of Cape Town. In Engler's "Natiir-
hchepflanzenfamilien," this plant now stands under the name
of Zantedeschia mthiopica, Sprengl.
" Thousands upon thousands of arums, pig-lilies as
296 AFEICANDEEISMS
they call them in Africa." (Haggard's "Jess," p. 48,
1887.)
Limbo. — Certain varieties of coloured cotton prints, used
in trade and barter with the up-country natives, are so called.
"We exchanged some limbo ... for eighteen young
fov/ls." (De Waal's " With Ehodes in Mashonaland," p. 259,
1896.)
" The native in the foreground is wearing the distinguish-
ing mark — yellow limbo round his head, as worn by our
friendlies." (Wills and Collingwood's " Downfall of Loben-
gula," p. 187, 1894.)
Limoen gras. — Andropogon Schcenanthus, Linn., is so
called because of the faint lemon scent which it gives off when
bruised ; but the name is more commonly and more appropri-
ately (its lemon scent being much stronger) applied to
Elionurus argenteus, Nees.
Links. — (D. links, at the left hand.) The left-handed one.
The name borne by Makanna, originally a Kaffir of common
rank, who, by his talents and address, gradually raised him-
self to distinction as a witch-doctor. He was an important
personage in the attack made by the Kaffirs on Grahamstown,
on 22 April, 1819. He was drowned while trying to
escape from Eobben Island, where he was detained as a
prisoner.
Lion fisli. —
" Should any sportsman be thinking of emigrating to
South Africa, I would strongly recommend him the following
bill of fare for his first dinner party in the wilderness. . . .
First course. — Tortoise soup. Crab, Lion fish found in the
rivers." (Cole's " The Cape and the Kaffirs," pp. 84-85, 1852.)
Lion's Head. — A mountain in the immediate neighbour-
hood of Cape Town, which is supposed to resemble a lion
couchant ; one part is known as the Lion's Head, the other
as the Lion's Eump.
" Einige sagen der Name komme von denen sonst darauf
gewesen Lowen her. Vor kurzer Zeit hielte sich ein der-
gleichen fiirchterliches Thier da auf, welches Vieh und
Menschen zerrisse. . . . Anders meynen der Berg heisse also,
weil er einem liegenden Lowen ahnlich scheint der auf
seinen Eaub lauert." (Kolben's " Beschreibung," p. 208,
1745.)
Lion's Rump. — See above.
AFEICANDEEISMS 297
" A long unbroken hill of moderate height, is King
James's Momit (the Lion's Bump of the Dutch)." (Barrow's
"Travels,"!, p. 14, 1801.)
Little dog-rose. — Dombeya Dregeana, Sond., is so called
in the Eastern Province.
" The Dombeya, sometimes called little dog-rose." (" East
London Dispatch," p. 5, 27 May, 1910.)
Liverpool of South Africa. — Port Elizabeth is sometimes so
designated, but whether the designation is intended to be
taken humorously, or as being anticipative, is somewhat
uncertain.
" The Liverpool of the Gape was not yet in existence, and
a dreary, barren-looking waste met many a disappointed eye."
(Dugmore's " Eeminiscences," p. 5, 1871.)
" Port Elizabeth, the Liverpool of South Africa, is the next
point we have to aim at." (Statham's " Blacks, Boers and
British," p. 78, 1881.)
Loan Farms. — This was the designation of those farms
which were originally granted by the Government on
yearly lease, the lease-holder paying an annual rent of twenty-
four rix-dollars. The payment was regarded as a renewal of
the lease, the tenure being really a lease held in perpetuity ;
this seems to have been the oldest form of tenure in the Cape
Colony.
" The number of these loan farms registered in the office of
the receiver of land revenue on closing the books in 1798,
were : —
In the District of the Cape .... 110
„ ,, ,, Stellenbosch and Drakenstein 689
,, ,, ,, Swellendam . . . 541
,, ,, ,, Graaff Eeinet . . . 492
Total 1832"
(Barrow's " Travels," ii. p. 380, 1804.)
"A loan place which is a place obtained from the Govern-
ment, that has not yet been surveyed, is half-an-hour's walk
in every direction from the house or centre," (Backhouse's
" Narrative," p. 585, 1844.)
" Sixty morgen of land proved in Africa far too little for
men who, in Europe, never probably owned an acre; so
eventually they obtained loan farms of 6000 or more acres."
(Sutherland's " South African Tribes," i. p. 95, 1845.)
298 AFEICANDEEISMS
Lobengula. — The bloodthirsty despot who ruled the
Matabele, until the territory over which he held such baleful
sway was occupied by the forces of the British South African
Company.
"Lobengula . . . His name means 'defender,' but for
the Matabele nation he was the 'destroyer'." (Du Toit's
" Ehodesia," p. 77, 1897.)
Lobola. — (Kaf . uhu Lobola, to compensate ; to pay dowry
for a wife.) The word lobola would seem to indicate that
the original idea in giving cattle in order to secure a wife
among the Kaffirs, was of a somewhat different character
from that which obtains at present ; that it was in fact
regarded as a solatium to the mother for the pains which
she is supposed to experience when her daughter is taken
from her. This may have been the original idea in the trans-
action, but there is no doubt that at the present time the
custom has degenerated into the mere buying of the woman on
the part of the would-be husband on the one hand, and the
securing the largest number of cattle possible for her on the
part of her father or guardian on the other hand ; the choice
of her husband being a matter in which the woman, as a rule,
has very little if any voice.
" If they will but treat my daughter well that is the best
uku-lobola." (Colenso's " Ten Weeks in Natal," p. 138, 1855.)
" The verb for buy is tenga, but when a Kaffir speaks of
'buying a wife he uses the verb lobola, which means to take
away a cutting, and figuratively to remove a pain. It would
seem therefore that the word when applied to the giving of
cattle for a girl, refers to the pains which the mother endured
in bearing and nurturing her, and that they were originally
given to remove those pains, that is to reward her for them."
(Shooter's " Kaffirs of Natal," p. 48, 1857.)
Location. — (1) In the Eastern Province of the Cape
Colony, the "location" is a portion of land set apart by a
municipality somewhere on the outskirts of the town, upon
which natives are allowed, under certain regulations, to reside.
(2) In Natal the term refers to certain large tracts of land
which are firmly secured by Government to the natives.
Each such " location " is suitable for a population of from
10,000 to 12,000, and is the property of the tribe collectively.
Altogether the total 'area of the land thus secured to the
natives in Natal is not less than 2,000,000 acres.
AFEICANDEEISMS 299
" Up the country each town has its location, an adjoining
town really, separated from it by a little space, where the
natives live." (Lownde's "Everyday Life in South Africa,"
p. 113, 1900.)
" The plan Government devised was to preserve the natives
distinct from the whites, and for this purpose large tracts of
country were set aside, under the designation of ' locations
for the natives'. On these locations the natives were to be
collected, and governed by their own laws, through the
medium of their own chiefs." (Holden's " History of Natal,"
p. 176, 1855.)
Lock, To. — This was the term applied to the old method
of skidding the wagon wheels for the descent of a steep place.
It consisted in fastening the wheel with a riem or chain in
such a way that it could not revolve. Sometimes a "lock-
shoe" or " riem-schoen " was employed into which the wheel
was slipped and secured, saving enormously in wear and tear.
All this has, however, been superseded by the patent-screw
brake.
" Down still steeper hills . . . both the hind wheels are
locked, and sometimes one of the forewheels into the bargain,
especially in rainy weather, when it is slippery." (Sparrman's
" Voyage," i. p. 124, 1785.)
Lock -shoe. — A small trough of hard wood into which the
wheel is slipped to prevent wear and tear when the wheel is
locked.
" In order that the lowest fellies of the wheel which is to
be locked may not be worn, together with the iron-work
round it, a kind of sledge carriage, hollowed out in the inside,
and called a lock-shoe, is fitted to it." (Sparrman's " Voyage,"
I. p. 124, 1785.)
Locust bird. — (1) The wattled starling — Dilophus ca/run-
culatus. This bird destroys large numbers of locusts in their
immature or voetganger stage, and is no less destructive
among them when they are on the wing. (2) Two Pratincoles
— Glareola melanoptera and G. pratincola — follow the locust
swarms in great numbers. At one time they were seldom seen
in the Cape Colony except when in pursuit of their favourite
food, but in recent years they seem to have settled down in
some parts, and failing locusts do not hesitate to attack the
fruit. All three of these birds are known to the Dutch as
Klein springhaan vogel (small locust birds). (3) Gicona alba ;
300 AFEICANDEEISMS
this member of the stork family, responsible for so much in
the domestic life of Germany, confers a great benefit of
another sort upon the agriculturist. Locusts appear to be
its chief South African food ; it is known as the " Great locust
bird ".
" The numbers of the grille vori are not less astonishing
than those of the locusts." (Barrow's "Travels," i. p. 257,
1801.)
" The white stork of Europe is known here as the great
locust bird." (Burton's " The Cape Colony for the Settler,"
p. 11, 1903.)
Lokkertje. — (D. lokken, to decoy, allure.) A tame bird
used to lure wild ones into a cage or trap. Cf. Caxton's " I
am no byrde to be locked ne take by chaf." (" The Historye
of Eeynard the Eoxe," 1481.)
Lol. — (D. lollen, to sit by the fire, to chat ; cf. G. lallen.)
The term applied at one time by the students at Stellen-
bosch to a students' party ; a social evening ; a spree.
" We were approached one day in class by a solemn-look-
ing individual, and invited in the name of the lady of one of
the professors to be present at a loll. The word applied to
an evening party brought up rather a funny picture before
the imagination, and suggested the thought that people must
feast here in Eoman fashion, but we were subsequently in-
formed that it meant a simple evening party." (Mackinnon's
" South African Traits," p. 45, 1887.)
Longbelly. — A Natal corruption of the name of the native
chief, Langelibelele, who gave so much trouble in 1873.
Long -tailed cormorant. — Graculus a/ricanus, Gray. See
Crown duiker.
Long -tailed finch. — The common designation of Ghera
progne, the Kaffirarian grosbeak. See Kaffir chief.
" A few of the long-tailed finches also described in the
8y sterna Natura as the Loxia caffra, and in the same work
as Emberiza longicoMda, were here seen flying about among
the flags." (Kay's " Caffrarian Eesearches," p. 85, 1833.)
Long Tom. — (1) A somewhat primitive arrangement em-
ployed by the early diggers at the diamond flelds for " sort-
ing" the diamondiferous material ; it is sufficiently described
in the quotation. (2) This designation was also applied by
the British soldier to the big guns employed by the Boers in
the Anglo-Boer War, 1899-1902.
AFEIOANDBEISMS 301
" First of all came the Long torn, a trough fitted with
ripples, into the head of which the gravel was thrown, and
through which a constant flow of water . . . was maintained,
while the gravel was raked and the larger stones and pebhles
removed, the fine gravel behind the ripples being taken to the
sorting tables." (Mathew's "Incwadi Yami," p. 175, 1887.)
" A 6-inch Creusot or Long torn which . . . had come down
from Laing's Nek by rail." (" The Times' History of the
War," II. p. 198, 1902.)
Lon^^wagon. — The pole running beneath the wagon be-
tween the two axles, and connecting them together.
" Extra delay was caused by the long-wagon (perch-pole)
of the buck-wagon getting badly cracked in crossing a spruit
on the wrong road." (Balfour's " Twelve Hundred Miles in
a Wagon," p. 188, 1895.)
Long-ziekte. — (D. long, lung ; ziekte, sickness.) See
Lung-sickness.
Loog. — (D. loog, lye.) Mesembryanthemum micranthum.
The ash of this plant is used both by the Dutch and by the
Hottentots in making soap ; as is also the ash of M.junceum,
Harv., which is more widely distributed and extends into the
Eastern Karoo.
Looper. — (D. looper, a slug.) The name given in South
Africa to a large-sized buckshot or slug.
" With plenty of powder, buck-shot, loepers, or slugs."
(Barter's " The Dorp and the Veld," p. 47, 1852.)
" Nine loepers, well and tightly loaded in a shot cartridge."
(Mitford's " Clement Wayneflete," p. 76, 1894.)
Lootsman. — (D. loot, lead ; Eng. leadsman, the man who
gauges the depth of water by means of lead and a line. Cf.
Eng. ■pi-lot ; see Skeat.) Naucrates ductor.
" Vom Lootsmann. Dieser Fisch ftlhret seinen Namen
desswegen, weil man glaubt, er diene dem Meer-Vielfrasse
zum Wegweiser." (Kolben's " Beschreibung," p. 376, 1745.)
" Another rare fish recently acquired was ... a fine speci-
men of a sucker-fish or lootsman. . . . The chief characteristic
of this fish is the long narrow sucker on the top of the head,
this being 3^ inches long by nearly 2 inches in width."
("East London Dispatch," 5 May, 1908.)
Loquat. — The tree Eriobotrya japonica, Lind., is a na-
tive of China and Japan ; the name as we have it approxi-
mates to the Canton pronunciation of the Chinese name
302 AFEIOANDEEISMS
meaning " rush orange ". The fruit when ripe is very juicy
and pleasantly subacid. The word is introduced because the
fruit is so well known to South Africans.
Lory. — (The word is a corruption of the Malay nuri, a
parrot. Yule and Burnell's " Anglo-Indian Glossary ".) Tura-
cus corythaix, Gallirexporphreolophus, and Schizorhis concolor,
the two latter being northern birds, are all Lories (Musopha-
gidm). Turacus has a nauch more extensive range than the
others, and is common in the forests of the Cape Colony.
Its general colour is an iridescent green, the tail and wings
are steel blue, the latter when expanded showing a brilhant
crimson shot with purple. See Bush lory and Go-way
bird.
" The cuculus persa, a beautiful bird, called by the
colonists loeri or lori, with scarlet wings, a green crown,
tipped with red, and a red bill." (Lichtenstein's " Travels,"
I. p. 195 n., 1812.)
" The lovely doves and woodpeckers with beautiful lowries
fluttering." (" C.G.H. Literary Gazette," p. 97, 1831.)
" Lones, richly tinted and mellow coloured." (Eussell's
" Natal," p. 36, 1891.)
Lospit. — (D. los, loose, free ; pit, the stone or kernel of
fruit.) The name given to a variety of peach the flesh of
which does not adhere to the stone. See Taaipit.
Love bean. — In the Transvaal the seeds of Abrus precato-
rius, L., are known by this name.
Lovebird. — Agapornis roseicoUis. A pretty little bird of
the parrot tribe.
Love grass. — Setaria verticillata, Beauv. The hooked
seeds of this grass attach themselves firmly to one's clothing.
See Khs or Klits grass.
Lucht. — (D. loog, lye.) A corruption of the Dutch word
" Loog " (q.v.), it is applied to a potash salt obtained by
burning a small karoo bush with cylindrical fleshy leaves,
known as the " Asbosje " (ash bush). The salt thus obtained
is used as a lye in the manufacture of the coarser Boer or
Kaffir tobacco as it is called.
" Much of the tobacco consumed in the Colony is dipped
in a lye of lucht." (Wallace's " Farming Industries of the
Cape Colony," p. 480, 1896.)
Lui haai. — (D. lui, lazy, slothful ; haai, a shark.) Scyl-
lium africanum. This dogfish is known round the coast by
AFEICANDEEISMS 303
several names : e.g. Bonti haai (variegated shark), Tiger
shark, Schaam oog (bashful eye).
Luipard. — (D. luipaard, a leopard.) The hunting leo-
pard. Cynalurus juhatus. Known also as the Vlackte tijger.
" The creature known as the Hunting leopard, generally
called Luipa/rd by the Dutch {Cynalurus juhatus of
naturalists), is rather rare in South Africa." (" Science in
South Africa," p. 126, 1905.)
" I may be allowed here to remark . . . that the South
African animal called Luipard (leopard) by the Dutch
colonists . . . and supposed to be the Felisjubata, has not the
sharp retractile claws which distinguish the feline genus."
(Burchell's " Travels," ii. p. 326 n., 1824.)
Luiters. — Unaware, innocent.
Lumpy jaw. — Actinomycosis of the bony structure of the
jaw. See Eay fungus disease. Big jaw, and Wooden tongue.
Lung sickness. — A highly infectious inflammatory condi-
tion of the pleura and lungs ; the cause of heavy losses at
times to the cattle farmers of South Africa. See Long
ziekte.
Luns. — (Eng. " To hinge a colt in breaking him in, is
to hold him with a long rope, and drive him round in a
circle. Still in use," Halliwell.) To tame a horse, to break
a young horse in.
Lunsriem. — (D. luns, a linch-pin.) (1) The small strip of
untanned hide with which the linch-pin is secured in the end
of the axle. (2) A term of opprobrium applied to an English-
man, and to a dirty fellow or tramp.
Die dit nie spreek, hij is bekent ;
Als luns-riem of een rooinek-vent.
(Een Patriot, Eeitz's " Afrikaanse Gedigte," p. 21, 1888.)
Lynx. — The name sometimes given to Felis caracal, though
this animal differs in several characteristic features from the
true lynx of the northern hemisphere. See Eooi-kat.
Maaiers. — (D. maden, maggots.) A term applied to
maggots and caterpillars.
Maal klip. — (D. maal, meal; klip, a rock, stone.) The
primitive implement employed by native women in grinding
meal or snuff.
" A maal-hlip, that is a flat stone, or one which has been
slightly hollowed in the centre, upon which the dried locusts
were reduced to powder, by means of a smaller round stone
304 AFEICANDEEISMS
worked with both hands." (Stow's " Native Eaces of South
Africa," p. 58, 1905.)
Maanhaar Jackal (D. manen, a mane; haar, hair.)
Proteles cristatus, Gray. This name has reference to the
ridge of long dark hair which this animal has running from
the head down its back. See Aard-wolf.
" The mona (maned) jackal, by which name it is most
commonly known, may be found all over South Africa."
(Nicolls and Eglinton's " Sportsman in South Africa," p. 93,
1892.)
" The Maanhaar (maned) jackal ... an animal inter-
mediate in appearance between the hyena and the common
jackal, has recently been the subject of discussion, as to
whether it attacked sheep or not." (Wallace's "Farming
Industries of the Cape Colony," p. 338, 1896.)
Maantje hut. — (D. mand, a basket ; cf . Eng. maunde, a
hand basket ; the word is still in use.) A hut made of wattles
and covered with anything that will keep out the wet or cold ;
easily erected and easily removed.
" They built only the maantje house — a slight basket
frame of wattles, covered with rush mats, which could
be erected or taken down by the wife while the man boiled
the kettle. When I visited the Griquas at the Mount
Currie Laager first in 1869, one of these maantje huts
was still in use." (Dower's " Annals of Kotstad," pp. 4-5,
1902.)
Maan visch. — (D. maan, the moon ; visch, a fish.) Or-
thagoriscus mola. See Sun-fish.
Maccles. — (G. Makel, a stain, spot, blot ; Lat. macula, a
spot.) Diamonds made defective by a dark ridge across
them, detracting considerably from their value.
" The commonest kind of flaw is a dark ridge stretching
right across the stone, as if it had been severed at some period
of its growth and welded together again. Diamonds so
marked are called maccles." (Devereaux' " Side Lights," p.
142, 1899.)
Madagascar cat. — Lemur catta, L., L. macaco, L., and
L. mongoz, L. In Natal these pretty little animals, which
make interesting pets, are so styled.
" They have brought with them . . . macacas, or as they
are sometimes termed Madagascar cats." (Owen's " Narra-
tive," II. p. 88, 1833.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 305
" Curious lemurs which are usually known as Madagascar
cats." (Bryden's " Animals of South Africa," p. 12, 1900.)
Mackerel. — Scomber brachysoma, Bleek, is known by this
name in Natal.
Made road. — A road which has been metalled is so called
to distinguish it from a road cut through the veld by the traffic
only. This latter, up to comparatively recent years, was the
South African style of road nearly everywhere outside a town.
" At Mamre, and at Mamre only, through all this South
African trip, we found a made road." (Boyle's " To the
Cape for Diamonds," p. 26, 1873.)
Magerman. — (D. mager, lean, thin, meagre.) Urginea
altissima, Baker. A bulbous plant with a tall, thin flower-
stalk ; it grows abundantly on the Queenstown commonage.
Maggot fly. — Auchmeromyia (Bengali) depressa, as also a
species of Ochromyia, deposit their larvae on the skin of man ;
the larvsB penetrate the skin and produce large inflamed ulcers.
Mahem. — (Kaf . i Hemu, PI. ama Hemu, the crested crane.)
Balearica regulorum. The name is onomatopoetic. See
Crowned crane. and Kaffir crane.
" They hold in high estimation a beautiful crane . . .
they call it maahoom, from the noise it continually makes."
(" Scenes and Occurrences in Albany," p. 117, 1827.)
" Observed a troop of Ahem cranes, consisting of ten."
(Andersson's " Notes of Travel in South Africa," p. 296, 1875.)
" There were several varieties of the crane, including the
lovely Mahem, or crested crane, and the great bull crane."
(Laoy's " Pictures of Travel, Sport, and Adventure," p. 272,
1899.)
Mahogany bean. — The Ehodesian name of the seed of
Afzelia cuanzensis.
Maifoedi A term applied to a rascal or loafer.
" Myfooty is a common Hottentot term, which I would
defy even themselves to construe." (Gordon Cumming's
" Adventures," i. p. 27, 1850.)
Makatan. — A variety of water-melon from Bechuanaland
which makes splendid feeding for stock, and is now being
grown in the Karoo.
Mak gauw ! — (D. mahen, to make, do ; gauw, quick.) (1)
Be quick ! Make haste ! In common use in Dutch-speaking
districts. (2) A mild kind of Kaffir beer is so called {ama-
rewu) because of the quickness with which it can be prepared.
20
306 APEICANDEEISMS
" One horseman drew rein . . . while the other cantered
in shouting ' Kom vriend, laat ons rei ! mak hoe ! ' (Come
friend, let us ride ! Make haste !)." (Turnbull's " Tales from
Natal," p. 177, 1901.)
Mak gauw. — Dichapetelum cymosum is so called because
of the rapidity with which it acts, killing the cattle that eat
it in a very short time ; it is a native of the Transvaal. See
Gift blaar.
" On the 4:th we . . . reached Zacharias De Beer's, sur-
named ' pure gyft ' or rank poison, on account of the quantity
of Mahhouw, or cattle poison, that grows on his farm."
(Baines' " Gold Eegions of South-East Africa," p. 82, 1877.)
Makreel. — (D. makreel, mackerel.) Scomber grex, a near
relative of the English mackerel — Scomber scombrus, L.
Makrolletje. — (F. macaron; G. makrone, macaroon, a
cake.) A variety of " koekey " made with almonds, macaroon.
" The one word I feel sure of is ' oublietje . . . makrolletjes
(macaroons) may be another." (" Northern News," 27 August,
1912.)
Malachite sun-bird. — Nectarinia famosa, a beautiful little
metallic green bird, with yellow shoulders and long tail-
feathers.
Malagas. — Sula capensis. The common gannet of South
Africa found round the coast in countless thousands.
" As soon as the Malagos spies a fish under her, she pops
her head nimbly into the water and if she catches the fish she
swallows it before she brings her head up again." (Kolben's
" Present State of the Cape of Good Hope," ii. p. 143, 1731.)
Malamock. — (Devic regards this word as being a corrup-
tion of the E. mamelouk, a mameluke ; Ar. mamluk, a slave ;
the reference being to its dark plumage and beak.) A sailor's
name for the black-browed Albatross — Diomedia melanophrys,
Temn. Layard (" Birds of South Africa," p. 364, 1867) gives
the name as " Mollymaw," but the form Malamock is the
common one.
" On the 26th, the large birds called malmucks, which are
brown and white underneath, passed us in great numbers,"
(Thunberg's " Travels," i. p. 91, 1795.)
" The butterfly-plumaged Cape pigeons, the dark-plumaged
Cape hens ; the snipe-like whale-birds ; the swan-like violly
mawk." (Mann's "Natal," p. 204, 1859.)
Malay. — This word is very generally used in the Western
AFEICANDEEISMS 307
Province as though it were synonymous with the word
Mohammedan.
"The religion of the False Prophet was introduced into
the Colony by the importation of Malacca slaves by the
Dutch ; hence the terms Malay and Mahomedan became
synonymous in the Colony." (Backhouse's " Narrative," p.
606, 1844.)
Malbaar. — A native of Malabar; some of these people
were brought over by the Dutch as slaves in the earlier days
of the Colony ; their intelligence, industry, and mildness of
disposition, made them of considerable value.
" First the Madagascar woman . . . next to them the
Malabars, then the Bugunese or Malays." (Sparrman's
"Voyage," i. p. 72, 1785.)
" There, at the Cape, they are no longer merely Malays or
Malabars or natives of the coast of Mozambique, they are
slaves." (Semple's " Walks and Sketches at the Cape of
Good Hope," p. 37, 1805.)
Mai gift. — (D. mal, foolish, mad ; gift, poison.) A poison
obtained from the Buphane disticha, used by the Bushmen on
their arrows ; so called by the Dutch from the peculiar effects
which it produced in the wounded animals.
" Another poison used by them was extracted from the
Amaryllis distichia (Paterson), which was called mal gift or
mad poison by the Dutch and Namaqua Hottentots." (Stow's
" Native Eaces of South Africa," p. 78, 1905.)
Mali. — A word in constant use among the natives, and
frequently heard among the colonists also, for money.
According to Dr. Bleek (" Cape Monthly Magazine," i. p.
202, 1857), this word is the result of Hottentot (mari) and
Kaffir (mali) efforts to pronounce the English word " money ".
The Eev. J. L. Dohne (" Zulu-Kaffir Dictionary," Intro.
XXXV, 1857) says that this derivation is a mistake, " since it
comes from quite another quarter, because both its radical
letters and its meaning show us the way to trace it through
the Suaheli to the Arabic and Shemitic pfl^Q {malah), plenus
est, repletus est, from the root iit^T^i (»'*<*^<*) . complere, jxaXevv,
augere, fiaXKov, magis ". The entire paragraph is exceedingly
interesting.
" The fact is that the Kaffir has for some time made the
discovery that, next to cattle and wives, a certain number of
threepenny pieces is the most desirable of possessions ; and
20*
308 AFEIOANDBEISMS
nothing which is not readily convertible into mali, or hard
cash, has now much attraction for him." (Barter's " The
Dorp and the Veld," p. 214, 1852.)
" He appears stretching out his hands for mali (money).
If the 'mali' is not forthcoming that instant, good-bye to
peace." (" Adventures in Mashonaland by Two Nurses," p.
181, 1893.)
Maikop. — (D. mal, foolish, mad ; kop, a head.) A wrong-
headed, foolish person ; also one who is insane.
Mallemot. — (D. mallen, to fool ; mot, a moth.) A variety
of hornet, the sting of which is exceedingly painful.
Mal mier. — (D. mal, foolish, mad ; mier, an ant.) A
small ant that often appears in the sugar.
Malmokki. — Gavia cobaya, Schreb. The tame guinea-pig.
Malta thistle. — Centaur ea melitensis, L.
Maltese lily. — Sprekeliaformosissima,, Herbert. The Cape
name of this flower, which is a native of Mexico and Guate-
mala. It is known in England by the name Jacobsea lily
according to the " Botanical Magazine " of 1790.
Maltrap. — (D. mal, foolish ; trappen, to trample, kick.)
(1) This word is applied to a young and frisky horse, and (2)
also to a young person who acts foolishly or without con-
sideration.
Malva. — (D. maluwe, a mallow.) In Cape Dutch this
word is applied to geraniums generally.
Mamba, Black. — (Kaf. im Mamba, a large snake.) Den-
draspis angusticeps. This snake is found in Natal and in the
low countries to the east. Its bite is almost certain death.
" The snake was a large black one, called by the Kaf&rs
M'namba umkulu, or great puff-adder. It did not resemble
the ordinary puff-adder in colour, size, or character."
(Drayson's "Sporting Scenes," p, 260, 1858.)
" The black mamba, which is nearly as large as a rattle-
snake, is, however, a dangerous creature, being ready to
attack man without provocation, and the bite may prove fatal
in less than an hour." (Bryce's "Impressions of South
Africa," p. 23, 1898.)
Mamba, Qreen. — See quotation.
" The younger specimens " (of the mamba) " are green,
but as they grow older they get darker ; there is no ground,
however, for distinguishing the black from the green mamba
specifically." (" Science in South Africa," p. 148, 1905.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 309
Man. — An exclamatory form of address in common use all
over South Africa, employed often enough quite irrespective
of either the age or the sex of the person addressed.
"With many mcms ! and other fashionable interjections
they carry on their brainy conversation." (" East London
Dispatch," p. 3, 13 February, 1912.)
Mandoor. — (Port, mandador, an overseer, superintendent.)
A foreman. This is the Malay form of the word current in
the Archipelago, whence it was brought in the early days to
South Africa by Malay slaves.
Man-eaters. — Native tribes or remnants of tribes, that
have been robbed of their cattle and all other means of sub-
sistence by stronger tribes, have been compelled to resort to
cannibalism for sustenance ; but proof is not wanting, in some
cases, that that which was begun from necessity was con-
tinued from choice. During the terrible times consequent
upon the devastation of Natal by Chaka's impis, the remnants
of the tribes that were left were reduced to the most terrible
straits. Undava, a man of the Amadunge tribe, began the
practice of cannibalism ; he collected a band of men, who
hunted for human beings as tigers do for their prey. They
were ultimately killed or dispersed by Dingaan about 1820.
It must be said that the Kaffirs as a people are entirely free
from the stigma of this disgusting practice.
" I have myself conversed with several men who escaped
after having been captured by these man-eaters and after
having been told off to furnish the next feast for their captors ;
and with one — a chief still living in this Colony — who was
compelled to carry the vessel in which he was told he himself
would be cooked." (Moodie's " Battles in South Africa," ii.
p. 297, 1888.)
" Dingaan drove the last of the man-eaters from the Big-
garsberg." (Eussell's "Natal," p. 124, 1891.)
Manel. — (F. mandille, footman's cloak, great-coat; Lat.
mantrellum, a cloak.) A dress-coat, a frock-coat.
" Het einde was dat Adoons ontsnapte en triomfantelik de
manel aan de President bracht. Ongeveer tot het einde
van de oorlog heeft Pres. Steyn de jas gedragen die zijn
zorgzame vrouw voor hem had meegegeven." ("Northern
Post," p. 2, 27 June, 1912.)
Mangrove. — Bruguiera gymnorhiza, which (with the
red mangrove, Bhizophora mucronata, Lamb, and the
310 APEICANDEBISMS
white mangrove, Avicennia officinalis) at one time formed
a considerable belt on the Bluff side of Durban Bay.
Mannevogel. — Another name for the Kivitje (q.v.).
Manotoka boom. — The Western Province name for Myo-
porum acuminatum.
Mantis. — (Grk. fidvTi<;, one who divines, a seer.) This
insect is also called the " Praying insect " (q.v.). One variety
of mantis occupied an important position in the esteem of
the Hottentots. See " Hottentot's god ". Kolben says that
they worshipped it, but Thunberg, who is probably much
nearer the truth, says that "it is by many considered an
animal of a fortunate omen". There are a good many
varieties of this insect in South Africa.
" A small grey species of grasshopper {Mantis fausta) . . .
which has obtained the name of Hottentot's god." (Thun-
berg's " Travels," ii. p. 65, 1796.)
" All the mantis tribe are very remarkable insects . . .
whose dusky sober colouring well suits the obscurity of night."
(Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 418, 1822.)
Mantyi. — (K. i Mantyi, a magistrate.) A magistrate is
designated by the natives i Mantyi.
" It was thought at one time the whole sixty-nine would
accept the Mantje's invitation, and become the guests of the
country." ("East London Dispatch," p. 10, 29 June, 1912.)
Market-master. — The municipal officer whose duty it is
to attend to all the affairs of the morning market.
" I should advise them to send the market-master . . .
to visit our market." ("The Queenstown Free Press," 3
August, 1859.)
Maroola. — Sclerocarya Caffra, Sond. A handsome tree
(Order AnacardiacecB) common in the Transvaal Bushveld ;
it is found also in Natal, Ehodesia, and Portuguese East
Africa. The fruit has an acid and slightly mango-like flavour,
and is largely used by the natives for making an intoxicating
drink.
" Some doubt having arisen as to whether the kernels
whose analysis was given on page 136 of the last issue of the
' Journal ' were really obtained from the Meroola or Marula
as described, a few specimens of the whole fruit of this tree
were obtained." ("Trans. Agric. Jour.," p. 411, January,
1907.)
" A big marula-tree is for a moment enveloped in a sheet
of flame, and then down comes one of the great limbs, its
AFEICANDEEISMS 311
rending and tearing lost in the rage of other sounds. " (" Bast
London Dispatch," p. 5, 30 July, 1912.)
Marsbanker. — Garanx trachurus. The horse mackerel so
named in Holland from the Marsdiep in the Zuyder Zee, re-
tains its Dutch name in the Cape Colony. In New York
Alosa menhaden is known as the Mossbunker.
"Adsi is the Maasbancker of the Dutch." (Kaempfer's
" History of Japan," 1690-2, Eeprint, i. p. 229.)
" The familiar Stock-fish (Merlucius vulgaris) and the
Maasbanker (Garanx trachurus) are examples from a group
of the fishes illustrating identity of Cape and European
forms." (" Science in South Africa," p. 193, 1905.)
Marsbloem. — (D. Maart, March ; bloem, a flower.)
Brunsvigia Josephince, Gawl. This beautiful Amaryllid
bears its flowers in umbels occasionally as much as two feet
in diameter.
" Several other plants of the Amaryllis tribe threw up
their flower stems quickly ; among them the beautiful Bruns-
vigia Josephince called Marsbloem (March-flower) with a large
spreading head of deep crimson, lily-like flowers." (Back-
house's "Narrative," p. 606, 1844.)
Mashona piano. — A somewhat crude, but ingenious musi-
cal instrument made by the Makalakas, consisting of a
wooden frame, with iron tongues of different lengths fastened
upon it in a row, each emitting when struck a different musi-
cal note.
"It is interesting to examine their splendid assegai work,
their waist knives, their delicately tipped arrows, the curious
engravings on their battle-axes, and the careful workmanship
displayed in the crude musical instrument known as the
Mashona piano." (" Scientific African," p. 78, 1896.)
Masked duck. — Dendrocycna viduata. A tree duck with
the front part of the head white, found occasionally in Natal.
"White masked duck . . . there is a specimen . . . in the
Durban Museum." (Woodward's "Natal Birds," p. 209,
1899.)
Mason. — This word, influenced probably by the Dutch use
of the word metselaar (CD. messelaar) for both mason and
bricklayer, is used all through South Africa, where, in Eng-
land, the word "bricklayer" would be employed.
Master. — (D. meester, teacher.) This word is often used
in the sense of " teacher ",
312 AFEICANDEEISMS
"He asked me to stay to supply the place of master."
(Damberger's " Travels," p. 61, 1801.)
N.B. — In a note the author explained the word master as
follows : " This office unites those of schoolmaster and of
overseer to the slaves of the plantation ".
Matabele. — (Lit. "Those who disappear".) The refer-
ence is to the large size of the ox-skin shields behind which
the redoubtable warriors of Moselikatse fought ; it was nearly
twice the size of those used by the Basutos, with whom, or
with the Bechuanas, the name seems to have originated.
The Matabele are really a Zulu people.
" Our road wound for some distance in a north-westerly
direction amongst numerous Matabili villages." (Harris's
"Wild Sports," p. Ill, 1839.)
" Hearing at the Baharutse that a tribe possessing much
cattle lived at some distance eastward, they proceeded thither
and were received in a friendly manner by Moselekatse the
king of that division of Zoolus called Abaka Zoolus, or more
generally, Matabele." (Moffat's " South Africa," p. 133, 1846.)
Matabele flower. — Species of Striga is so called.
Mat house. — The temporary shelters used by natives and
Boers when on trek : they are hive-shaped and consist of rush
mats stretched over sticks stuck in the ground in a circle and
drawn together at the top.
" On either side of it stood respectively, a mat-house and
a square tent." (Scully's " Between Sun and Sand," p. 18,
1898.)
Matjesgoed. — (D. mat, mat, hammock ; goed, stuff, ma-
terial.) Cyperus textilis. This reed is so called because it
is largely used for making mats and baskets.
" The mat-rush grows here in abundance ... of the sort
called Hard matjesgoederen." (Burchell's "Travels," ii. p.
128, 1824.)
Matroosberg. — (D. matroos, a sailor; herg, a mountain.)
The highest elevation in the western part of South Africa.
It is situated in the neighbourhood of Worcester and is about
7340 feet high.
" Did not our beloved Club cover itself with glory, by the
discovrey of the snow- flea, the Pulex nivahs, on the wintry
slopes of the Matroosberg ? " (" Mountain Club Annual," p.
14, 1894.)
Matrix. — The so-called Blue ground (q.v.), in which the
AFEICANDBEISMS 313
diamonds are embedded, is known by this designation at
Kimberley.
" Gems are discovered in the most unlikely matrix. I
use this word matrix to express the substance in which
diamonds at the Cape, at least, are actually found, and where,
as I feel sure, by nature's alchemy, whatever that was, they
were crystallized." (Boyle's "To the Cape for Diamonds,"
p. 126, 1878.)
Mauritius thorn. — A species of Acacia (Kaf. u Boho) is
thus nanied in the native territories and in Natal.
Mauve Afrikander. — The name sometimes given to Gladio-
lus recurvus ; it is very variable in colour.
" Called by some people the Mauve Afrikander, this beauti-
ful flower may be foimd here growing from 3 to 4 feet
high, with as many as ten or twelve flowers on a stem."
("Cape Times," p. 9, 14 September, 1912.)
Mealie — (D. milie, millet ; CD. mielie, maize ; Port.
milho, grain ; Lat. milium, millet.) The plant and seed of
the Zea mais, or Indian corn, are thus designated by English
colonists all through South Africa. This form of the word is
obviously due to a striving after meaning ; the connexion
of the word mielie with the word meal is somewhat remote.
Mealies and Kaffir corn (q.v.) are the chief food of the
natives.
" 1658, July 23-24. As the season for sowing Dutch
grain is past, he recommended that each farmer should sow
a good quantity of mily, or Turkey wheat brought from
Guinea, by the Hassalt." (Hoodie's " Kecords," p. 137, 1841.)
" Melis (Indian corn) were then distributed for food."
(Damberger's " Travels," p. 71, 1801.)
" Abundant crops of hay, oats, mealies, or Indian corn,
and barley." (Colenso's " Ten Weeks in Natal," Hist.
Sketch, p. vi, 1855.)
Mealie bird. — In Natal Serinus icterus is so called.
"It is commonly known as the mealie-bird, and abounds
everywhere where there are Kaffir ' mealie ' gardens or
patches of Indian corn." (Woodward's "Natal Birds," p. 68,
1899.)
Mealie cob. — See Cob.
"The young mealy -cob is generally preferred to bread."
(Mann's " Natal," p. 137, 1859.)
Mealie-cob worm. — The name given to the caterpillar of
314 AFEIOANDEEISMS
Heliothis armiger, which is a great pest to the agricultural
farmer.
" The Mealie-cob worm attacks huds and pods and does
extensive damage to mealies, peas, tomatoes, and lucerne."
(Gilchrist's " South African Zoology," p. 150, 1911.)
Mealie gift. — (D. gift, poison.) See Rooi-bloem and
Witch-weed.
Mealie, Qreen. — The young cob is boiled or roasted whole,
and is much esteemed — being known as " Green mealies ".
Mealie meal. — The coarse flour made from mealies. It
is the principal food of the natives in Natal ; when freshly
ground and made into porridge it is both wholesome and
nutritious.
" The consumption of mealie (maize) meal in Durban has
increased." (Holden's " Natal," p. 282, 1865.)
Mealie-stalli borer. — The larva of a moth, Sesamiafusca,
which eats out the core of the growing meahe, and some-
times destroys large quantities.
Mealies, Stamped — (D. stampen, to pound.) The grain
is pounded with a wooden pestle in a deep mortar made from
the hollowed trunk of a young tree, until it is freed from the
outer skin. Bamberger ("Travels," p. 79, 1801) describes
the process though he does not use the word.
"Before the husk can be separated from the pure grain,
a second threshing or stamping is necessary." (Thunberg's
" Travels," iv. p. 85, 1796.)
Measures, Liquid. — The liquid measures usually employed
in South Africa are as follows : —
The Half Leaguer =
The Aum =
The Anker =
The Keg
Mebos. — (Mansvelt says that this word has apparently
come to us via India, from the Arabic mushmush (apricot) ;
but from what Thunberg says — see quotation below — it
should seem to have come from Japan, and was probably in-
troduced into South Africa in the days of the Dutch East
India Company with the article itself.) The name given to
apricots which have undergone a peculiar process for preserv-
ing them : they are stoned and then dried with sugar and salt.
The taste for mebos is an acquired one.
" I saw several kinds of fruit the produce of this country
63
Imperial
Gallons
32
)i
)»
n
tj
Jl
i
)i
»»
AFEICANDBEISMS 315
(Japan) either dried or preserved in yeast, in a mode which
is, I fancy, only practised in Japan or China. The fruit that
was only dried, such as plums and the like, was called mebos."
(Thunberg's " Travels," in. p. 120, 1796.)
" The best sort of preserve is called mebos, and is made of
stoned and sun-dried apricots, flattened out and pickled with
salt and sugar." ("Answers," Art. "More interesting Data
about Life in Boerland," p. 7, 18 November, 1899.)
The following note is of interest as supporting the origin
of the word suggested above : —
" The appended explanation regarding the derivation of
the word meebos, regarding which there has been a good deal
of speculation, has been arrived at by Mr. B. H. de Waal,
who was at one time Netherlands Consul at Cape Town : —
" ' Some years ago I got hold of an old Dutch volume in
which occurred a description of one of the annual visits paid
at that time by one of the heads of the Netherlands factory
at Desjima to the Mikado.
" ' In this mention was made of a kind of plum, prepared
with salt — a preserve — which the writer terms " meibos ". I
could ascertain nothing further with reference to this, but al-
ways in search of what I wanted to know, I asked the Japanese
ambassador, when I met him recently, whether he had ever
heard of such a fruit. Not a little to my surprise he replied
that he knew it well. It was a small plum, the fruit of a tree
whose beautiful blossoms delight the heart of the Japanese in
the spring, which is preserved with salt and the name of
which in the Japanese language was Umeboshi.
" ' I have now come to the conclusion that our old navigators
became acquainted with this delicacy in Japan, learned to
like it, and afterwards at the Cape attempted to imitate it,
but used the fruit of apricot trees in default of the proper
article, and that the word Meibos or Meebosje had its origin
in Umeboshi: " {" Northern Post," 27 September, 1912.)
Medlar, Wild. — The Natal name of Vangueria infausta.
Meelbol. — (D. meel, meal, flour; bol, a ball.) Flour or
meal pressed hard into a cloth and boiled, after which it is
crushed fine, mixed with milk and used as food for infants
and invaUds.
Meerkat. — (D. meerkat, a monkey; lit. sea-cat; cf. Ger.
Meerhatze, " iiberseeische Katze " — Tetzner. Andresen and
others maintain "that the word is a corruption of the Sanscrit
316 AFEICANDEEISMS
markata, an ape.) Suricata tetradactyla and Gynictis peni-
cillata, two small animals not unlike the prairie dog of the
Western States of America both in appearance and habit.
This seems to be one of the many examples in South
African nomenclature in which the names of known animals
in Europe have been transferred to African animals that were
supposed to resemble them ; with the result in this case that,
to make the word mean something, the former part of it has
been made by some equivalent to the EngUsh word " moor "
(Bryden, "Kloof and Karoo," p. 55, 1889), and by others to
the Dutch word " mier " (cf. Eng. pis-mire), an ant.
" Small quadrupeds that borrow in the ground, and which
are known to the colonists under the general name of meer-
cats." (Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 231, 1801.)
" There are two kinds of meerkats, one red, with a bushy
tail, like a squirrel, the other grey with a pointed tail, and it
is this latter kind which makes so charming a pet." (Martin's
" Home Life on an Ostrich Farm," p. 158, 1890.)
Meester. — (D. meester, master, teacher.) In the early
days of the Colony the "meester" was an itinerant teacher
passing from farm to farm, giving a certain time to the
children of each. This method, and the incapacity of many
of those so employed, could have had but one issue so far as
the pupils were concerned. See Master.
" This meester as he was called (that is, schoolmeester, or
schoolmaster), considered it part of his profession ... to let
every person know the extent of his acquirements." (Bur-
chell's "Travels," ii. p. 114, 1824.)
" Schrijver heeft onder die meester s aangetroffen :
deserteurs, verloopen rechtsgeleerden en geneeskundigen,
mislukte studenten, jongelui van goeden huize doch met een
treurige geschiedenis achter zich, en personen, die te lui of
te ongeschikt waren om te werken ; — meesters die alleen
nuchter waren als er geen drank te krijgen was, en niet naar
bet dorp mochten gaan, dan onder behoorhjk opzicht ; —
meesters, die in het een of ander verbeterhuis thuis be-
hoorden, — de laatste personen aan wie men de opvoeding
van kinderen zou toevertrouwen. . . . In^6nwoord: treurig."
(Cachet's " De Worstelstrijd der Transvalers," p. 406 n.,
1882.)
" These meesters were generally disbanded men, or de-
serters from regiments stationed out there, and found a
AFEICANDEEISMS 317
double occupation, both as itinerant teachers and helpers on
the farm." (Greswell's " Our South African Empire," ii. p.
230, 1885.)
Meestergoed. — (D. meester, still used in some parts of
Holland for "doctor," "medical man"; goed, goods, wares,
stuff.) Medicine.
Meestering. — (D. meester, master, teacher.) To follow the
occupation of teaching.
Meitje. — The onomatopoetic name of Chrysococcyx Klaasi.
"Monsieur Le Vaillant named this cuckoo after his
Hottentot servant Klaas, who was almost as fond of birds as
himself. It is widely spread throughout the bush and thorn
lands, where its rather monotonous cry of mitje, mitje is con-
tinually heard during the summer." (Woodward's "Natal
Birds," p. 118, 1899.)
TAhXkes. — The off-coloured diamonds from two carats down.
" On a certain day I had entrusted him with two or three
hundred carats of mel4e — small stones — to sell." (Cohen's
" Eeminiscences of Kimberley," p. 267, 1911.)
Melk boer. — (D. melk, milk ; boer, peasant, farmer.) The
farm servant whose special duty it is to tend and milk the
cows ; a dairyman.
Melk boom. — (D. melk, milk ; hoom, a tree.) The various
species of Ficus native to the Eastern Province and Natal
are so named because of the milky fluid which exudes from a
broken branch.
Melk bosch.— See Milk bush.
Melk fish. — Atyposoma gurneyi, Boul., is known to the
fishermen of False Bay by this name.
Melkhout boom. — (D. hoot, wood.) Sideroxylon inerme
is so called in the Eiversdale District.
Melktouw. — (D. touw, a rope.) Various climbing Ascle-
piadacem, which when broken exude latex, are so named in
the Eiversdale District and elsewhere — Secamone Thunbergii,
B.Br.
Meltziekte. — (D. milt, the spleen ; ziehte, sickness.) The
name given to a disease affecting cattle.
" The oldest and most experienced of Kurveyors confess
themselves flabbergasted by meltziekte, and even Professor
Beauford has not been able to devise an effective remedy."
("Queenstown Free Press," 1 December, 1877.)
Mest bredie. — (D. mest or rmst, manure ; CD. bredie, a
318 AFEICANDEEISMS
stew.) Amarantus Thunbergii, Moq., which grows on
manure heaps ; a Eiversdale name.
Mest wurm. — (D. mesten, to fatten, cram ; worm, a
worm.) A term apphed to caterpillars which attack young
plants at the surface of the ground ; they are generally found
just beneath the soil and as a rule are full fed. See Cut-
worm.
Meul. — (CD. a mill.) A game played on a board with
white and black pieces.
Mexican poppy or thistle. — Argemone Mexicana. An
American weed, sometimes called the Texas poppy. In
India it is known as the Yellow thistle.
" Mexican poppy or yellow poppy, usually called Mexican
thistle at the Cape (Argemone Mexicana), can be destroyed
by continuous cutting and frequent cultivation." (Blerseh's
" Handbook of Agriculture in South Africa," p. 144, 1906.)
Miet or Mijt. — (D. mijt, insect, mite.) The Cape farmer's
name for the tuberworm which bores its way into stored
potatoes.
Milk basket. — Baskets made by the natives from a strong,
reedy grass are used to hold milk ; so well and closely are
they plaited that no liquid can pass through them.
"His v?ife now brought me a very fine lattice-work
basket of milk and two heads of roasted Indian corn." (Bam-
berger's " Travels," p. 63, 1801.)
" In the evening they sent us in return some baskets of
milk." (Barrow's "Travels," i. p. 70, 1801.)
Milk bush. — Euphorbia mauritanica. The name is ap-
plied to this plant principally and has been taken over from
the Dutch (Melk-bosch), but is applied to several other
plants {Gomphocarpus, etc.) which, like this, yield when
punctured a white milky fluid.
" The milk-bush (fiscus), a tree not unlike a Portugal
laurel." (Latrobe's " Journal," p. 133, 1818.)
" The only green things visible were the milk-bushes —
an euphorbia of a poisonous nature — that grew like long,
thin fingers pointing to the sky." (Clairmonte's " The Afri-
cander," p. 52, 1896.)
" In summer there will be hardly another plant except
the succulent milk-bush." (Trotter's " Old Cape Colony," p.
223, 1903.)
Milk sack. — (D. zak, a bag, pocket.) A bag made of
AFEICANDEEISMS 319
ox or quagga hide in which Amasi (q.v.) is prepared — im
Vaba.
" In that (the hut) of a wealthy Caffer, there is usually a
milk-sack made of bullock's hide, so closely sewn together
as to prevent leakage, and capable of containing several
gallons." (Steedman's " Adventures," i. p. 263, 1835.)
Milk weed. — Asclepias fruticosa, Linn., is so called in
Bechuanaland. See Wild cotton.
Mimosa. — (Gr. fiifio<;, an imitator.) A leguminous tree —
Acacia horrida — common all over South Africa in several
varieties. The name has reference to the irritability of the
leaves of some species which seem to imitate animal sensitive-
ness. One species is known in England as the " Sensitive
plant ".
" The banks were skirted by a thicket of the doorn-boom
... a species of mimosa." (Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 89,
1801.)
" A broad valley, covered with rich pasturage and dotted
with mimosa bushes, stretched out over several acres."
(Fleming's " Southern Africa," p. 364, 1856.)
Mispel. — (D. wispe?, a medlar.) Vangueria infausta. See
Wild medlar.
" Nog is er, behalve vele andere wilde vruchtsoorten zoo
als wilde mispels, stamvruchten, enz., enz., de groote karme-
tart of baobab, die van wege zijne zwaarlijvigheid, wel de
Olifant onder de Boomen genoemd kan worden." (Hof-
meyr's " Twintig Jaren in Zoutpansberg," p. 2, 1890.)
Misrijbol. — (D. mest, dung, manure; rijden, to riie; bol,
a bulbous root.) A variety of HcBmanthus, which appears
to have received this inelegant appellation because it happens
to be in flower just about the time that the mest (manure) is
being carted, or in South African Enghsh " ridden " on to the
vineyards. The name is also applied to a fragrant Amaryllis.
Mission Reserves. — In Natal a Mission Reserve is a section
of country held in trust from the Government by a religious
body for the benefit of the natives. There are no less than
twenty-three such Mission Reserves in that province, con-
taining in all 164,729 acres.
Mist. — (D. mest, dung, manure.) The firmly trodden
accumulation on the floor of the kraal, which is not unlike
light, fibrous peat in appearance. It is often cut into slabs
or blocks, and used either as fuel or for wall building, some-
320 AFEICANDEEISMS
times it is pulverized and used as manure. For one purpose
and another it is invaluable to the South African farmer.
" This evening our fire was of mest or dried cow-dung,
which turns to a white ash, gives a great heat, and is no bad
substitute for wood." (Barter's " The Dorp and the Veld,"
p. 51, 1852.)
"It is the practice to cut the material which ... is
known as mist into slabs." (Wallace's " Farming Industries
of the Cape Colony," p. 492, 1896.)
Mistkruier. — (D. mest, dung, manure ; kruier, a porter.)
The not inappropriate appellation of the various dung-rolling
beetles (Pam. Scarabadiai). See Tumble bug.
M'limo or Umlimo. — ("Every being to whom the natives
render adoration is called Molimo, the signification of which
shows that it is not of heathen origin. It is evidently com-
posed of the prefix Mo, which belongs to almost all those
words representing intelligent beings ; and of the root liolimo,
above, in the sky. Moholimo, or the abbreviation Molimo,
therefore signifies 'He who is in the sky'." — Casalis, "The
Basutos," p. 248, 1861.) The word came into prominence
during the military operations in Matabeleland in 1 896. The
M'limo was supposed to be an invisible god, who communi-
cated his vrill to the people through several oracles, these
being themselves often spoken of as M'limos.
" A few indeed there were who seemed to have some con-
fused notion of invisible powers, who they designated Moor-
eemo and Booreemo, and of whom they were taught by their
sorcerers to stand in constant dread." (Kay's "Cafearian
Eesearches," p. 236, 1833.)
" The M'limo is an invisible god who has three priests
about the country." (Baden Powell's "Matabeleland Cam-
paign, 1896," p. 31, 1897.)-
" These Umlimos or prophets exist among all the tribes in
Mashonaland." (Selous' " Sunshine and Storm in Ehodesia,"
p. 236, 1896.)
Mockinjp bird. — Cossypha bicolor is sometimes so called.
It certainly imitates the notes and calls of some other birds
with considerable success. See Koggelaar and Piet-myn-
vrouw.
"The Mocking bird of the colonial boy." (Haagner
and Ivy's " Sketches of South African Bird Life," p. 102,
1908.)
AFEICANDBEISMS 321
Moeder haartslag. — Satyrium spathulatum (Thunberg's
" Flora Capensis," p. 15, 182S) = Disa spathulata, Sto.
Moederkapje. — (D. moeder, mother; kap, cap, hood.)
The popular designation of one or two of the many orchids
growing in the veld — Disperis villosa, Pterygodium catho-
licum ; the name has been suggested by the shape of the
flower.
" And here is the Pride of Table Mountain and the Mutter-
cap, two of the twenty-five species of orchids that exist in
South Africa." (Mackinnon's " South African Traits," p.
124, 1887.)
Moeder-skep-oppies. — (D. moeder, mother; opskep, to
scoop, or dish up.) The popular name of another wild flower
= mother-lay-the-table.
Moeni. — (D. moeten, must, ought ; niet, not.) A contraction
of meet niet = must not, do not.
Moertje-en-kinders. — (D. moeder, mother ; kind, a child.)
See Dollossi.
Moer wortel. — (D. moer, lees, dregs ; loortel, a root.) The
root of Anacampseros ustulata, E. Mey. employed in making
" karree " and " karree moer ".
" Moer-wortel is an umbelliferous plant, from the root
of which and honey the Hottentots make, by fermentation,
an intoxicating liquor." (Thunberg's "Travels," ii. p. 150,
1796.)
Moesoek. — (Mai. musuh, an enemy, rival, opponent.) One
who is superior. Hij is mij moesoek, he is my master,
he can beat me. Sometimes the word is corrupted to
" Moses ".
" In ' Hy is my Moses ' or ' Moezoek,' the ' Moses ' comes
from Malay muzuk, a rival, and by extension of meaning,
conqueror." (" Northern News," 27 August, 1912.)
Mof. — (D. mof, a muff ; nickname for a German. Cf. prov.
Ger. Muff, a rude, blunt man ; muffen, to be sulky ; and Bng.
muff, a foolish person.) An imported animal; mofschaap,
a merino sheep ; mofbeest, an imported bull or cow ; mofkoe,
a cross between Africander and imported (Friesland) animals.
" A cross-breed from a fellow mof and the second genera-
tion was a light yellow." ("Bast London Dispatch," p. 6,
June, 1910.)
" In 1910 people might have assimilated the Opposition
just as a farmer might put bastard sheep among his mof-
21
322 AFKIOANDEEISMS
schapen." ("East London Dispatch," p. 6, 7 October,
1912.)
Moffeer. — To vex, to attack.
Mof hartebeest. — Buhalis Lichtensteini.
Moggel. — Barbus capensis has been thus named by the
Dutch.
" My people came back in the evening with two large
moekul or flat-heads." (Alexander's " Expedition," i. p.
144, 1838.)
Mohair. — (F. moire, a woven, watered fabric ; Ar. mok-
hayyar, " a kind of coarse camelot or hair-cloth ". Skeat
says : " The English spelling is a sophisticated one, from a
ridiculous attempt to connect it with English hair ; just as
in the case of cray-fish, cause-way ".) The long silky hair of
the Angora goat.
" Angora wool is called in French poil de chevre, in Italian
pelo di capra, in German mohair wolle, in Turkish seftik.
The first quality is long, bright, white ; the second quahty is
reddish ; the third is brown or black ; the fourth is grey.
When spun it is called in English mohair, in French j?^^e de
chevron, in Italian file d' Angora." (" Cape Monthly Maga-
zine," I. p. 125, 18.07.)
Mole rat. — Georychus hottentotus. The members of this
family are found only in Africa — Bathyergidce.
" The fur of the blesmols, mole rats, and sand moles is
usually rusty grey above, whitish below, and without any
sheen." (" The State," p. 229, September, 1912.)
Mole snake. — Pseudaspis cana.
"When alarmed the Mole snake is very pugnacious."
("East London Dispatch," p. 7, 1 September, 1911.)
Molteno disease. — Another name for the disease affecting
horses and cattle, which appears to be caused by eating the
plants known as " Eagwort " — Senecio Burchelli and S.
latifolius. See Stomach staggers.
" The chemical examination of Senecio latifolius was
made by Dr. H. E. Watt ; the physiological examination of
the pure materials prepared by Dr. Watt was undertaken by
Dr. A. E. Cushny, F.E.S., of University College, London.
The results leave no doubt that the Molteno disease of South
Africa can be caused by the consumption of S. latifolius."
("Queenstown Eepresentative," p. 7, 27 February, 1912.)
" The naaie Molteno disease arose from the fact that the
AFEICANDBEISMS 323
Molteno Farmers' Association was responsible for the first
investigation into the cause of what is still often referred to
as merely black gallsick." (" East London Dispatch," p. 7,
5 March, 1912.)
Mombakjes. — (D. mom, a mask ; hak, the cheek.) The
masks such as are employed at carnivals and by English
children on 5 November — G-uy Fawks' Day.
Is't Neger mensoh van oer de zee 1
Of is't momhdkjes aan ?
Mombakjes is dat waarlijk niet.
Dat's zwartsel op de vel.
(Dower's "Annals of Kokstad," p. 94, 1902.)
(This represents the astonishment of a Griqua at the black
faces at a Christy minstrel entertainment.)
Monkey apple. — The fruit of Boyena pubescens, W., is
called by this name in Lower Albany.
Monkey bird. — The Eastern Province name for the Kake-
laar (q.v.).
" Here about it is sometimes referred to as the monkey -
bird because of a resemblance in its cries to the explosive
barking of the black-faced monkey." ("Bast London Dis-
patch," p. 4, 4 December, 1908.)
Monkey nuts. — The oilyedible fruit,matured under ground,
of the plant Arachis hypogcea. See Pea-nut and Ground-nut.
" A peculiar salad made with oil extracted from mon-
key-nuts and vinegar manufactured from the pine-apple."
(" Chambers's Journal," " Trappist Monastery in Natal," p.
467, 1897.)
Monkey touw or Monkey ropes. — (D. touw, a rope, cord.)
The tough and pliant stems of various climbing plants —
Vitis capensis, V. Thunbergii, Secamone alpine — which de-
pend in enormous numbers and of every size from the
branches of stouter growths in the forests.
" I swung over, holdin' fast to a monkey-tow." (Glanville's
" Tales from the Veld," p. 141, 1897.)
" Both form Monkey ropes, which, split up, are much
used by the natives." (Sim's " Forest Flora of Cape Colony,"
p. 177, 1907.)
Monkey uyntjes. — Mariscus capensis. The bulbs are
formed, boiled in milk, and used as food by the Bechuanas in
the neighbourhood of Kimberley.
Monster. — (D. monster, a sample, pattern.) A sample of
21 *
324 AFEICANDEEISMS
goods offered for sale on the public market. Of. Port, mostra,
a pattern, sample ; Lat. monstrare, to show.
Mont aux Sources. — (F. " Mountain of Springs ".) One
of the highest points in the Kahlamba or Drakensberg (q.v.)
range, being 11,000 feet high. It is situated on the Western
boundary of Natal. This was the appropriate name given to
this mountain by some early French missionaries, for on its
slopes the Tugela, the Vaal, the Orange, and the Caledon
Eivers all have their rise.
"A mountain which the natives call Pofung (the Elan)
because there they have frequent Elan hunts, but which we
have designated in our map by the name of Mont aux
Sources." (Arbousset's " Narrative," p. 70, 1846.)
Moocha or Mutya. — (Kaf. um Tya, a band or thong, the
dress worn by the Zulu men, which is made of istrips of skin
or animals' tails.) A sort of apron or short skirt worn by the
native men.
" A wee little Kaffir boy with nothing upon him but his
moochie or tails, drives by a herd of calves." (Eoche's " On
Trek in the Transvaal," p. 325, 1878.)
" His dress consisted only of a monkey skin muchi, or
apron, and in his hand he carried a rifle." ("Chambers's
Journal," " A Kalahari Story," p. 95, 1898.)
Mooi. — (D. mooi, handsome, pretty, fine.) Good-looking,
fine. This word is in frequent use in the Midland Districts
among English-speaking colonists, but among the Dutch it
has to do duty for almost every shade of appreciation.
" The moye kinder (pretty little children) — to translate for
you." (" South Africa a Century Ago," p. 138. "Lady Bar-
nard's Letters," 29 November, 1797.)
" There stands the broad sounding adjective ' MOOI,'
which has to fit into every possible shape. . . . Everything
is monotonously mooi." (Dr. T. Hahn's "Address S.A.
Public Library," 29 April, 1882.)
JWooi nooije. — (D. mooi, handsome, pretty ; CD. nooi, a
young woman.) The Struis Bay and Hermanuspetrusfontein
name for Box salpa. See Bamboo-fish.
Mooipraat. — (D. mooi, pretty, fine ; praten, to talk, prate.)
To fawn, flatter.
Moon bird. — The name sometimes given to the Dikkop
(q.v.).
" It has a loud, plaintive call which may often be heard on
AFEICANDEEISMS 325
bright moonlight nights, a fact which has earned for them
the name of Moonbirds in some districts." (Haagner and
Ivy's " Sketches of South African Bird Life," p. 131, 1908.)
Moon fish. — Psettus falciformis. The name appears to be
appHed to a different fish in Natal.
" The fish photo this week is that of a moon-fish. ... It is
a bluish silvery fish without scales and grows to a weight of
about 3 lb." (" Natal Mercury Pictorial," p. 339, 1905.)
Moon lily or Moon flower. — Datura Knightii, which has
long, pendulous, strongly scented white flowers.
" The stars looked down on him ; scent from an unseen
moon-lily was floating like incense through the air — the night
was full of mystery." (" The State," p. 603, December, 1911.)
Moord Spruit — (D. moord, murder; spruit, sprout; but in
Cape Dutch a small stream, a tributary.) This name com-
memorates the ruthless butchery of men, women, and children
by Dingaan's impis, on this branch of the Blauwkrans Eiver,
immediately after the treacherous murder of Eetief and his
party at Umgungundhlovu, 1838.
" At Blauwkrantz, Moord Spruit, and Malan's Spruit none
of the whites escaped." (Bird's "Annals of Natal," i. p.
283, 1888.)
Mooselmaan. — (Ar. musUm ; Pers. musulman, a true be-
liever, a follower of Mahomet.) The Natal natives distinguish
the so-called Arab merchants (q.v.) by this name from the
smaller (" Coolie ") shopkeepers.
" To the natives, however, this section has now become
Mooselmaam,." (Eussell's " Old Durban," p. 492, 1899.)
Morgen. — (D. morgen, morning, acre ; the area of land
that could be ploughed by one span in a morning.) In South
Africa this land measure is equal to about two English acres.
"Ein morgen hat 660 Eheinische Schuh ins gevierte."
(Kolben's " Beschreibung," p. 13, 1745.)
" Eighty morgens of land or 120 English acres." (Bar-
row's " Travels," i. p. 64, 1801.)
Mors. — (G. dial, morsch, murschtot ; Mansvelt says :
"Mors bet. eig. verpletterd, verbroken, en komt van een
oud WW. morsen (verpletteren) ".) As used in South Africa
this word means altogether, totally, quite: e.g. mors-dood,
quite or stone dead.
" I pulled up my pony, fired from the saddle, aiming well
in front, and next instant, to the general astonishment, the
326 APEICANDEEISMS
koorhaan fell dead as mutton — moors dood as a Boer would
say." (Bryden's " Gun and Camera in South Africa," p. 176,
1893.)
Mosbieker or Masbieker. — A corruption of Mozambiquer,
a native from the neighbourhood of Mozambique, many of
whom are employed in South Africa as labourers at the mines
and elsewhere. In the earlier days many were brought down
as slaves. See Mozambiquer.
" Their (the people of Mazhanga) language is very like
that spoken by most of the prize negroes brought from the
east coast to the Cape. They have consequently been called
very appropriately, I think, Mosbiekers — a corruption of Mo-
zambique— from this resemblance." (Chapman's " Travels,"
II. p. 182, 1868.)
Moschus kruyt. — (D. muscus, musk ; Jcruid, herb.) Ger-
anium pracox (Thunberg's " Flora Capensis," p. 512,
1823) = Erodium moschatum, Willd. It has a faint scent
of musk.
Moselekatze's bird. — Coracias caudatus. This bird is
met with in the Transvaal bush veld, and is known by this
name because Moselekatze (Umzilikazi, King of the Matabele,
and father of Lobengula) claimed its feathers for his own
exclusive use and ornament.
Mossie. — (D. musch, a sparrow.) Passer arcuatus. The
colonial name of the Cape Sparrow.
" The Mossie, like its cousin the English bird, is essentially
a ' cit.' " (Layard and Sharpe's " Birds of South Africa," p.
479, 1875-84.)
Most. — (D. most, must.) The unfermented juice of the
grape.
" During the wine-pressing season we used to quaff foaming
tankards of must or moss as it was called." (" The State,"
p. 248, September, 1911.)
Mostbolletje. — (D. most, must ; hoi, a ball.) A toothsome
roll or bun prepared with the unfermented juice of the grape
and usually flavoured with aniseed.
" Then, too, we made Moss bolletjes, a delicious bun, which
every housekeeper prided herself on making a good supply
of." (Hilda's " Diary of a Cape Housekeeper," p. 6, 1902.)
Most konfijt. — (D. most, must; konfijt, preserve, confec-
tion.) A thick syrup prepared from grapes.
" Om gou terpentynseep of moshomfyt op te set is oek
AFEICANDEEISMS 327
goed." (Dijkman's " Kook, Koek en Resepten Boek," p.
116, 1898.)
" The first idea in planting vines is to provide mos confyt,
a kind of grape sugar syrup, which is given as part of their
rations to the coloured labourers." (" C.G.H. Agric. Jour.,"
p. 483, 1905.)
Motbij — (D. mot, a moth ; hij, a bee.) The death's
head moth — Acherontia atropos — is known by this name
among the Dutch.
" A few days ago several hives were attacked by what is
known in the Dutch language as the motbij, presumably with
the object of eating the honey. " ("The Cape Mercury," 9
October, 1906.)
" The big moth, commonly called the death's head, or by
the Dutch the mot-bij. . . . The natives, to whom it is known
as ' vivingane,' are terribly afraid of it." ("East London
Dispatch," p. 9, 9 October, 1908.)
Mother-of-pearl butterfly. — Salamis Anacardii. This
beautiful butterfly is thus designated in Natal, and no other
name could be more appropriate ; seen in the sunshine it has
all the iridescent beauty of the material after which it is named.
" One must see Salamis Anacardii ghding with extended
wings to realize what a beautiful object this mother-of-pearl
butterfly is." (" Science in South Africa," p. 170, 1905.)
Mottekruid. — (D. mot, a moth ; kruid, a herb, grass.) See
Akkewani.
Motworteltjes. — (D. mot, a moth ; wortel, a root.) See
Akkewani.
Mountain canary. — Alario alario. See Berg canarie,
Namaqua canarie, and Blackhead.
" We had one tame for a long time which we kept in a
cage with a Mountain canary {Alario alario)." (Woodward's
" Natal Birds," p. 58, 1899.)
Mountain head pear. — Pleurostylia capensis. The bark
tastes like quinine.
Mountebanic eagle. — Helotarsus ecaudatus. So called in
Natal from its peculiar flight.
" They have a curious habit of turning somersaults in the
air like a tumbler pigeon, from which it has been called the
African Mountebank eagle." (Woodward's "Natal Birds,"
p. 148, 1899.)
Mouse-birds. — See Muis vogel.
328 AFEICANDEEISMS
"A flock of long-tailed mouse-birds." (Clairmonte's
" The Africander," p. 2, 1896.)
Mouse klip-fish. — (D. klip, a rock.) Clinus mus, a small
prettily coloured fish found in rock-pools at False Bay.
" The Mouse klip-fish is a pretty little fish — the nearly
straight upper profile of the snout, the slightly retroussi
upper lip and the beady eye are not unlike that of a mouse."
(" S.A. Journal of Science," vii. p. 222, 1901.)
Mozambiquer or Maasbilclcer. — A native from the east
coast — Mozambique. See Mosbieker.
" Without the inactivity or dulness of the Mozambiquer,
or the penetrative genius of the Malay, he (the Malabar
slave) forms an excellent medium between the two."
(Semple's "Walks and Sketches at the Cape of Good Hope,"
p. 49, 1805.)
" The slaves from the coast of Mozambique ... are so
proverbial for their extreme stupidity, that the greatest af-
front a Dutch colonist can cast on another's understanding
is to observe that he is als domme als een Mozambiquer, or
as stupid as a Mozambique." (Moodie's " Ten Years in
South Africa," i. p. 201, 1835.)
"Besides this we had two cooks, a Malay and a Mozam-
biquer." (Boyle's " Savage Life," p. 271, 1876.)
Mud bream. — Ghrysophrys Eobinsoni, a Natal fish.
Mud-cracl<er. —
"Mud-crackers are always in season and are a useful
fall-back. I have known times when mud-crackers were the
piice de resistance on the menu, being readily taken when
other baits were ignored." (" East London Dispatch," p. 3,
3 June, 1905.)
Mud fish. — An East London name for the fish known
generally as the Hottentot (q.v.).
" A large number of people in this district have never seen
a trout . . . and therefore would possibly mistake a largely
marked mud fish (tottie or Hottentot) for a trout." ("East
London Dispatch," p. 2, 24 October, 1905.)
Mud larlt. — Scopus umbretta. In Natal the Hammerkop
is known by this name.
" This curious bird, called also Mud lark by the colonists,
is found in nearly every stream." (Woodward's "Natal
Birds," p. 199, 1899.)
Muid. — (D. mud, four bushels ; F. muid, a hogshead ;
AFEICANDEEISMS 329
Lat. modius, a peck.) A South African measure equal to 2|4I
bushels.
" One farmer in the Umvoti country reaped 120 muids (of
^Isl bushels each) from 30 acres of land, which had been
sown with 5 nmids of seed. Another proprietor states that
he reaped 96 muids off 15 acres, which had been sown with
8 muids of seed." (Mann's " Natal," p. 124, 1859.)
Muishond. — (D. muishond, a mousing dog.) Zorilla
striata. A gentle and easily tamed little animal, but in com-
mon with most members of the family Mustelida, when ir-
ritated it emits from the anal glands a powerful and fetid
odour. See also Stink muishond and Stink cat.
" We observed a tame mongoose or mausehund from Java,
a species of viverra, which ran about and suffered itself to be
handled." (Latrobe's "Journal," p. 36, 1818.)
" Piet, an old Hottentot of my uncle's, who had as many
dodges for defeating the Kaffirs, stalking an ostrich, or trap-
ping a, mousehunt, as any jackal has for stealing chickens."
(Drayson's " Tales of the Outspan," p. 347, 1862.)
" Within two yards of us was a striped Muishond with
his paws firmly planted on an adult Black-necked cobra {Naia
nigricollis). The Muishond stood facing us menacingly,
daring us to approach." (Fitzsimon's " Snakes of South
Africa," p. 30, 1912.)
Muishond. — In some parts of the Western Province this
name is applied to a particularly evil-smelling tobacco.
Muis vogel. — (D. muis, a mouse ; vogel, a bird. The
former part of the word has reference to the hair-like char-
acter of the breast feathers of the bird ; some, however, re-
gard it as a corruption of the Dutch word for the crest which
the bird has, muts, and others as a corruption of the Dutch
word for sparrow, musch ; the first suggestion appears to be
the more likely.) Golius striatus. See Mouse bird.
" A few birds, among which was the musch-vogel (sparrow),
a bird the size of the common sparrow, having red feet, a
long tail, and cinereous brown-coloured plumage."
" Perhaps muts-vogel (cap-bird) from its crest, or possibly
mMis-vogel (mouse-bird)." (Burchell's "Travels," i. p. 214,
1882.)
Murg-van-groente. — (D. murg, marrow; groente, greens,
vegetables.) The vegetable marrow ; the Dutch name seems
to be a translation of the English name.
" Murg van groente. Skil en sny in mooi stukke, laat'n
330 AFBICANDEBISMS
bitji in sout water 1^', kook dan gaar en skep uit." (Dijkman's
" Kook, Koek en Eesepten Boek," p. 27, 1898.)
Mushroom flower. — The name sometimes given in Natal
to the root parasite Gycnium adonense, E. Mey. It appears
in the mushroom season and bears handsome pure white
flowers which nestle low in the grass and at a distance may
be taken for mushrooms — hence the name.
Musk kat. — Genetta tigrina and G. felina are both
known by this name.
Mussel cracker. — Pagellus lithognathus,alao'knovfn as the
White steenbras at East London, has been thus named.
" Judging by the enormous incisors, and the perfect pave-
ment of rounded molars with which the jaws of these white
steenbras are armed, these fish live largely upon shell-fish,
hence the local name mussel cracker and the Durban name
mussel crusher." ("Bast London Dispatch," 6 November,
1905.)
Mussel crusher. — The Natal name of the above fish. See
quotation above.
Muti. — (Zulu, umM Ti, a tree, shrub, herb ; hence also
medicine, because that is prepared by the natives principally
from herbs ; a charm.) The word is often used by Europeans
in Natal for medicine, physic.
" They could see but a muti (tree or plant) neither fit for
food nor medicine." (Drayson's " Sporting Scenes," p. 165,
1858.)
" They (the Kaffirs) don't mind saying some are used as
mooti — physic." (Monteiro's " Delagoa Bay," p. 172, 1891.)
" He produced a few pinches of powder from the muti
bag suspended round his neck, and sprinkled it over a freshly
kindled fire of dry tvngs. While the powder burned he mut-
tered incantations, and performed various rites; and when
the flame died down he carefully collected the ashes. ... It
would relieve his mind if we would let him just sprinkle the
ashes over us, as it was a very powerful muti he had made, and
was simply guaranteed to queer any funny business. He
was obviously in earnest, so we submitted as gravely as
possible, and were duly sprinkled." ("The State," p. 659,
December, 1911).
Muts. — (D. muts, a cap, hood.) A cap, night-cap. See
Klapmuts.
Mynheer. — (D. mijnheer, sir, gentleman; cf. G. meirt
AFEICANDEEISMS 331
Herr.) (1) A term of respect often employed in South Africa
when a minister of the Gospel is addressed or spoken of.
(2) Frequently of more general application, as to a superior.
" On one side of him sat Mynheer, as the local Predikant
or Minister is commonly known among his flock." (Mitford'a
"Aletta,"p. 2, 1900.)
Mynpacht. — (D. mijn, mine ; pacht, rent.) The proprietor
of a farm which was proclaimed as a gold-field, was allowed
by the Transvaal Gold Law to reserve for himself a certain
number of "claims" — these were technically known as the
Mynpacht.
" As the mynpacht necessarily occurs frequently in these
pages, some notion of its meaning may be given for the bene-
fit of distant readers. When farms are proclaimed as public
fields, the Government allow the owners ... to take out Myn
Pacht Brieven, which entitles them to reserve from interfer-
ence from diggers about a tenth portion of- the ground."
(Mather's "Golden South Africa," p. 320, 1888.)
" These constitute what is technically known as the Mijn-
pacht, and as they were supposed to represent the pick of
the bunch, a Mijnpacht was the most valuable portion of a
proclaimed farm." (Wilson's "Behind the Scenes in the
Transvaal," p. 165, n.d. (? 1901).)
Myrtle apple. — The fruit of a Myrtaceous plant growing
along the Eastern coast.
" We roamed the veld and bush in search of wild fruits —
myrtle apples, ' t'gokums,' ' gwenyas,' etc. — which I presume
are still to be found by the enterprising East London youth."
("Bast London Dispatch," p. 12, 28 September, 1912.)
Naaibosch. — (D. naaien, to sew; hos, a bush.) Azima
tetracantha is so called on account of the needle-like char-
acter of its spines.
Naairiempjes. — (D. naaien, to sew ; riem, a tie, thong.)
Finely cut strips of duiker or steenbok skin, used for sewing
the skins together for Karosses (q.v.).
" Aan Koedoes, Hartebeesten en Eooibokken had men over-
le^rvellen en voorslagen te danken, en Duikers en Steenbokken
bragten de naairiempjes." (Hofmeyr's " Twintig Jaren in
Zoutpansberg," p. 25, 1890.)
Naald bosje. — (D. naald, a needle ; bos, a bush.) Mon-
sonia biflora, D.G. This plant has well known medicinal pro-
perties, and is used in cases of dysentery.
332 AFEICANDEEISMS
" The Naald bosje is a small, shrubby, herbaceous plant,
growing pretty freely in most districts of the Transvaal. . . .
The seeds are enclosed in five seed-bearing vessels, each of
vrhich terminates in a long fine bristle or beak. These seed-
vessels with their bristles are attached to a central column,
and form the curious needle-shaped fruits that give the plant
its name." (" Trans. Agric. Jour.," p. 655, July, 1909.)
Naaldkoker. — (D. naald, a needle; koker, a case, quiver.)
The dragon-fly is so named by the Dutch.
Naaldvisch. — (D. naald, a needle ; visch, a fish.) Hemi-
ramphus calabareus. The lower jaw of this peculiar-looking
fish is prolonged to about half the length of the body.
Naartje. — (This word has been imported from the East;
it appears to be more nearly related to the word " orange "
than the form of the latter word would seem to indicate.
The efforts to connect the word " orange " vnth the F. or,
Lat. aurum, gold, as though the name had reference to the
golden colour of the fruit, have caused the disappearance of
an initial n, the proper form of the word being narenge. In
Tamil the citron is nartei, and the wild orange narta marum.)
Citrus Aurantium, var. A small delicately flavoured fruit.
" The oranges, especially that kind called nareteyes, are
excellent." (Le Vaillanfs " Travels," i. p. 14, 1796.)
" The lime ... is not quite so hardy as the orange, but
the naartje is hardier than either." (Wallace's "Farming
Industries of the Cape Colony," p. 194, 1896.)
Naboom. — Euphorbia tetragona. See Gnaarboom. In
the Transvaal E. Beinhardtii, Volkens. is so named.
Nacht apie. — (D. nacht, night ; aap, ape, monkey.)
Galago maholi, the Transvaal lemur ; another member of
the same species — G. garnetti — is found in Natal. See Bush-
baby.
" The maholi is invariably called by up-country white
colonists in South Africa the night-ape from the Boer ' nagt-
apje '." (Bryden's " Animals of South Africa," p. 14, 1900.)
Nachtegal.' — (D. nachtegaal, nightingale.) Saxicola
pileata is so named by the Dutch ; this bird has a pleasant
song which it will frequently sing far into the night — hence
the name. See Schaapwachtertje.
" The Dutch boors have given it the name of ' Schaap
wagter' or shepherd; it has also the more local name of
Nagtgaal and ' Eossignol,' from a habit it is said to have of
APEICANDEEISMS 333
singing by night." (Andersson's " Birds of Damaraland,"
p. 108, 1872.)
Nachtmaal. — (D. nachtmaal, the Lord's Supper.) The
sacramental service in the Dutch Eeformed Church.
" The Nachmaal or communion, which happens three or
four times in a year." (Gordon Cumming's "Adventures,"
I. p. 4, 1850.)
" In the course of this day's trek we met no less than ten
or twelve wagons containing Dutch families on their way to
. . . the half-yearly Nachtmaal, or sacrament." (Barter's
" The Dorp and the Veld," p. 52, 1852.)
Nacht muis. — (D. nacht, night ; muis, a mouse.) This
name refers to the nocturnal habits of the animal. See
Duinrat.
Nacht patrijs. — (D. nacht, night ; patrijs, a partridge.)
The yellow-throated sandgrouse — Pterocles gutturalis.
Nacht slang. — (D. nacht, night ; slang, a snake.) Lam-
prophis OMrora. This snake has the habit of moving about
in the evening when it cannot be seen.
And warns me it is time to haste
My homeward walk across the waste,
Lest my rash tread provoke the wrath
Of nacht-slatig ooil'd across the path.
(Pringle's "Poems," p. Ill, 1829.)
" The Nacht slang is about 2 feet in length and is olive-
brown in colour." (" East London Dispatch," p. 7, 1 Septem-
ber, 1911.)
Nacht uil. — (D. nacht, night ; uil, an owl.) Several
birds of the Gaprimulgidee are known to the Dutch by this
name : Caprimulgus europcBUS, etc.
Nageltjes. — (D. nagel, a clove ; G. Nelke, giUiflowpr, car-
nation. ) Lapeyrousiafusifolia, Ker, is so named in the Eivers-
dale District, on account of its strong clove scent.
Nagskaal. — See Nastagal.
" Nagskaal sop met brandewyn en heuning om mb te
gorl." (Dijkman's " Kook, Koek en Eesepten Boek," p. 152,
1898.)
Naklip. — Disintegrated rock of various bright colours is
so called in Namaqualand. It is said to be the material used
by the Bushmen in their paintings.
Naloop.— (D. na, after ; lopen, to run, flow.) The weak
brandy that flows after distilling.
334 AFEICANDEEISMS
Namaqua canarie. — See Berg canarie.
Namaqua dove. — Oena capensis.
" This exquisite little dove ... is known by the name of
Namaqua dove to the Dutch Cape Colonists." (Layard
and Sharpe's " Birds of South Africa," p. 573, 1876-84.)
" As for the birds they abound in every bush . . . turtle-
doves and little black-eyed Namaqua doves." (Du Plessis'
"In the Heart of Africa," p. 137, 1905.)
Namaqua partridge. — Pteroclurus namaqua. This bird
belongs to the genus Pterocles, and seems with one or two
other species to be peculiar to Africa.
" At this place we met with for the first time the
Namiaqua partridge, a very small species of Grous." (Bur-
cheU's " Travels," i. p. 265, 1822.)
" Large flocks of Namaqualand partridges, or Sand-
grouse, of which there are two or three kinds, were seen in
the locality." (Leyland's "Adventures in South Africa," p.
141, 1866.)
Namaqua pheasant — Francolinus natalensis. It is known
as the " Coast pheasant " in Natal.
" The Natal Francolin, called by the Dutch the Namaqua
pheasant." (Distant's "A Naturalist in the Transvaal,"
p. 105, 1892.)
Nana bezies. — (D. hezie, a berry.) The edible fruits of
several species of Bhus are known by this name in Albany.
Nancy pretty. — An East London name for a wild flower
{Saxifragce ?).
" We scrambled up the rocky bed of a bush stream noting
how the few days' rain was putting freshness into the
Nancy pretty and Twin sisters (Streptocarpus) occupying the
crannies." ("Bast London Dispatch," p. 6, 13 October,
1911.)
Nap. — See Gnap.
Naras. — (Hot. * ndrab (initial cerebral click), "ein in
Damraland bei Walfischbai im Sande wachsendes Eankenge-
wachs, nahrhafte melonartige Frucht, und mit mandelartig
schmeckenden Kernen," Kronlein, "Wortschatz der Khoi-
Khoin ".) The name given by the Hottentots to the fruit of a
cucurbitaceous plant — Acanthosicyos horrida — growing in Na-
maqualand. This fruit is the principal food of the tribe of
the Topnaars ; the seeds are also used by Cape confectioners
as a substitute for almonds which they resemble in flavour.
AFEICANDEEISMS 335
" We found the new fruit 'Naras of which I had first
heard from the Boschmans of Ababies. The 'Naras was
growing on little knolls of sand." (Alexander's "Expedi-
tion," 11. p. 68, 1838.)
" 'Naras. This plant is a Gucurbitacea, almost as large as
a new-born child's head. The flesh of it is eaten raw, and
the seeds are kept for the dry season, when there is no fruit.
The seeds taste almost like almonds." (Hahn's " 'Tsuni
* Goab," p. 47, 1881.)
Nastagal. — (D. nachtschade, the night-shade ; as early as
Kolben's time it had been corrupted to nagskaal.) The
name given in the Transvaal to Solanum nigrum, Linn. See
Sobosobo and Nagskaal.
" Those who live in the High Veld know there is a bush
which grows in the mealie lands and ripens its black berries
in the autumn called in Dutch Nastergaal, a species of
Solanum." ("South African Gardening and Agriculture,"
p. 377, September, 1912.)
Nastagal ink. — The expressed juice of the berries of
Solanum nigrum, Linn. See Sobosobo.
" I did not always have good ink, and the first pages of
my notes are written in various shades ; I had even to use
Nastagal ink made by our women." (Kestell's " Through
Shot and Flame," p. 206, 1903.)
Natal, Terra de. — (Port.) This Portuguese word for
"Christmas" will record for all time the people who dis-
covered and named the Colony, and also the day of its dis-
covery, 25 December, 1497.
" Nunmehro sind wir bey dem Lande von Natal welches
die Kaffern oder Caffern bewohnen." (Kolben's " Besch-
reibung," p. 74, 1745.)
"After passing Terra de ^atoZ there is nothing but fine
weather to be expected." (Sutherland's " South African
Tribes," i. p. 148, 1845.)
Natal bottle brush. — Greyia Sutherlandi is sometimes so
called.
" Greyia Sutherlandi is a handsome flowering tree of the
upper districts, and is sometimes known as the Natal bottle
brush." (Wood's " Handbook to the Flora of Natal," p. 33,
1907.)
Natal cotton plant. — Batata paniculata.
" B. paniculata or Natal cotton plant, a widely dispersed
336 APEICANDBEISMS
tropical species, grows at Natal." (Harvey's "Genera of
South African Plants," p. 254, 1868.)
Natal fever. — An indisposition to exert one's self, induced
by the intense heat of summer, is thus euphemistically de-
signated.
" Unwillingness to work. . . . It's an old malady in South
Africa, remarks the ' Argus '. We call it Natal fever."
(" East London Dispatch," p. 4, 7 June, 1909.)
Natal fly. — One of the MuscidcB, probably Lucilia or
Ochromya sp., which has the objectionable habit when in the
larval condition of burrowing into and feeding upon living
human flesh ; the place assumes the appearance of a large
inflamed carbuncle and is exceedingly painful. At one time
it was very prevalent in Durban, Natal.
" Sur un Muscide de I'Afrique australe, a larve cuticole.
Une Mouche . . . mont^e entre deux verres, et provenant
aussi de d'Urban. Elle a 6td envoy^e au South-African
Museum par le Eev. 0. Pettman. . . . Cette larve avait ete
la cause de la maladie ; elle ^tait enfonc^e dans les chairs de
la Jambe, la tete la premiere ; c'etait in partie abdominale que
nous avions vue remuer. Je la mis sous un verre et elle se
transforma en une pupe d'un brun sombre presque noir."
(Dr. Blanchard, " Contributions a I'etude des Dipteres
parasites," p. 2; "Extrait du Bulletin de la Socidte ento-
mologique de France," 1893.)
"The Natal fly is said to occur; its larva causes annoy-
ance by burrowing into the human skin, where it pupates and
causes painful inflammation." (" Addresses and Papers, Brit,
and S.A. Assoc. Agric. Science," iii. p. 532, 1905.)
Natal ivy. — Senecio macroglossus, D.G., is known by this
name in Natal. It is a climbing plant with fleshy, ivy-like
leaves and handsome yellow flowers. The plant is common
in the neighbourhood of East London. In England it is
known as Cape ivy.
Natal kingfisher. — In the Eastern Province Halcyon
cyanotis is known by this name.
Natal lily — Gladiolus psittacinus, Hook. The pink
veined perianth of this exquisite flower makes it a general
favourite. Amaryllis belladonna is incorrect, as it is only
found in the Cape Districts and does not extend farther East
than Eiversdale.
"Another very magnificent amaryllid which is dis-
AFEICANDBEISMS 337
tinguished par excellence as the Natal lily (Amaryllis bella-
donna) presents itself in moist places." (Brooks' "Natal,"
p. 169, 1876.)
Natal mahogany. — (1) See Eed ebony. (2) Trichilia
emetica is also known as Natal and Cape mahogany.
Natal plum. — The fruit of Garissa grandiflora. See
Amatungulu.
"There exists in many places along the coast ... a
plant . . . that is chiefly remarkable on account of its bear-
ing a really valuable fruit which is familiarly known as the
Natal plum." (Brooks' " Natal," p. 168, 1876.)
Natal red top grass. — Tricholcena rosae, Nees.
Natal rum. — A vile spirit distilled from sugar refuse
and nothing behind " Cape smoke " in its effects.
- "No pubhc analyst has as yet exposed to light the
horrible ingredients of ' Cape smoke ' and Natal rum."
(Greswell's " Our South African Empire," ii. p. 204, 1885.)
Natal sore. — A painful eruption, like a boil, which some-
times troubles new-comers to the Garden Colony, and
requires to be treated by those who understand it.
" The Natal sore, a very painful boil, which makes its ap-
pearance on the arms and legs of new-comers." (Barter's
" The Dorp and the Veld," p. 13, 1852.)
"An open blain or blister generally ending in a running
sore. It is known among the natives and colonists as the
Natal sore, and is of so violent a kind as to have seriously
affected those who have neglected its first appearance."
(" Sketches of Life and Sport in South Eastern Africa,"
by Charles Hamilton, P.A.S.I., p. 50, 1870.)
" Natal sores are not unknown, and, as I have said, there
is the ' jigger ' flea." (" Cape Argus," p. 3, 4 May, 1901.)
Nat-Iij. — (D. nat, wet, moist, damp ; leiden, to lead.)
To irrigate land. See To lead water.
Na touw. — (D. na, near, after ; touw, a rope.) Ficus
natalensis has received this name because the natives make
a rough kind of cordage from its fibrous bark.
Natros or Natrossl. — (D. na, after ; tros, a bunch, cluster ;
cf. ¥. trousse, a bundle ; Eng. truss, trousers, trousseau.) A
bunch of late grapes ; gleanings in a vineyard.
Nceta. — Monsonia ovata. This plant, which belongs to
the Geranium family, is held in high esteem by the Hotten-
tots as a cure for dysentery and obstinate diarrhoea.
22
338 AFEICANDBEISMS
Ncetekie. — (Kaf. in Ncete, a small brown bird.) In the
neighbourhood of King William's Town this name is applied
to a number of small birds, among others to Drymoica fulvi-
capella, Bp.
" The netikee, the smallest of all South African birds, and
a member of the wren family." (Glanville's " Tales from
the Veld," p. 45, 1897.)
" The Dutch name for our smallest bird they pronounce
Knedike. It is about the size of our English wren, of a brown-
grey in colour. It builds its nest of fine grass, wool, and
fluff, the inside of it being not so large as the inside of a
tennis ball." (" Everyday Life in the Cape Colony," by
X. C, p. 41, 1902.)
Nciba. — (Kaf. i Nciba, the swiftly flowing.) The native
name of the Great Kei Eiver.
Needlefish. — This is its Natal name. See Naald visch.
"A needlefish or 'half -beak'. It is a semi-transparent,
greenish fish, not often seen by day, but may be speared at
night with a lantern." (" Natal Mercury Pictorial," p. 719,
1906.)
Neef. — (D. neef, cousin, nephew.) In Cape Dutch this
word is used by elderly men as a term of address to a
young man ; as Oom (q.v.) is used by young people to an
elderly man, or by young or middle-aged men to each other.
Negeoog. — (D. negen, nine ; oog, an eye.) A boil, an
inflammatory tumour.
" Myn vrouw had'n negeoog an haar nek, wat so erg was
dat di doktor gevaar daarin gesiin het." (Dijkman's " Kook,
Koeken Eesepten Boek," p. 131, 1898.)
Negotie ware. — (F. ndgoce, trade ; Lat. negotium, Ht.
want of leisure, hence a business, an occupation ; waar, ware,
commodity.) Groceries, hard or soft goods offered for sale ;
the stock-in-trade of a store-keeper or pedler.
Negry — A word which has died out, but which appears
to have been appHed in the earlier days of the Colony (1)
to the slaves' quarters on an estate, (2) to a collection of
native huts.
" 1657, December 6. The sergeant reported that Henry,
with a negerye of 5 huts, was also at the mustard-leaves ; be-
sides four other negeryes having altogether about 64 houses."
(Hoodie's " Eecords," p. 92, 1841.)
Nek. — (D. nek, neck, nape of the neck.) A narrow ridge
connecting two hills or mountains, as Laing's Nek (q.v.).
AFEICANDEEISMS 339
" Had to travel along the narrow ridge {neh) in order to
reach the opposite high land." (Pringle's " Narrative," p. 92,
1841.)
By rising ground on all quarters shut in
Excepting the neck that leads out on the plain.
(Hudson's " Features in South African Frontier Life," p. 72,
1852.)
Nelly. — Ossifraga gigantea, otherwise known as the Giant
petrel.
" It is called the Nelly by sailors." (Layard and Sharpe's
" Birds of South Africa," p. 765, 1875-84.)
Nenta — (Hot. * Nenta, with initial click.) Cotyledon
ventricosa. This plant is supposed to be the cause of a
disease fatal to sheep and goats, and thus of considerable
loss to the South African farmer. Some leguminous plants
are also suspected.
" The Eussian moufik contracts neurotis through con-
tinued eating of the leguminous Lathyrus ; the Australian
sheep takes it from the leguminous Swainsonia, and the
Cape goat gets it, may I say, from an undetermined legumin-
ous Nenta." (" C.G.H. Agric. Jour.," p. 308, 1897.)
Nenta. — The disease referred to above — Cerebrospinal
meningitis.
" The well-known disorder in sheep and goats known at
the Cape as Nenta." (" C.G.H. Agric. Jour.," p. 302, 1897.)
" "Whether t' Nenta and Stiff-ziekte are names for one
and the same thing differing in degree, I cannot say."
("C.G.H. Agric. Jour.," 12 September, 1901.)
Neuk. — (D. obs. neuken, to push, strike.) This word sur-
vives in South Africa with the meaning to hit, to strike. Ek
zal jou neuk — " I'll hit you ". It is regarded as a coarse word.
New Year's plum. — A variety of plum that ripens about
New Year time.
" Another case also where a farmer made £7 10s. out of
a single or Mirabelle (New Year's plum) tree in one season."
(Henkel's " The Native or Transkeian Territories," p. 51, 1903.)
Nieuwhout. — (D. nieuw, new ; hout, wood.) The Knysna
name for Pygeum africanum. See Eed stinkwood.
Nieuwjaars vogel. — (D. nieuwjaar, New Year; vogel, a
bird.) Coccystes serratus ; "this bird visits the Cape about
the New Year, whence the name which it has acquired
among the colonists ".
22 *
340 AFEICANDEEISMS
Nieuwziekte. — (D. nieuw, new, recent, fresh ; ziekte, sick-
ness.) The Dutch name for the Strangles, an infectious
and contagious disease of equines, due to a specified organ-
ism. The term is also applied to Glanders.
"Indeed glanders is also commonly called nieuwziekte;
consequently, it is often very difficult to convince the pro-
prietor of a horse suffering from glanders that it is really
infected with that disease and not strangles." ("Trans.
Agric. Jour.," p. 391, January, 1907.)
Nigger. — A term of contempt applied to people of coloured
blood, and as a rule as vigorously resented by them as the de-
signation Kaffir is sometimes resented by the natives.
" There is something in the circumstances occasioned by
the presence of the African races here, which may be said to
be analogous to the circumstances occasioned by slavery in
the Southern States. The word nigger condenses and in-
cludes nearly all that we wish to suggest." (Glanville's "At
Home and Abroad," p. 92, 1878.)
" Talking of the niggers they had shot, or the kraals they
had destroyed." (Olive Schreiner's " Trooper Peter Halkett,"
p. 20, 1897.)
Night adder. — Gausus rhombeatus is so named by the
English colonists on account of its habit of moving about at
night. It is not an uncommon snake in the Eastern Pro-
vince.
" In the boom slang (Bucephalus capensis), the schaap-
sticker (Psammophylax rombeatus) . . . the so-called night-
adder (Leptoderia rufescens), they (the teeth) are remarkably
lengthened, and not only so, but grooved." (" Trans. S.A.
Phil. Soc," III. p. 9, 1884.)
Nix. — (D. neits ; G. Nichts, nothing.) Nothing. Nix-nie,
nothing at all.
" ' Why, Cole, this is 7iix ' (snow). A play upon the Dutch
word niets, meaning ' nothing '." (Justice Cole's "Eemin-
iscences," p. 38, 1896.)
" I could tell that there was some critters there that they
did not like — maybe a tiger — but I could see nix beyond a
rock or a tree stump." (Glanville's " Tales from the Veld,"
p. 278, 1897.)
Nixnuts. — (G. nichtsnutz, useless, worthless.) Applied to
(1) a person who is neither clever nor capable ; (2) it is used
also of a rogue.
AFEICANDEEISMS 341
Nole-kole. — (D. knol, a turnip ; hool, a cabbage.) Brassica
oleracea, var. caulorapa. Toward the root the stalk of this
vegetable expands into a turnip-like mass, which is the
edible part.
No Man's Land. — In Sir George Grey's time as Governor,
the territory now known as Griqualand East was so called ;
but in later times the designation was transferred to the
coast country between Zululand and Delagoa Bay.
" The country which is called No Man's Land is claimed
by two powerful governments; and Sir George Grey has
written to Adam Kok stating that in consequence of the land
being claimed as above mentioned, the case has been referred
to the British Government." (" Queenstown Free Press,"
15 May, 1861.)
" There still remained the undefined country (still called
No Man's Land by the Eepublic) lying between Zululand
and Delagoa Bay, and it was therein that President Kruger
hoped to secure a footing on the sea-board." (Robinson's
" Life Time in South Africa," p. 361, 1900.)
Nonna or Nonni. — (Port, nona, a nun. Crawford (" Malay
Dictionary ") says that the word is used by the Malays of an
unmarried European lady ; hence most probably its use and
application in South Africa.) A young European lady, a
young mistress.
" The cry of the young gnu was sometimes onje ... a
good deal resembling the nonje of the colonists (meaning
miss)." (Sparrman's " Voyage," ii. p. 176, 1785.)
" She found the master and his wife dead, but the nonnie
(little miss), although severely wounded, still breathed."
(Sellick's " Uitenhage, Past and Present," p. ix, 1905.)
Nooi or Noi. — ( ? Port, noiva, a bride.) A young woman ;
the word is in fairly common use among the Dutch.
" The kind-hearted woe or lady of the house, commiserating
my condition . . . informed me that she had an excellent
receipt for sun-burn." (Gordon Cumming's "Adventures,"
I. p. 54, 1850.)
"Many of the Dutch nois or young maidens are very
pretty, and they are a very moral set of people." (Baldwin's
" African Adventures," p. 155, 1894.)
Noois boom. — (? Port, noiva, a bride; boom, a tree.)
Gussonia Thtjrsiflora, a tree growing something like a sun-
shade in shape. See Kipper sol. Cabbage tree, Parasol tree.
342 AFEICANDERISMS
"The Nojeboom {Gussonia spicata), a small tree of very
singular appearance." (Bunbury's "Journal," p. 101, 1848.)
" In the huts were all sorts of odd things — calabashes,
beads, . . . large pieces of the root, of the noe-hoom peeled
for food." (King's " Campaigning in Kaffirland," p. 135, 1856.)
" One of the most remarkable of the Natal trees is our
only representative of the Ivy family, and is known as the
' Cabbage tree ' and to the Dutch as the Nojes boom
{Gussonia)." (Chapman's " Travels," ii. p. 447, 1868.)
Nooisborsies. — (? Port, noiva, a bride ; borst, the breast.)
A variety of pear is so called by the Dutch.
Noordkaaper. — (D. noord, north ; kaap, a cape, promon-
tory.) The name given by the fishermen to a variety of
whale ; the designation has been taken over from the early
Dutch sailors, and applied, without any appreciation of the
incongruity, to an animal whose habitat is the southern
ocean.
" Man siehet offt in dem Meere am Vorgeburge in der
Tafelbay, den kleinen Wallfisch, Grampus genannt. Die
Hollandischen Seeleute heissen ihn Noord-kaper." (Kol-
ben's " Beschreibung," p. 367, 1745.)
" The cachalot, a kind of whale which the Dutch call
Noord-kaaper, is always found in great plenty sporting in the
bason." (Le Vaillant's " Travels," i. p. 30, 1796.)
Noordkaaperbaard. — (D. board, a beard, whalebone.)
The Western Province fishermen thus designate whale-bone.
" Voor balein zegt men soms niet onaardig noorkapper-
baard." (Mansvelt's " Idioticon," p. 113, 1884.)
Noordkaaper die. — (D. olie, oil.) Whale oil, used in
domestic medicine and for other purposes.
Noordkaaper snot. — An ugly name for a jelly-fish ; in com-
mon use, however, in the Eiversdale District.
Noorse-doorn. — (D. norsch, gruff, disagreeable ; doom, a
thorn.) Euphorbia enopla, and one or two other species are
known by this name, which refers to the noli me tangere
character of their spines. In times of drought these spines
are burnt off, when the plant is not without value as a food
for stock.
The trees referred to in the first quotation I have been
unable to identify, but, from the description given, they must
be something quite different from the Noorse-doorn of the
Jansenville and Midland Districts of the Cape Province.
AFEICANDEEISMS 343
" Trees as high as fir-trees and much resembling them
called the Noors-doorn are seen raising their lofty tops over
the more humble trees." (A letter from Port Natal dated
29 May, 1839, Chase's " Natal Papers," Part ii. p. 98, 1843.)
" The milk of the »oorse-doorw is not poisonous, and forms
an excellent food for cattle, sheep, and goats, which are all
extremely fond of it." (Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo," p. 16,
1889.)
" The drought continues in the Euggens with unabated
severity, and the noorse-doorn and finger-pol plants are now in
daily requisition to keep stock alive." (" Midland News," 10
November, 1898.)
Noorse or Noorse-doorn Veld. — Veld composed almost
entirely of Noorse-doorn ; in some parts of the country, lying
between Jansenville and Pearston, the Noorse-doorn is so
thick as to be almost impenetrable.
" After an outspan for breakfast ... we struggled on-
wards, until presently we began to enter upon the noorse-doorn
veldt (lit. nurse- thorn country), consisting of bushes of a tall
cactus, which like the euphorbia exudes a milky juice on being
broken." (Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo," p. 16, 1889.)
Num bosch. — (Hot. * num, with an initial click.) Another
Eiversdale name for Aster fiUformis, D.G. See Draai bosch.
The Grahamstown name is Gom bosch (q.v.).
Num-tium. — (Hot. * num * num, each syllable with an
initial click.) Carissa arduina. The common name of shrub
and fruit alike, the latter being very small and without any dis-
tinctive flavour ; the flowers resemble those of the jessamine
both in appearance and scent.
" The Hottentots call this shrub 'num 'num (or noom
noom, agreeably to English orthography), each syllable pre-
ceded by a guttural clap of the tongue. They eat the berries,
but I always found them very insipid." (Burchell's " Travels,"
I. p. 192, 1822.)
" Various kinds of sweet grass and small shrubs, varied with
very good large bush and trees, as . . . noem noem, guarri,
etc." (Du Toit's " Ehodesia," p. 32, 1897.)
Nut^rass — Gyperus bulbosus. This weed vpith its nut-like
roots and rapid propagation has nearly ruined some of the
gardens in Graaff Eeinet.
Nutseng or Nutzung. — Halleria elliptica. See Kinder-
besje, for which this is another name.
344 AFEICANDEEISMS
Nylstroom. — (D. Nijl, the Nile; stroom, a stream, river.)
This name was given by the Dutch to the Eiver Maghali-
quain, or " Pierce Crocodile Eiver," under a somevphat curious
misapprehension. See quotation.
" On the 6th we rode along the Maghaliquain or ' Fierce
Crocodile Eiver ' which has acquired the name of Nylstroom, or
the Eiver Nile, in a somewhat singular manner. It is well
known that in the earliest migrations of the Dutch Boers from
the Cape Colony they entertained hopes of being able to reach
the Beloofte land, i.e. the promised land of Canaan. The heaps
of stones collected by the Kaffir women when they clear a
field for cultivation and which remain long after that field has
reverted to its primitive condition as part of the wilderness,
were supposed to be monuments piled up by the children of
Israel, who if this evidence is to be received, must be sup-
posed to have come as far south as the frontier of Albany
during the forty years' wanderings. And when the avowed
Jerusalem trekkers or pilgrims came to the Maghaliquain and
found it flowing north, they at once christened it the Nile,
and fondly hoped it would lead them down into Egypt whence
they could easily reach the Beloofte land." (Baines' " Gold
Eegions of S.E. Africa," p. 83, 1877.)
" The dream of the early voortrekkers for a modern
Palestine has not been reahzed." (Distant's " A Naturalist in
the Transvaal," p. 183, 1892.)
Oak fern. — Pellaea geranicefoUa, Fee. The name some-
times given to this fern in the neighbourhood of King
William's Town.
" This is frequently known as the oak fern, but has no
connexion with the English Oak fern (Polypodium dryopteris),
nor with another Polypodium from Natal frequently grown
here under the name of oak fern (P. Plymatodes)." (Sim's
"Kaffrarian Ferns," p. 28, 1891.)
Oak -leaf geranium. — Pelargonium quercifolium.
" Of this well-known greenhouse shrub, the Oak-leaf
geranium, I have seen no wild specimens, but those distri-
buted by E. & Z." (" Flora Capensis," Vol. i. p. 306, 1859-
1860.)
Oat=hay. — Oats which have been cut while still sUghtly
green and afterwards hayed.
" Oat-hay for the Eemount Agency." (" The (^ueenstown
Free Press," 2 March, 1859.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 345
Obiquas — The Bushmen were known by this name
among the Hottentots.
" About the promontory of Africa, they (the Bushmen)
called themselves, and were called by others, Obiquas, Sou-
quas ; and they had, doubtless, other denominations in parts
farther inland." (Sutherland's " South African Tribes," ii.
p. 589 n., 1846.)
Obletjes or Oublies. — (F. ouhlih, the sacramental wafer,
a thin cake; Lat. oblata, an offering cake; from oblatus.)
A kind of tea cake. The article and the name both go back
to the advent of the Huguenots in South Africa (1688-1689) ;
but the name was applied in England to a biscuit or cake quite
200 years before that ; for in " A Noble Boke off Cookry ffor
a Pry nee Houssolde or eny other estately Houssolde," a col-
lection of recipes compiled somewhere in the latter part of
the fifteenth century (ed. Napier, London, 1882), the following
recipe is found : " Haires in pardolos. To mak haires in
pardolous tak an haire and parboille hir in good brothe
swong eggs ther to and hew fleshe smalle and cast it in the
sewe and sethe them well then tak obleys or waiffurs and
couche them in a platter and salt the sewe and put it upon
the obleys and serve it."
" Obletjes (or Oublies). An old-fashioned recipe for tea
cakes brought to the Cape by the French refugees." (Hilda's
"Where is it? of Eecipes," p. 153, 1904.)
" The one word I feel sure of is oublietje, that delicious,
crisp, wafer-like pastry to be invariably found at bazaars in
the districts settled by the Huguenots, from Fr. OubliS, thin
pastry." (" The Northern News," 27 August, 1912.)
Offal. — (D. afval, refuse, offal.) Sheep's head and feet,
cleaned and prepared for cooking, are offered for sale in Mid-
land towns by this name, which is a corruption of the Dutch
word.
" The whole holiday party had retired to sleep, after in-
dulging in a liberal gorge on a mess of sheep's head and feet,
called offal, the signs of which were all over their persons."
(Wilson's " Behind the Scenes in the Transvaal," p. 22, 1901.)
Off-chance. — A chance that seems scarcely possible.
" They go to nearly all the new rushes, of course, on the
off chance, not expecting, nor perhaps wishing, to find."
(Boyle's " To the Cape for Diamonds," p. 233, 1873.)
Off-colour — (1) A diamond slightly tinged with yellow is
346 AFKIOANDEEISMS
said to be " off-colour". (2) The expression is often applied
to people of mixed European and African blood. (3) It is
also used with the meaning " out of sorts," " not very well ".
(4) Sometimes it is employed to convey the idea of dubious
morality.
"An off-coloured diamond of 115 carats was found at
Dutoitspan yesterday morning." (" Queenstown Free Press,"
12 April, 1872.)
" When in a general way one talks of 'yellow' stones,
one means ' coloured ' of that tint, not ' fancy ' ; in the
Fields we incorrectly call them off-colour. The true off-
colour has no distinct tinge at all." (Boyle's " To the Cape
for Diamonds," p. 356, 1873.)
"Mr. Webb had the misfortune to possess two maid
servants, rather off-colour, as diggers say, but really good
looking." {Ihid. p. 146, 1873.)
" He took my watch last night because I was off-colour."
(Olive Schreiner's " Trooper Peter Halkett," p. 235, 1897.)
Off-load, To — To remove the load from horse, cart, or
wagon ; to unload.
" There was nothing for it but to off-load, a most tedi-
ous and tiring business." (Churchill's " Men, Mines, and
Manners in South Africa," p. 221, 1895.)
Off-saddle, To. — To remove the saddle from a horse to
rest it on a journey, or at the journey's end.
Oksi or Okshoofd. — This word is interesting as being a cor-
ruption of the Dutch okshoofd, a hogshead, which has passed
into German in the form oxhoft, a fluid measure of 200-240
litres ; and into English in the form hogshead, 52^ gallons.
Tiedeman, "Notes and Queries," iv. 2, 46, says that the
word is found in Dutch as early as 1550, and suggests that
the cask may have been so named from having an " ox-head "
branded upon it, which Professor Skeat thinks a not improb-
able origin of the term. In South Africa the word is applied
to a large wine-vat.
Old Colony, The. — The Cape Colony is frequently so de-
signated to distinguish it from those Colonies and States of
South Africa of more recent origin.
" The greatest drag to the commerce of Natal is its intimate
connexion with, and almost entire dependence on, the old
Colony." (Barter's " The Dorp and the Veld," p. 16, 1852.)
" We were now in the old Colony, where we felt ourselves
AFEICANDEEISMS 347
more at home." (The Eev. J. Edwards' " Eeminiscences,"
p. 81, 1883.)
Old lands grass. — Panicum Icevifolium, Hack. A good
hay grass.
Old man's beard or whiskers. — Usnea florida. This ap-
pellation, given in the West of England to the curious para-
sitic growth which one often finds there on rose-bushes,
is, in the Eastern Province of the Cape Colony, given to a
greyish-coloured parasitic growth, found in great profusion
in some parts, upon the trunks and branches of trees, and
hanging like long locks of grey hair.
" Some with the parasite Old man's bea/rd swinging from
their branches like grey locks." (Noble's " South Africa," p.
18, 1877.)
" Singular looking vegetable draperies known as old
man's whiskers." (Burton's "Cape Colony To-day," p. 125,
1907.)
Oliekoek. — (D. olie, oil ; koek, a cake.) A term apphed to
a duffer, nincompoop.
Hi] seg maar net — jou olie koek I
" Jou snuiter I " of " Jou semelbroek I "
(Een Patriot, Eeitz's " Afrikaanse Gedigte," p. 24, 1888.)
Oliepitten. — (D. olie, oil ; pit, a kernel, pip.) Another
name for the Kaambesje (q.v.), having reference to the oil
that is extracted from the kernels of the berries.
Olifant gras. — (D. olifant, elephant ; gras, grass.) Avena
elephantina (Thunberg's " Flora Capensis," p. 117, 1823) =
Danthonia elephantina, Nees.
Olifant melkbosch. — (D. olifamt, elephant ; melk, milk.)
Euphorbia cervicornis — something like the finger-pol. It
occurs in Little Namaqualand.
" The local name is olifant melkbosch ; the roots grow to a
considerable size, and the crown of stems often exceed a foot
in diameter." (" Trans. S.A. Phil. Soc," p. viii, x. Part ii.
1901.)
Olijvenhout — (D. olijf, an olive; hout, wood.) Olea
verrucosa, the Wild olive of the English colonist.
Om. — (D. om, about ; G. urn, around.) This word is
employed by wagon- drivers when turning their oxen. See
Hot en haar.
" Loud cries of ' Jak ' to start the oxen, or ' Ah now ' to
348 AFEICANDERISMS
stop them, or ' Om ' to make them turn round." (Barter's
"The Dorp and the Veld," p. 50, 1852.)
Ompad. — (D. om, about ; pad, a road, way.) A round-
about way, the longest way round.
Omsons. — (G. umsonst, in vain, to no purpose.) In vain
useless.
Onder.— (D. onder, under, down.) As frequently em-
ployed this word means " up-country," " the interior ".
Onder baatje. — (D. onder, under ; Mai. badjoe, a jacket.)
(1) An under-jacket or waistcoat. (2) The two rows of body
feathers from below the wing of the ostrich.
Onderbosch.— (D. onder, under ; bos, a bush.) Trichocladus
crinitus and T. ellipticus are both known by this name ; of
the former the natives make kiries and ornaments ; the latter
is largely used in the neighbourhood of the Pirie forest for
firewood.
" Trichocladus crinitus is the more common onderbosch."
(Sim's " Forest Flora of the Cape Colony," p. 12, 1907.)
Onderveld. — (D. onder, under, down below.) This word
is used in Cape Dutch as the equivalent of the English " up-
country," though why the country, which is so much higher,
should be so designated, is difficult to say. See Bovenland.
" Mar myn vrinde het my gevraag om dit in Afrikaans te
doen dan kan onse Afrikaanse Onderveldse susters . . . oek
nut daarvan h^." (Dijkman's " Kook, Koek en Eesepten
Boek," p. 3, 1898.)
Ongedierte. — (D. ongedierte, vermin.) (1) In Cape
Dutch this term is applied to wild animals generally. (2)
Vermin.
" Het wild gedierte noemt men in Transvaal ongedierte,
en de leeuw wordt gewoonlijk met den naam ' ou-baas ' of
' de ouwe ' aangeduid." (Cachet's " De Worstelstrijd der
Transvalers," p. 345, 1882.)
" Ik ga liever in huis bij eenen blanke dan in een Kaffer
struis (stroohut) met velerlei ongedierte." (Hofmeyr's
" Twintig Jaren in Zoutpansberg," p. 134, 1890.)
Onweer. — (D. onweder, a thunder-storm.) inclement
weather.
Onze-lieve-heers beestje. — (D. lit. " Our dear Lord's
little animal ".) This designation is sometimes given to the
Lady-bird. Judging from the names which this insect has
received, it seems to be held in honour in most countries ; the
AFEICANDEEISMS 349
English Lady-bird, the French B^te a la Vierge, and the
German Marien-Kafer, all connect it with the Blessed Virgin ;
while the French Bete a bon Dieu and Bonne vache k Dieu
and this Dutch name give it higher honour.
Oom. — (D. oom ; G. Oheim, an uncle.) This Dutch word
is often used in South Africa when addressing an elderly
man, as denoting respect ; e.g. Oom Paul, the ordinary de-
signation of the President of the late Transvaal Eepublic.
In this form or with the diminutive suffix — Oompje — the word
conveys both affection and respect.
" Ouden van dagen worden in het huishouden met eere
behandeld.
" Vandaar ook de gewoonte om de ouderen oom, ' ou-
oom ' of ' tante ' te noemen, onverschillig of men van de
familie is of niet — en al is de aangesprokene doodarm en van
den andere geheel afhankelijk." (Cachet's " De Worstelstrijd
der Transvalers," p. 427, 1882.)
" Listening to them and smoking were several people,
amongst them Mr. Pieter Maynier, familiarly called by
Graaff Eeinetters ' Oom Piet ' (Oom, or uncle, being a term
of affection in South Africa)." (Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo,"
p. 42, 1889.)
"Im Afrikanischen sind oom und tante die gewohnlichen
Bezeichnungen und Anreden fiir altere Personen, auch
Premde, neef und nichi (niggi) fiir Jiingere. So stets bei
Farbigen." (Meyer's "Die Sprache der Buren," p. 19 n.,
1901.)
Oo'nd. — (D. oven, an oven.) The Cape Dutch word for
oven has assumed this form.
Oo'nd bosje. — (D. oven, oven ; bos, a bush.) Gonyza iva-
folia is so named because a besom made of the stalks is used
to sweep out the ovens.
Oorlam. — (Mai. orang lama, an old man.) This word is
applied variously. (1) As generally used it means shrewd,
sharp. (2) It is used of a Hottentot who can speak both
Dutch and English. (3) It is also used of a coloured servant
whose laziness prompts him to a variety of scheming either
to dodge or to scamp his work. See under Baar. But Dr.
Hahn, whose note I quote in full, questions the generally re-
ceived etymology of both of these words.
" In this kraal there are, of persons who speak the Dutch
language, and who are called orlams, 215." (Campbell's
" Travels," p. 284, 1815.)
350 APEICANDEEISMS
" Amra! and the head of the Buys had been in the Colony,
were therefore called overlams and were cleverer than the
Namaquas of Kabusomop." (Alexander's " Expedition," i.
p. 251, 1838.)
" Oerlam was a nickname given by the Dutch colonists to
the Hottentots that hung about their farms; it means a
barren ewe, a creature good for neither breeding nor fattening,
a worthless concern, one that gives trouble and yields no pro-
fit. However, all things are relative, and what these oerlams
were to the Dutchmen, that the Namaqua Hottentots were to
the oerlams." (Galton's "Tropical South Africa," p. 68, 1853.)
" The meaning of this word is not quite clear. At present
this word signifies in South African Dutch a shrewd, smart
fellow. Thus they say, ' Die kerel is bawja orlam ' (That
fellow is very shrewd). Those Hottentot clans who left the
Colony and now live in Great Namaqualand call themselves
Orlams in distinction from the aborigines, the Namaquas,
and by this they mean to say that they are no longer uncivil-
ised. If, for instance, they give a traveller a man as a servant,
they say, 'He is very orlam, he is not baar' (He is very
handy, he is not stupid). In the North-western Colony about
the mission station Steinkopf, lives a large family of the
Orlams. They manufacture stone pipes, and are bastard
Hottentots, who say that a trader by the name of Orlam came
about a hundred years ago to Little Namaqualand, and after-
wards stayed amongst the Namaquas, and married a Hottentot
girl. The truth is that about 1720 there was a man at the
Cape of the name of Orlam, who had come from Batavia. He
was a trader and visited chiefly Little Namaqualand and the
Khamiesbergen." (Hahn's " Tsuni *Goab, the Supreme
Being of the Khoi-Khoi," p. 153, 1881.)
" Mijn wagendrijver, genaamd Paulus, was teruggegaan
naar eene plaats, twee uren te paard van daar, waar er vele
oorlamschen waren." (Hofmeyr's " Twintig Jaren in Zout-
pansberg," p. 237, 1890.)
Oortje. — (D. oord, oort, really the quarter of a coin. The
name is derived from the coins which were divided into four
parts — oar den — by a cross. Cf. Eng. farthing, lit. fourth-
ing.) A farthing.
Opblas. — (D. ophlazen, to blow up, to puff up.) This
is the term applied in South Africa to that inflation of the
stomach and intestines of cattle which arises from imperfect
digestion, known to English cattle farmers as hoven.
APEICANDEEISMS 351
" Sheep and cattle turned on short succulent lucerne are
apt to get hoven or ophlas." (Burton's " Cape Colony for the
Settler," p. 106, 1903.)
Opblasers. — (D. opUazen, to blow up.) See Blas-op and
Konya.
" The oppblazers (pneumora), a kind of grasshopper, were
caught in the evening." (Thunberg's " Travels," i. p. 150,
1795.)
Opgaaf. — (D. opgaaf, an account, statement.) In Cape
Dutch certain taxes levied by the Government were so
termed.
" The missionaries are now ordered to collect, and be re-
sponsible for, the opgaaf of the Hottentots." (Philip's " Ee-
searches," i. p. 229, 1828.)
" The first authentic account of the state of the Colony
is furnished by the oppgaaf or tax-hsts for 1796." (Martin's
"History of Southern Africa," p. Ill, 1836.)
Opgeitjes. — The fruit of Gardenia neuheria, of which the
natives and children are fond. See Kaffir cherry.
Oprecht. — (D. oprecht, sincere, genuine.) Sincere, trust-
worthy.
" He rejoiced very much when the independence of the
Transvaal was established, and from that day was a good
and loyal oprecht burgher of the State." <" Prinsloo of Prins-
loosdorp," p. 23.)
Oproll vark. — (D. oproUen, to roll up ; varic, a pig.) A
name applied in the Eastern Province to the hedgehog.
Opschep. — (D. opscheppen, to serve up ; to scoop up.) To
dish up, to serve a meal, to scoop up.
Opscheplooper. — (D. opscheppen, to serve up ; looper, a
runner.) One who sponges upon his friends for his meals.
Opsit — (D. opzitten, to sit up.) In Cape Dutch this word
is descriptive of the pecuhar method of courting which in
earlier days was in vogue among the Dutch farming popula-
tion, the duration of the lovers' evening interview being
determined by the burning of a candle, which is made at
the same time to convey a hint of the state of the lady's
feelings toward her wooer. Should she favour the suitor a
long candle is employed, but if he is not to her liking she
produces " ends," and he at once understands that his room
is preferred to his company.
" After we had opsitted together several times, according
352 AFEICANDEEISMS
to our custom, and burnt many very long candles, we were
married." (Haggard's " Swallow," p. 6, 1899.)
" Tobias meant to make a bit of a splash to-day,
although he was not prepared for the solemnity of an opsit-
ting (that all-night form of courtship dear to the heart of a
Boer)." (Bryden's " From Veldt Camp Fires," p. 195, 1900.)
Opslag. — (D. oogopslag, a look, a glance.) (1) In Cape
Dutch this word retains the meaning of a glance, a look.
(2) After rains a profusion of various small, short-lived
plants spring up in the open spaces between the karoo
bushes; this growth is designated "opslag ". (3) The term
is also applied to that which is self-sown — oats, barley, etc.
" The destruction of more lasting grasses, and the increase
of what we call opslag grass, is accounted for by over-stock-
ing." ("Cape Monthly Magazine," ni. p. 145, 1871.)
" In Humansdorp, where the burning of the veld is gener-
ally accused " (of causing lamziekte), " an opslag is considered
to be the cause." (" South African Agric. Journal," p.
39, July, 1912.)
Opstal. — In Cape Dutch this word is used collectively of
the buildings on a farm, house, stables, etc. See Upstals.
Orange-ball tree. — Buddleia globosa, so called because of
its bright yellow balls of blossom.
Orange creeper. — Bignoma venusta ; the reference is to
the colour of its profuse flowers.
Orange heath. — Erica hlenna, Salisb., var. grandiflora,
Bolus, is known by this name in the Cape Province. See
BeU heath.
Orange River. — This was the name given to the Gariep
(q.v.) in honour of the Stadtholder Maurice, Prince of
Orange. The river drains an enormous extent of country,
and is twelve hundred miles long, having its rise in the
Mont aux Sources of the Drakensberg range, and entering
the Atlantic Ocean on the west coast of South Africa.
Orange, Wild. — See Kaffir orange, common in the Trans-
vaal, Low country, or Bushveld.
" There were also baobabs . . . and figs, wild oranges
(I measured one, it was 13| inches in circumference, and as
hard as a cricket ball). " (Balfour's " 1200 Miles in a Waggon,"
p. 110, 1895.)
Oribi. — Ourebia scoparia. Not a very common antelope
of Natal and the eastern districts up to Mozambique.
AFEICANDBRISMS 353
" Bedunca scoparia. The Ourebi. Ditto of the Cape
Colonist. Subokoo of the Matabih." (Harris' "Wild
Sports," p. 885, 1839.)
" There were also great numbers of the graceful little
oribi antelopes, always to be seen in twos and threes in this
valley." (Selous' "Wanderings," p. 434, 1895.)
Orleans. — (D. olijf, olive; Cape D. oleen hout, olive-wood.)
A corruption sometimes heard of the Cape Dutch name of
the Wild olive-tree.
" For sale, 15,000 fencing poles, Orleans and Sneeze-wood,
from 3 in. to 5 in. tops, 7 feet long." (Advt. "Eastern Pro-
vince Herald," 19 January, 1899.)
Orlosi bloem. — (D. horloge, a clock ; Lat. horologium, a
sundial or water-clock ; D. bloem, a flower.) The passion flower
is so named by the Dutch, because the arrangement of the
stamens is supposed to resemble the hands of a watch or clock.
Os bij. — (D. OS, an ox; 6*}', a bee.) Trigona sp. Stingless
social bees found in the Northern Transvaal. The variety
thus named is also known as the Small Moka bee. There is
a larger variety of Moka bee, which, if not identical with, is
closely allied to, Trigona clypeata, Friese.
" The smaller variety of Moka is known among Afrikanders
as OS bije (ox-bees) — why, I have not been able to discover."
(" South African Agric. Journal," p. 794, June, 1912.)
Ostrich. — (Lat. avis struthio, the ostrich bird.) Struthio
australis. This bird has also been called the " Camel-bird,"
because, like the camel, it has a warty excrescence upon the
breast upon which it leans ; its feet too are not unlike those
of the camel.
Otje. — (1) A pig. (2) The term is also employed through-
out the Midlands much as the English word " piggy " is used
to, or of, children.
Otje. — Pristipoma bennettii. This seems to be the same
as the preceding word, and apparently refers, like the other
popular names which have been given to this fish — Chor-chor,
Grunter, Varken (q.v.) — to the curious noise which the fish
makes when taken out of the water.
Otter. — There are two species of otter in South Africa,
the larger being Lutra capensis and the smaller L. maculi-
collis.
Ou'dak. — (Mai. katak, Jcadoh, a frog.) This seems to
be a corruption of the Malay word for a frog.
23
354 AEBICANDBEISMS
Oude bosch. — Leucosidea sericea, a member of the Bosacem
is thus named.
" Dense jungles of Oude bosch (Leucosidea sericia) . . .
made travelling very difficult." ("Eeport S.A.A.A. Science,"
p. 210, 1908.)
Oudegeluk. — (D. oud, old ; geluk, luck, happiness.) The
name given in the neighbourhood of Knysna to Halietus
vocifer. See Groote vischvanger.
Oudehout. — (D. oud, old; hout, wood.) This name is
applied to several different trees, among them being Gordia
caffra and Leucosidea sericea. The name has reference ap-
parently to the fact that the wood of these trees is seldom
straight. See Oude bosch.
"Een enkele boschrand . . . heet Oudrhout nek, naar de
boschjes van Oud-hout waarmede de kloven begroeid zijn."
(" De Worstelstrijd der Transvalers," p. 360, 1882.)
" Two good bee plants here (Lady Frere) are the tree
oudenhout and the wild coffee, both flowering in the spring."
(" Agric. Journ. Union of South Africa," p. 717, June, 1911.)
Oudeklip. — (D. oud, old ; Mip, a rock.) Decomposed
dolomite.
Ouderling. — An elder of the Dutch Eeformed Church.
" He is now required once a year to visit the families
in their dwellings in company of an ouderling or deacon."
(Latrobe's " Journal," p. 357, 1818.)
" He holds the highly honoured and responsible position
of an ouderling or elder of the Church at Hope Town."
(Watkin's " From Farm to Forum," p. 34, 1906.)
Ou'Jong. — (D. oud, old, ancient ; jong, young, junior.)
Lit. " Old young," a curious combination applied to an old
coloured servant. See Jong.
Ou'Klong. — (D. oud, old, ancient; klein, small; jong,
young, junior.) See Klong.
Ou'lap. — (D. oud, old ; lap, a patch, clout.) (1) A penny
is often called an " ou'lap," as being a coin of little worth.
(2) The word is also used as an adjective in a disparaging
sense.
" Writes a correspondent (says the ' Worcester Standard ')
from one of the ou'lap districts of the South- West." (" East
London Dispatch," 29 September, 1908.)
" Sixpenny bits were a rarity, and the penny or oulap was
a practically useless coin." (" Northern Post," 20 June, 1912.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 355
Ou'meid's snuif. — (CD. ou, old ; meid, maid ; ou meid, a
coloured servant ; D. snuif, snuff powder.) A large " puff ball "
fungus. See Devil's snuff-box-.
Ourebi. — Ourebia scoparia. A somewhat scarce antelope.
"Another species of antelope was here very plentiful,
known by the Hottentot name of orabie, which, except in
colour and size, being of a darker brown and a little larger,
bore a considerable resemblance to the steenbok ; it was
marked down the face with two yellow lines." (Barrow's
" Travels," I. p. 138, 1801.)
Ou'sanna. — (D. oud, old ; Sanna, a woman's name.) The
Dutch name for an old matchlock with a long barrel.
" De ou-Grietjes en de ou-Sannas van de Transvaalsche
Boeren hebben het volksgevoel, de zucht naar vryheid, den
droom eener Afrikaner-natie in duizenden harten doen
ontwaken." (Hofmeyr's " De Afrikaner-Boer en de Jameson-
Inval," p. 290, 1896.)
Output. — The quantity of gold or diamonds obtained from
the mines or diggings in any given period.
" There is every prospect of the May output exceeding
40,000 ounces." (" Cape Argus," 9 January, 1902.)
Outspan — (1) At intervals along the roads in South Africa
spaces are beaconed off, some public, others private, where
animals may be outspanned and allowed to graze ; these spaces
are known as "outspans". (2) The word is also used in
another sense, and refers, as in the second quotation, not to
the place, but to the act of outspanning.
" He proposed to ride on slowly in the evening to the
next outspan." (Baines' " Explorations," p. 28, 1864.)
" The night of our first outspan was one of the coldest
we had experienced in South Africa." (Wood's " Through
Matabeleland," p. 1, 1893.)
Outspan, To. — (G. spannen, to yoke, to put to.) To take
animals from the yoke or harness for rest and food.
"They very frequently unyoke or outspan ... at Salt
Eiver." (Burchell's "Travels," i. p. 52, 1822.)
Ou-vrouw-onder-de-Komberse. — (D. lit. "Old woman
under the blanket ".) This is the humorous designation
given by the Dutch to a dish consisting of Carbonatjes (q.v.)
baked in dough or batter — not unlike the English dish
known as " Toad-in-the-hole ".
Overberg. — (D. over, over, beyond ; berg, a mountain.)
28 *
356 AFEICANDBRISMS
In Natal this term is applied to the territories across its
mountainous borders.
" The districts situated, with respect to the metropolis,
beyond these mountains (Hottentot Holland), and also their
inhabitants and produce are often distinguished in a general
way by the word overbergsch (tramontane)." (Burchell's
Travels," i. p. 88, 1822.)
" The trade with the Dutch States beyond the Drakens-
berg, which is technically known as the Overberg trade."
(Mann's " Natal, " p. 170, 1859.)
" Sir Albert Hime, the Natal Premier, interviewed on the
question of congestion of traffic and stoppage of permits for
civil trade Overberg, said . . . the Government had taken
action." (" E. Province Herald," 3 March, 1902.)
Ox-peckers. — The common name of Buphaga africana
and B. erythrorhynca. See Tick birds and Rhinoceros bird.
" During our stay in the bush Ox-peckers appeared in
numbers about our oxen, and actually ate large holes in the
fleshy part of their backs." (Layard's " Birds of South
Africa," p. 419, 1875-1884.)
" The eggs of the red-billed Ox-pecker are spotted with
purphsh red." (Haagner and Ivy's "Sketches iof South
African Bird Life," p. 118, 1908.)
Paapjes. — (D. paapje, a cocoon, chrysalis.) In horses these
are the larvae of the fly Aestrus equi or Gastrophilus equi,
and are known in English as " bots ".
" The papies is the outcome of the gad-fly or horse-fly
which deposits its eggs or larvae on the quarters of animals
and underneath the belly of the animal. The animal by bit-
ing and licking itself conveys them to the mouth and thence
into the stomach." ("The Farmer's Weekly," p. 767, 17
January, 1912.)
Paar. — (D. paar, a pair, couple, some. Ijait. par, equal,
a pair.) A curious use of the word pair occurs in the English
of the Midland districts due to the influence of the Dutch
idiom. To a boy of the Midlands a pair of apples does not
necessarily imply two only, nor two that happened to be
exactly alike — it is used in the sense of some, a few. Of. G.
Kormnen Sie in ein paar Tagen ? (Will you come in a few
days ?).
" Ge my asseblief 'npaar voorbeelde." (Give me, please, a
few examples.) (Oom William's " Samesprake," p. 7, 1885.)
AFEICANDBEISMS 357
Paard. — (D. paard, a horse.) The term applied by the
Namaquas to the block of wood which they employ to assist
them in crossing swollen rivers. See Eiver horse.
" He launched into the stream upon a log of wood about his
own length, commonly used for this purpose, called a paard
or horse." (Steedman's "Adventures," i. p. 159, 1835.)
Paarde bos. — (D. paard, a horse ; hos, a bush.) The
Namaqualand name of a shrub of which horses are very fond.
Paarde frutang. — Some of the larger species of Bomulea
are so named in the Eiversdale District.
Paarde kapok. — (D. paard, a horse ; Mai. kapas, cotton.)
Lanaria plumosa, Ait. (See Thunberg's " Flora Capensis,"
p. 325, 1823.)
" Here, however, was plenty of that curious plant called
by the Colonists PaardekapoJc, or horse cotton." (Bunbury's
" Journal," p. 105, 1848.)
Paardepis. — Clausena incequalis, Oliv. The name has
reference to the peculiar smell of the wood of this shrub.
The juice of the leaves of this plant is used for "sore eyes ".
Through some confusion Bklon and Zeyher give the
name Hippobromus (a Greek translation of the Dutch name)
to quite a different shrub ; and although the Government
Forest Lists quote the Dutch name opposite Hippobromus
alata, it is applied by the Colonists solely to Clausena
mcequalis, the foetid smell of which it suits exactly.
" These two species bear the coarse and inappropriate name
of Paard, — which is given them by the Colonists of the S.E.
coast where they abound." (" C.G.H. Lit. Gazette," p. 161,
1831.)
"Hippobromus . . . Name, tTTTro?, a horse, and /S/ow/ios, a
smell; colomsX name Paardepis. ("Flora Capensis," Vol. i.
p. 241, 1859-1860.)
Paardepram. — (D. paard, a horse ; praam, a woman's
breast.) Xanthoxylon capense, Harv. In the trees of large
growth the trunk is covered with knobs somewhat resembling
a mare's teat — hence the name. See Knob-wood.
"A perfect vegetable cure for snake bite exists in the
shape of the root of a tree growing in most parts of South
Africa. The Dutch name spelt phonetically is paraprom."
(" Scientific African," p. 60, 1896.) (The Editor identifies
"paraprom" as being probably Poly gala serpentaria, but
that is known to the Dutch as the "Kaffir Slangen Wortel ".)
358 AFEIOANDEEISMS
Paarde vijgen. — (D. paa/rd, a horse; vijg, a fig.) The
name given to a variety of Mesembrycmthemum.
" The native plants will do their share in staying the
sands ; the succulent creeping Mesembryanthemums (T'gau-
kum and Paarde vygen) and Myrica all help to render the
sands more stable." (Stoneman's " Plants and their Ways in
South Africa," p. 97, 1906.)
Paarde visch. — (D. paarde, a horse ; visch, a fish.)
Agriopus verrucorus, G. and V. The resemblance which the
profile of the head of this fish bears to that of a horse, which
is enhanced by the mane-like appearance of the dorsal fin,
has given rise to this name. See Horse-fish.
Paardevoetjes. — (D.paard,d,'h.ox^e; voet,&ioot.) A large
variety of Patella.
Paardeziekte. — (D. paard, a horse ; ziehte, sickness.) See
Horse-Sickness.
"De ' paa/rdenziehte' wordt beschreven als een acute ont-
steking der longen met sterke afscheiding van serum, dat zich
in de lucht-cellen ophoopt, en in ongunstige gevallen den dood
veroorzaakt door verstikking." (Cachet's " De Worstelstrijd
der Transvalers," p. 358, 1882.)
Paarlemoer or Perlemoen. — (D. paarl, a pearl; moeder,
contr. moer, mother.) (1) Mother-of-pearl. (2) Several
varieties of Haliotidce are so called. See Klip-kous.
The form Perlemoen seems to have arisen from a mistaken
etymology.
" Perlamoen te stoof. — Haal di perlamoen uit di skulp,"
etc. (Dijkman's "Kook, Koek en Eesepten Boek," p. 18,
1898.)
"The Paarl lemoen (!) or Klip kous (' stone stocking '),
a species of shell-fish found on many parts of the South
African coast, adhering to the rocks." (Hilda's " Where is it ?
of Eecipes," p. 164, 1904.)
" The Perlemoen or Klipkoes of South African seas (Hali-
otis)." (Gilchrist's " South African Zoology," p. 192, 1911.)
Paarl, The, — (D. paarl, a pearl.) A town in the Western
Province, situated at the foot of a granite ridge, whose enor-
mous boulders glistening in the sun like huge pearls, suggested
the name.
" Dieser Weg fiihret hemach auf einen Berg, der Perlen-
Berg genannt. Nicht als ob man Perlen auf ihm f ande, sondern
wegen eines grossen Felsens auf seinen grossen Gipfel, den
AFEICANDEEISMS 359
die gemeinen Leute einer Perle ahnlich halten." (Kolben's
" Beschreibung," p. 227, 1745.)
" The mountain of the Paarl furnishes a fine field for the
botanist." (Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 61, 1801.)
Pacht. — (Lat. pactus, an agreement, a pact.) An agree-
ment, a duty, an impost ; as D. zout-pacht, the salt duty.
" We would seriously take into consideration the propriety
of re-establishing the old Pacht for Cape Town." (" C.G.H.
Lit. Gazette," p. 243, February, 1832.)
Pack-ox. — Oxen were used in South Africa, before the
advent of Europeans, both by Hottentots and Kaffirs for riding
purposes and for carrying loads, and are still so used by the
Kaffirs. A hole is bored through the gristle of the nose and
a wooden pin passed through it, to each end a riem was
fastened, the whole doing duty as bit, bridle, and reins. A
sheep's skin is folded and fastened on the back by another
riem passing quite round the body of the animal, for a
saddle.
" Diese Last OcJisen gebrauchen die Hottentotten zum
Wegtragen ihrer Hiitten und Gerathschafft . . . auch setzen
sie die alte Leute, Kranke und Schwachen darauf." (Kol-
ben's " Beschreibung," p. 166, 1745.)
" These oxen are by the colonists called pack-oxen, they
being also used for carrying packs and burthens." (Sparr-
man's " Voyage," i. p. 288, 1785.)
" It was curious to see officers riding at the head of their
men on pack-bullocks guided by a thong through the carti-
lage of the nose." (Hoodie's "Battles of South Africa," i. p.
370, 1888.)
Pack, To. — This word is sometimes used with the meaning
of " to tramp, or tread in ".
" The ground all round was packed flat with their spoor."
(Gordon Cumming's " Adventures," i. p. 143, 1850.)
Padda. — (D. pad, a toad ; cf. Eng. pad-iock, a frog, toad ;
Mid. Eng. padde ; Scot, padda.) The South African name
for all varieties of frogs, generally pronounced " podder ".
" ' It sounds like treacle,' said Abe with a puzzled look,
' but I don't see what the podder's got to do with it any
how.' " (Glanville's " Tales from the Veld," p. 241, 1897.)
Padda klauw. — (D. pad, a toad ; klauw, a claw, paw.)
Teucrium africanum. The flowers of this plant resemble i n
shape a frog's or toad's foot — hence the name.
360 AFEICANDBEISMS
Padda slljm. — (D. pad, a toad; slijm, slime, mucus.)
The fine filaments of several species of freshwater algae —
Confervacea — are so named.
Paddavanger. — (D. pad, a toad ; vangen, to catch.) This
is another name for the Hammerkop (q.v.).
" The crane put in a claim for high flying, also the pad-
derf anger, and the owl too ; but of course he was laughed at,
for he was far too sleepy to do anything of the sort."
("Everyday Life in Cape Colony," by X.C, p. 42, 1902.)
Paddawater. — (J), pad, a toad.) Water pools caused by
the rain in which frogs breed.
" Some farmers accuse the so-called padda water col-
lecting after the rainfall." (" S. A. Agric. Joum.," p. 40, July,
1912.)
" Water of whatever description, river or rain (so-called
padawaterjes), could not be responsible for the disease "
(Lamziekte). (" S. A. Agric. Journ.," p. 46, July, 1912.)
Paddy or Padda. — Lophius upsicephalus, known at East
London as the devil-fish or angler.
" Known in several places in the Colony as the Paddy,
and in others as the Devil fish." (Gilchrist's " History of
the Local Names of Cape Fish," p. 219, 1900.)
Padkost. — (D. pad, path ; Icost, food.) Food provided for
a journey.
Padlooper. — (D. pad, path ; looper, a runner.) (1) A
small tortoise is so named. (2) It is more commonly
applied, perhaps, to a tramp or vagabond.
" Here I saw the first land-tortoise of the species called
by the Dutch patlooper, from their generally keeping in the
pathway or carriage road." (Latrobe's "Journal," p. 57,
1818.)
" Daar leerde ik op de sporen van schildpadden (padloopers)
loopen, tot ik ze in handen had." (Hofmeyr's " Twintig
Jaren in Zoutpansberg," p. 9, 1890.)
Padloopertje.^ — (D. pad, path ; looper, runner.) Megalo-
phonus cinereus, Lay. The reference is to the habit which
this bird has of running along the road. See Kuifkop koes-
koetje.
Pagter. — (D. pachter, a farmer, tenant ; Lat. pactus, an
agreement, bargain.) A tenant farmer ; a licensed retailer of
spirituous liquors.
" There were also a town butcher and baker, and a pagter
AFEICANDEEISMS 361
(pakter) or retailer of wine and brandy." (Burchell's
" Travels," ii. p. 145, 1824.)
Paijbos. — Bhus lucida. This would appear to be a mis-
print for Taaibosch (q.v.).
" I have heard of their (Aquila verreauxi) nests in
Paybos bushes {Bhus lucida) along the Zeekoe Eiver."
(Layard's " Birds of South Africa," p. 34, 1875-84.)
Paint brushes. — The flowers of the Hamanthus are
known by this name in the neighbourhood of East London.
" The flowers are known to the children hereabouts as
paint brushes." ("East London Dispatch," p. 5, 20 July,
1909.)
Painted lady. — Gladiolus debilis, Ker., is so named in the
Western Province.
" Gladiolus . . . Painted Ladies and ' Kalkoentjes ' belong
here. Eighty-one species of this large genus are found in
South Africa." (Stoneman's " Plants and their Ways in
South Africa," p. 198, 1906.)
Paljas. — (Mansvelt derives this word from the F. pail-
lasse, bed-ticking, a clown, one dressed that is in toile d pail-
lasse; but there can be little doubt, I think, that it is the
Malay word paliyas, invulnerable, charmed against wounds ;
pangliyas, weapon proof.) In the Cape Colony this word is
used of (1) a charm or spell ; (2) a conjuror or sorcerer.
Pallati. — Mpyceros melampus. See Impala and Eooibok.
" One is called Paala (Parla) by the Bichuanas."
(Burchell's " Travels," ii. p. 300, 1824.)
Palm. — An Eastern Province name for various members
of the GycadacecR Family. See Bread palm.
" The local cycads are commonly called ' Kaffirbread,'
. . . 'hxe&A-palm,' or simply palm." ("East London Dis-
patch," p. 3, 24 December, 1908.)
Palmiet. — Prionium Palmita, a species of Juncacece, the
stalk of which has a pleasant, nut-flavoured, edible pith
which the coloured people and children seem to enjoy.
" Sometimes they (Hottentots) will devour bits of bullock's
hide roasted over the fire ; at others they eat the tender leaves
of the palmiet, a plant resembling flags, which grows in the
river." (Hoodie's " Ten Years in South Africa," i. p. 96,
1885.)
" The flower and root of the bulrush as well as the . . .
palmiet (Juncus serratus) formed the main article of the diet
362 AFEICANDEEISMS
of the Makobas, as well as of the poorer Bechuanas."
(Chapman's " Travels," i. p. 193, 1868.)
Pampelmoose. — (The etymology of this word is uncertain.)
(1) Citrus decumana, L. The forms which this word has as-
sumed are not a little amusing : e.g. pumplenose, pumplemMse,
pummelnose, pimplenoses. See Yule and Burnell's "Anglo-
Indian Glossary," Art. "Pommelo". (2) The fruit of
Physalis peruviana — the Cape gooseberry is also known by this
name : as thus employed it would appear to be a corruption
of the F. pomme-d' amour, Appeltje der liefde (q.v.).
" The pompelmoes or shaddock, the fruit of which is one
of the most wholesome, on account of its refreshing quahty
and taste." (Stavorinus' "Voyages," i. p. 235, 1798.)
Pamperlang. — (Mai. pambujukan, flattery, coaxing, wheed-
ling.) To flatter, cajole.
Pampoentjes. — (D. pam,poen, a pumpkin.) Among the
Dutch the mumps are known by this designation, ht. " little
pumpkins " — inflamed and swollen parotid glands. See Kal-
bassies.
Pan. — (1) A nearly circular depression, in which a saUne in-
crustation generally remains after the water, which accumu-
lates in it in the wet season, has either evaporated or been
absorbed. (2) The word is sometimes used as being synonym-
ous vnth "Vlei" (q.v.).
" The following morning we outspanned at a, pan (lakelet)."
(De Waal's "With Ehodes in Mashonaland," p. 26, 1896.)
" Bines Morgens . . . der Kommandant undich . . . hat-
ten bei einer kleinen Pan (Pfanne d. h. Vertiefung, wo
sich das Wasser ansammelt) abgesattlet. " (Schiel's " 22 Jahre
in Siid-Afrika," p. 189, 1902.)
Pan — A local abbreviation at Kimberley for the somewhat
cumbersome " Du Toit's Pan ".
Pangar — Pagrus laniarius.
" It seems probable that it (panga) may have been origin-
ally a Malay name ; and there is some confirmation of this.
Valentyn in his ' Old and New Bast Indies,' mentions a
fish which the natives called Ikan Pangerang or Pangarang
(literally, prince) which seems to bear some resemblance to
the Cape Panga, more especially in its having the protruding
teeth. I have some confidence, therefore, in offering this
explanation of the name." (Gilchrist's " History of the Local
Names of Cape Fishes," p. 218, 1900.)
AFEICANDBEISMS 363
" Snoek is still in season ; alao pangar, a very nice fish for
frying." (Hilda's " Diary of a Cape Housekeeper," p. 142,
1902.)
Pangolin. — (Mai. pangguUng, the creature that rolls itself
up, Manis Ja/oanica.) Manis Tewnvmchii, a scaled animal
belonging to the Order Edentata (ant-eaters). See Ijzer
magauw.
" Seen from a distance the pangolin or Manis might easily
be mistaken for a small alligator. . . . Possessing the power
of rolling itself into a ball like a hedge-hog, this otherwise
defenceless animal is at once rendered perfectly invulner-
able to the attacks of its foes." (Harris's " Wild Sports," p.
301, 1839.)
Pan out, To. — A slang phrase derived from the process
described below, having reference to the result of a speculation
or venture.
" There's another scheme I've been plotting, but it don't
pan out overmuch." (Mitford's " Luck of Gerard Eidgeley,"
p. 157.)
"Smith he held a commission sale in. the camp every
afternoon. He did not pan out mMch.." (Glanville's " The
Fossicker," p. 119, 1891.)
Pan, To. — Part of the primitive process adopted by pro-
spectors and diggers in dealing with gold-bearing quartz or
soil ; after being crushed it is washed in a round dish partly
filled with water, the gold, if there is any, appearing as a thin
yellow streak at the bottom.
"It was amusing to go to a digger's encampment, see
him 'crush' his quartz, and then pan'ii." ("Adventures
in Mashonaland by Two Nurses," p. 168, 1893.)
Papegaai. — (D. papegai ; Sp. papagayo ; Ar. babagha, a
parrot.) Poicephalus. Parrot. The word is used by
Chaucer : —
The briddes singe, it is no nay,
The spaihauk and the papeiay,
That Joye it was to here
(" Sir Thopas," 11. 1556-58)
but had reference to the green wood-pecker (Gecinus viridis).
Papegaai duif. — (D. duif, pigeon, dove.) Turturcena
delagorguei. The crimson winged pigeon, a rather rare
species.
Papegaai visch. — (D. papegai ; Sp. papagayo ; Ar. hah-
agha, a parrot.) Hoplegnathus conwayi has received this
364 AFEICANDEEISMS
name on account of its hard parrot-like beak. See Parrot
fish and Snoek galjeon.
Paper bark. — The Transvaal name of a species of
Albizzia.
Paper house. — A vast improvement upon the "canvas
house " of the early Diamond Field days. See quotation.
"A very pretty paper house. These paper houses are
common in Bulawayo — they are really wire-wove with
wooden frames, iron roofs, cardboard walls, with proper
fire-places, windows and verandahs, etc. Just like a stone-
built house in appearance, but portable ; sent out from Queen
Victoria Street in pieces." (Baden Powell's " Matabeleland
Campaign, 1896," p. 80, 1897.)
Papier bloem. — (D. papier, paper ; bloem, a flower.) Stat-
ice purpurata. (Thunberg's " Flora Capensis," p. 277, 1823.)
Papies. — The flowers of Gladiolus mllosus are so called.
See Pijpies, of which this seems to be a corruption.
" The pretty little pink or reddish papie (gladiolus villosus)
is scattered over flat places." ("Cape Times," p. 9, 14 Sep-
tember, 1912.)
Papkuil. — Typha angustifolia — the bull-rush.
"In the low swampy parts papkuil and stick reeds."
(" Cape Monthly Magazine," i. p. 266, 1857.)
Parade, The. — A large open space adjoining the Castle,
Cape Town, used for drill, parade, and other purposes.
" On the north-western side of the Castle is the Parade,
a large oblong plain, surrounded by a walk, shaded by pin-
asters and stone pines, and enclosed by a wall and a moat."
(BurcheU's " Travels," i. p. 73, 1822.)
Paradise fly-catcher. — Terpsiphone perspicillaia.
" It is curious that our Paradise fly-catcher, with its fine
plumage and exquisite nest, should have such a wretched
voice." ("Bast London Dispatch," p. 4, 4 December, 1908.)
Parasol tree. — The Lower Albany name for Cussonia
Thyrsiflora. See Noois boom.
Parmantig. — (Sp. para/mento, finery, trappings.) Fashion-
able, haughty, overbearing, impertinent.
" The grass was too long, the water too cold, the rains too
heavy, the markets too far, the money too scarce, the mer-
chandise too dear, the Kaffir too parmantig." (Dower's
" Early Annals of Kokstad," p. 14, 1902.)
" I hear some of his Dorp people are about to leave — he
AFEICANDBEISMS 365
is so independent aiud permansig in hia doings." (Wilmot's
" Life of Sir Eichard Southey," p. 69, 1905.)
Parra or Parrak. — (D.pad, a toad.) A common corrup-
tion of Padda (q.v.)-
Parrot fish. — In the Cape Colony this name is given to
Hoplegnathus conwayi. See Papagaai visch. But in Natal
the name is given to Julis umbrostigma, Bipp., the reference
being to its gay colouring of green, blue and pink.
" The commonest fish found (at Delagoa Bay) are rock-
cod . . . jparro^^sA, long finned dory." (" East London Dis-
patch," 4 July, 1905.)
" I secured the head of the parrot fish, vyhich is somewhat
rare on our coast, in fact it is rare anywhere, only one genus of
this family being known to science." ("East London Dis-
patch," 12 March, 1906.)
Parson crow. — Gorvus scapulatus, Baud. This bird has a
white breast and a white ring round its neck, while the rest
of its body is black. See Wit-borst kraai. The Kaffir
name of this bird is * Hlungulu and occasionally they designate
ministers ama Hlungulu.
Part, For my. — A curious use of this phrase prevails in
some parts of the Cape Province : e.g. " You can do it for
my part," meaning, " You can do it instead of me ". " You
can go for my part," meaning, " You can go in my place ".
Partridge, Busli. — Francolinus natalensis is so called in
Natal.
" The bush partridge measures 13 inches in length."
(Woodward's "Natal Birds," p. 162, 1899.)
Partridge, Cape — Francolinus africanus. A bird widely
distributed throughout South Africa ; it is not a true partridge,
but though a little smaller not unlike its English namesake.
" In the Cape Colony the two best known species are the
Cape Eedwing {Francolinus Levaillanti) and the Grey-wing
or Cape partridge (F. africanus)." (Haagner and Ivy's
" Sketches of South African Bird Life," p. 126, 1908.)
Partridge, Namaqua — Pterochirus namaqua. This bird is
really a Sand-grouse.
" At this place we met with, for the first time, the
Namaqua partridge, a very small species of Grous." (Bur-
chell's "Travels," i. p. 265, 1822.)
Pasganger. — (D. pas, pace, step; gang, gait.) A horse
with a peculiar gait.
366 AFEICANDEEISMS
" The performances of pasgangers and ' trippelaars ' in
former days, are probably lost to history." (Iron's " Settlers'
Guide," p. 159, 1858.)
" It was an ugly old mare, a pasganger that used to
waddle along in most ungainly fashion." (Dugmore's " Ee-
miniscences," p. 33, 1871.)
Pas op ! — (D. oppassen, to wait on, to take care of ; cf.
G. aufpassen and Passen Sie auf!) A common expression
in South Africa equivalent to the English, " Look out ! "
" Take care ! " It is frequently corrupted into " Boss up ! "
" The warning shout of Moritz to pas op, would have
rectified it, but our hunter was here more at home." (Dray-
son's " Tales of the Outspan," p. 122, 1862.)
Pass, A. — A certificate signed by a magistrate or pro-
perly authorized person, given to a slave or servant in olden
days, and in these days to native or Hottentot servants to
establish identity or to authorize them to proceed from one
place to another with horses or stock. The word is practic-
ally equivalent to the English word " permit," a written
licence or permission.
" A vagrancy law, the design of which is to commit men
as vagrants . . . who might be found travelling about, with-
out some pass or ticket of permission to remove." (Free-
man's " Tour," p. 20, 1851.)
Pass system. — The law and its regulations by which
passes or permits were issued as above.
" Upon more occasions than one I have endeavoured to
bring to the notice of the public the evils of the Pass system."
(" The Queenstown Free Press," 2 March, 1859.)
Patrijsje. — (D. patrijs, a partridge.) A wild flower in
the Western Province — the name refers to its shape.
" Kalkoentjes and patrijsjes are good names for some
flowers if one understands Dutch." (Stoneman's " Plants and
their Ways in South Africa," p. 107, 1906.)
Patrijs kos. — (D. ^Jos^^ys, partridge ; feos^, food.) Watsonia
spp.
"The bulbs of the Watsonia — patrijs kos it is called
— so plentiful in some parts of the veld." (" East London
Dispatch," p. 6, 18 October, 1912.)
Pauw. — (D. pauw ; F. paon ; Lat. pavo, a peacock.)
There are three varieties of bustard known by this name :
Otis Kori, 0. Caffra, and 0. Ludwigii. When full grown
they are really fine birds and make i good eating. They are
AFRICANDEEISMS 367
popularly known as the Gom pauw (from its supposed fond-
ness for the gum of the mimosas), the Vlak pauw and the
Bush pauw (from the nature of their respective habitat).
See also Duin pauw.
" A third which appeared to be by much the finest bird in
South Africa . . . called here the wilde pauw, or wild pea-
cock." (Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 139, 1801.)
"On the higher grounds the^ow (a large species of bus-
tard) was frequently seen." (Gardiner's "Journey," p. 226,
1836.)
" There are two distinct species of them — the, bush pauw
and the vlakte or veldt pauw." (Clairmonte's " The Afri-
cander," p. 196, 1896.)
Pawie perski. — (It. Pavia, the town ; D. perzik, a peach.)
A white clingstone peach which originally came from the
neighbourhood of Pavia.
Peach brandy. — A low class spirit which is made from
the yellow or St. Helena peach (q.v.).
" The yellow peach is almost the only kind grown . . . the
Boer farmers use it for making peach-brandy . . . anything
more abominable to a fresh comer than this decoction is
difficult to imagine." (Distant's " A Naturalist in the Trans-
vaal," p. 17, 1892.)
Peach moth. — Erybolus Vaillantia. The Natal name of
this strikingly coloured moth, which is very destructive to fruit.
Peacock ore. — A variety of copper ore abundant in the
copper mines of O'okiep and Concordia in Namaqualand, so
called because of its deep peacock-blue colour.
" The ore is principally bornite — peacock-ore as it is often
called on account of its beautiful iridescent colouring."
(" The State," p. 487, November, 1911.)
Peacock's eyes. — In the Western Province Morcea pavo-
nia is so named.
" Some of our large flowers, as Hypoxia stellata (pea-
cock's eyes), are borne singly on the end of the flower stalk."
(Stoneman's " Plants and their Ways in South Africa," p.
Ill, 1906.)
Peg off, To. — To mark out by pegs one or more " claims "
on an area proclaimed by Government as a gold or diamond
mining area.
Peg out, To. — An adopted Americanism, meaning "to
die ".
368 AFEICANDBEISMS
Pekelaar or Pekelaring. — (D. pekelharing, pickled herr-
ing.) Fish pickled in brine or salted.
" Snoek pekelaar is the name we give to fillets of snoek
shghtly salted and sun-dried." (Hilda's "Diary of a Cape
Housekeeper," p. 142, 1902.)
Pen. — A threepenny piece is so called by the Natal na-
tives and Coolies.
" A Kafir brought me for sale a nesting ov^l, which I at
once purchased for apen (threepenny piece)." (" Queenstown
Free Press," 29 July, 1884.)
" They very seldom will sell anything for less than a
threepenny-bit, which they call a pen, and as they rarely
have change, one is obhged to try and keep a stock of pens
in the house." (Eose Monteiro's " Delagoa Bay, Its Na-
tives and Natural History," p. 55, 1891.)
" He (the native) named the copper penny ' deeblish '
and the silver fourpenny and threepenny pieces, pen."
(Eussell's " Old Durban," p. 104, 1899.)
Penguin, Jackass. — (Port, pingue, fat ; Lat. pinguis.)
Spheniscus demersa. These birds are to be found in large
numbers on some of the islands round the coast ; they nest
in a burrow sometimes of considerable length, and are the
only members of the family that take any trouble to secure
their eggs from hurt. They have received this name because
their cry is ludicrously like the bray of a donkey.
" This species is known to sea-faring men as the Jackass
penguin ; and its favourite resorts are the Ichaboe, Mercury,
Hollanis-bird, and Possession Islands." (Andersson's " Birds
of Damaraland," p. 348, 1872.)
Penknife. — The East London name of a variety of shell-
fish (Solenensis) used as bait.
" Sea lice are unknown at Bast London, but they have a
sort of shell- fish called penknife bait." ("Natal Mercury
Pictorial," p. 154, 1906.)
Penny trumpeters. — The Pied barbet — Tricholcema leu-
comelas has a cry not at all unlike the noise made by a toy-
trumpet — hence the name. The bird mentioned in the
quotation is a tinker bird, a near relative, but it has a loud
metallic call.
" We omitted in a previous month to notice the receipt
from the Albany Museum of another of those elegant little
barbets csWeApenny trumpeters {Megalaimabarbatula), among
AFEICANDBEISMS 369
other specimens." (" South African Magazine," iii. p. 595,
1869.)
Pens en pootjes. — (D. pens, paunch ; poot, a foot.) A dish
composed of sheep's entrails and feet.
" Two or three sheep were killed every day, the entrails
and feet were cooked with the fat of the tail, after a fashion
which is very much in vogue throughout the Colony, under
the name oipens en pootjes." (Lichtenstein's " Travels," ii.
p. 355, 1814.)
Pens mist. — (D. pens, paunch ; mist or mest, manure.)
The contents of the first stomach in ruminants.
" Many farmers had stated that when eaten the pens mist
(contents of the first stomach) caused the disease (Lam-
ziekte)." (" S.A. Agric. Journ.," p. 45, July, 1912.)
Peper boschje. — (D.peper, pepper.) Belhania genistcefolia,
and other species are so named in the Eiversdale District.
Peper en zout. — (D. " pepper and salt ".) A wild flower
has been thus named because of its colour.
Peper wortel. — (D. peper, pepper; wortel, a root.) The
name sometimes given to " horse-radish ".
Perjeer or Prijeel. — (D. prieel, a bower, an arbour; F.
preau, a little meadow ; Lat. pratellum, dim. of pratum, a
meadow.) In South Africa this word is applied to a vine
trellis covering a pathway.
" Sale of a fine property. The attention of our readers is
directed to the sale ... of the property in the estate of . . .
There are also a large yard, perihels, tanks, etc." (" Graaff
Eeinet Budget," 12 July, 1900.)
" The recent frosts, though they dealt havoc to the stan-
dard vines, had no effect whatever on the vines ... on the
periMs (overhead trelhses)." {Ibid., 6 October, 1900.)
Persgras. — (CD. persi, dysentery.) The Western Pro-
vince name of Hydrocotyle Centella, a decoction of the roots
and stalks of which is used in cases of dysentery.
" Among the farmers the plant is known under the name
of Persgras." (Pappe's "Florae Capensis Medicse Prodro-
mus," p. 17, 1868.)
Peruvians or Peruvian Jews. — The Eussian and Polish
Jews are thus designated in the Transvaal. The designation
seems to have been applied in the first instance to certain
Jews from South America, who had failed, under Baron
Hirsch's Colonization Scheme, to make a living there, and
24
370 AFEICANDEEISMS
who subsequently made their way to the goldfields of South
Africa.
" Behold one of the most striking types of Johannesburg
life — the Peruvian." (Barry Eoman in " Eand Daily Mail,"
1900.)
"Peddling Peruvian Jews were mulcted in sums from
£10 downwards . . . and compelled to contribute to the
Pretorian war-chest." (Froes' "Expelled from the Eandt,"
p. 14, 1899.)
Peterselie. — (Lat. petroselinum, Grk. irer poaeKivov, rock-
parsley, from 7r6T/3o?, a rock, and a-eXivov, a kind of parsley,
whence Eng. celery.) Parsley is generally known by this
name among the Dutch of South Africa.
Peterselie tobacco.— A coarse native tobacco sometimes
called Tambookie tobacco. The name refers to the parsley-
like shape of the leaves.
Pheasant, Cape. — Both Francolinus capensis and Pter-
nistes nudicoUis are known under this name ; but, as a fact,
neither true pheasant nor true partridge is found in South
Africa. See Eed-necked pheasant.
" To the former {Francolinus) belong the ' Partridges '
and to the latter (Pternistes) the Pheasants, numbering
thirteen species all told." (Haagner and Ivy's " Sketches of
South African Bird Life," p. 124, 1908.)
Physic nut. — The fruit of Jatropha Gurcas, L. The oil
of this nut produces violent purgative effects like those of
croton oil.
Piano, Kaffir. — See Kaffir piano.
Piano, Mashona. — See Mashona piano.
Picaninny. — (Gnhain, piquinine, little ; Sp. pequeno, small ;
nino, a child.) Occasionally used in South Africa of native
children.
"Allusions to the artist who painted on the rocks in
colours once that glowed, ' creatures not more wild than he ' ;
to mothers nursing their picaninies and maidens listening to
lovers rude in the shifting gleams of fires whose embers have for
ever gone cold ; the men fashioning bows, and dipping arrows
in poison from reptile, insect, and plant which simmered in
a pot ; and the eager feast upon a freshly killed buck after
tiresome dieting upon locusts, ants' eggs, and bulbs." (" Bast
London Dispatch," p. 7, 24 November, 1911.)
Pick-axe. — The slang name of a fiery mixture of Cape
APEICANDEEISMS 371
smoke, pontac, and ginger-beer, in much request in the
Diamond Fields in the early days.
" This done he follows the ambulating canteen . . . and
cools his brow and whets his hopes in pontac and ginger-beer,
pick-axe, or some such compound." (Boyle's " To the Cape
for Diamonds," p. 125, 1873.)
Pierinki. — (Mai. pi/ring, porcelain, a saucer.) The Cape
Dutch name for a saucer.
Pietje canarie. — Ghrysomitris totta. See Brown canary.
" The Pietje and the ' Berg ' canary are not unlike
London sparrows, but they sing with great vigour." (" Cape
Monthly Magazine," i. p. 222, 1870.)
Piet-myn-vrouw. — The onomatopoetic name for both
Cossypha solita/rius and G. bicolor. See Mocking bird. The
former visits the Colony from November to Christmas. See
Whip-poor-will.
" The laughing epimachus made the forest echo with its
screech ; interrupted occasionally by the Piet-myn-vrouw, a
bird of which the Hottentots relate many amusing stories."
(Steedman's "Wanderings," i. p. 189, 1835.)
" Its Dutch name Piet-mijn-vrouw is obviously bestowed
upon it from its call, which sounds not unlike those words."
(Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo," p. 266, 1889.)
" The well-known call of Piet-mijn-vrouw was heard in
the park in the evening of 7 October." (" Bast London Dis-
patch," p. 4, 9 October, 1912.)
Piets. — (Gr. Peitsche, a leather whip, a scourge ; Pol. picz.)
A whip or tough switch.
Pietsnot. — A simpleton, an idiot.
Pig. — Under this name Queenstown boys eat the tuberous
rootstock of Hypoxis a/rgentea, Harv.
Pigeon, Cape. — See Cape pigeon.
Pig lily. — Bichardia africana. The unpoetical name
given in South Africa to this beautiful arum. It grows in
the grandest profusion in the neighbourhood of Cape Town
and elsewhere in the Colony, covering low-lying moist lands
vpith its delicate cream-coloured flower. The pigs dig up and
eat the roots — hence the name. See under Lily, Pig.
" By the sides of watercourses in the lower ground Zante-
deschia cethiopica, grown in English greenhouses under the
name of Arum and Lily of the Nile, was exhibiting its large
white flowers abundantly. As svnne are fond of its roots it
24*
372 AFEICANDEEISMS
is called in this country Pig-root." (Backhouse's " Narrative,"
p. 73, 1844.)
" On the border of the stream grew thousands upon
thousands of arums, pig-lilies as they call them in South
Africa." (Haggard's " Jess," p. 48, 1887.)
Pig-weed. — Amarantus paniculatus, a common garden
weed.
" This plant, so useful to the early Kimberleyites, was, of
course, the Pig-weed {Amarantus paniculatus), ranging abund-
antly on the table land of South Africa and well known to
almost every one who has a garden." (" Bloemfontein Post,"
p. 16, 31 August, 1912.)
Pijl staart. — (D.^}7, an arrow; TiSbt. pilum, a javelin; D.
staa/rt, a tail.) Mylobatis aquila and Trygon pastinaca. It
v?ill be seen that Stavorinus gives this name to a bird.
" There is one sort of it (Eay) which hath a small horny
or bony sting at the end of the tail, which the Dutch in the
Indies call Pijl staart. The Japanese believe that this sting
taken from a live fish is an infallible remedy against the bite
of snakes, rubbing the bitten part with it." (Kaempfer's
" History of Japan," 1690-92, Eeprint, i. p. 229.)
" Many birds now flew near the ship, among which were
some pijlstaarts, or tropic birds with black wings." (Stav-
orinus' "Voyage," i. p. 99, 1798.)
" Mr. Duckett presented me with the tail of a pijlstort
(arrow-tail), a fish caught in Simon's Bay. The tail itself is
slender and about 14 inches in length. From the upper
part of its insertion into the body, proceed two sharp bones,
serrated on both sides . . . which the fish can turn in any
direction, inflicting a most severe and dangerous wound on
his enemy. Every tooth of this long saw acts as a barb, and
if once inserted cannot be extracted without great laceration
of the flesh. It attacks sharks with impunity." (Latrobe's
"JournaV'p. 345, 1818.)
Pijpies. — The popular name of various species of Watsonia
(aleotrides, Ker.). Ixia viridifolia, Lamb, is also known by
this name. See Papies.
" Watsonia. One of the commonest plants we have.
They are known locally as pijpes." (Burton's " Cape Colony
To-day," p. 250, 1906.)
Pijp-voUtabak. — (D. " A pipe-full of tobacco ".) An ex-
pression sometimes employed as the equivalent of " half an
AFEIOANDEEISMS 373
hour ". To the question, " How far is it to — ? " one will
sometimes get the answer, " 0 een pijp voll tabak " = " 0,
about half an hour ".
Pik or Pek. — (D. bepikken, to pick at.) The darting of a
snake in its efforts to bite.
Pikel. — (Mai. pikul, to carry on the back, a[man's burthen.)
As used in South Africa this word means to carry with
difficulty.
Pilawit. — The Albany name of Andropadus importunus .
See Busch-vogel.
" Near Grahamstown ... it is known as the Pilawit."
(Haagner and Ivy's " Sketches of South African Bird Life,"
p. 100, 1908.)
Pinang. — (Mai. ^iwawg^, the areca nut or areca tree.) In
the Cape Colony this word is used of a fish curry.
" Another nice way of cooking fish is what we call penang,
a species of fish curry, which takes about half an hour to do."
(Hilda's "Diary of a Cape Housekeeper," p. 66, 1902.)
Pinang bosje. — (D. bos, a bush.) Another name for the
Kinabosje (q.v.).
Pinang frikadel. — Curried minced meat.
Pinang vieesch. — (D. vleesch, flesh, meat.) Curried meat.
Pinch out, To. — A phrase applied by miners to the gradual
working out of gold-bearing reefs, etc.
" The gold reefs in the Mazoe valley pinched out and did
other disagreeable things." (Bent's "Euined Cities of
Mashonaland," p. 294, 1893.)
" The reefs either pinching out to nothing at a depth of
from 25 to 50 feet, or degenerating into quartz containing
little gold." (Churchill's "Men, Mines, and Animals,"
p. 234, 1896.)
Pincusliion cactus. — The not inappropriate name given in
the neighbourhood of Queenstown to a plant which is not a
cactus ; in shape and appearance it is much like an overgrown
pincushion : Euphorbia pulvinata, Marloth.
Pinoti bosje. — (Mai. piniti ; Port, alpinete, a pin.) Xan-
thium spinosum (q.v.). The name has reference to its pin-like
thorns. See Boete-bossi.
Pink pinkje. — Drymoica testrix. Onomatopoetic name
derived from the metallic cry of the bird.
" The ohtraeive pifik pinkje was there." (" Scientific Afri-
can," p. 76, 1896.)
374 AFEICANDBEISMS
Pintado.— (Sp. pintado, the guinea or speckled fowl.)
A name occasionally given to the guinea-fowl. See Taran-
taU.
" The groves about this place were much frequented by
the birds called Guinea-fowls or pintadoes." (Burchell's
" Travels," II. p. 281, 1824.)
" The wild guinea-fowl, commonly called by the colonists
the Pintado . . . was another of our game birds." (Anders-
son's " Notes of Travel," p. 36, 1875.)
Pipe fish. — Syngnathus acus. A long snake-like fish found
in the rivers.
"The pipe fish . . . produces its young alive." ("Bast
London Dispatch," 18 June, 1906.)
Pipe.Tlie. — It is generally supposed by geologists that the
Kimberley Diamond Mine is the funnel of an extinct volcano ;
this furmel is known as the " pipe," within which the diamond
bearing " blue-ground " is found.
" The strata . . . where cut through by the vertical pipe
have their edges turned sharply upwards." (Noble's " C.Gr.H.
Official Handbook," p. 194, 1886.)
" I . . . believe that like the Kimberley ^i_pe — as the diggers
call it — the diamondiferous earth had been shot upwards
funnel-wise from below." (Bryden's "Kloof and Karoo,"
p. 201, 1889.)
Pipes, Flogging by. — An inhuman practice existing among
the Dutch of the Cape Colony in the old slave days, sufficiently
explained in the quotation. So barbarous a method of punish-
ment could only have been practised occasionally, and then by
those far resident from the officers of justice, and so beyond
proper and effective supervision.
" In offences of too small moment to stir up the phlegm
of a Dutch peasant, the coolness and tranquillity displayed at
the punishment of his slave or Hottentot is highly ridiculous,
and at the same time indicative of a savage disposition to
cruelty lurking in his heart. He flogs them not by any given
number of lashes, but by time, and as they have no clocks
... he has invented an excuse for the indulgence of one of
his most favourite sensualities, by flogging them till he has
smoked so many pipes of tobacco as he may judge the mag-
nitude of the crime deserves. The Government of Malacca
. . . has adopted the same custom of flogging by pipes, and
the fiscal or chief magistrate or some of his deputies are the
AEEICANDBEISMS 376
smokers on such occasions." (Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 145,
1801.)
Piquetberg. — (F. piquet, a stake, peg ; the sense of " out-
post," which the English word has, is secondary, and comes
from the picketing of the horses, i.e. fastening them to pegs.)
This mountain, situated in the north-west of the Colony, is
said to have been thus named from the fact that in the early
days of the Colony a picket was posted there to keep the
authorities informed of trouble or unrest among the Hot-
tentots. Wangemann's derivation must be taken for what it
is worth.
"I dispatched my wagon on the 15th towards the
Piquet Berg, and, together vsdth my companions, passed the
day in this place." (Paterson's " Narrative," p. 75, 1789.)
" Der Name Piketberg . . . kommt daher, dass eine
Gesellschaft Weisser dort einmal bei irgend einer Gelegenheit
eine Partie Piquet gespielt hat." (Wangemann's " Eine Eeise-
Jahr in Siid-Afrika," p. 46, 1868.)
Pisang. — (Mai. pisang, the cultivated banana or plantain.)
Musa paradisaioa and M. sapientum. This word is not so com-
mon in South Africa as it seems to have been at one time,
though it is still in use among the Dutch.
" They call in their language the cow Calambe, the plan-
tane Pison." (" Hakluyt " (MacLehose's Ed.), vi. p. 400,
Lancaster's "Voyage," 1591.)
" The pisang was to be met with in his garden of a mag-
nificent growth." (Sparrman's "Voyage," i. p. 78,1785.)
" Two days without food in the Pungwe, subsisting
on Pisangs (bananas)." (Du Toit's " Ehodesia," p. 184, 1897.)
Pisgoed. — Euphorbia Genistoides, Linn. So called be-
cause when eaten by castrated animals it produces severe
urethritis, which unless treated in its early stages results in
death.
Pistol bush. — Adhatoda Duvernoia, so called in the neigh-
bourhood of King William's Town from the noise made by
its bursting capsules.
Pitched out. — A variation of " Pinched out " (q.v.).
" They were surprised on arriving there to find the reef
pitched out, i.e. run to its end." (De Waal's "With Ehodes
in Mashonaland," p. 237, 1896.)
Pit. — (D. pit, a kernel, pip.) This word is in common
use in South Africa as a name for the stones of fruit. It is
376 AFEICANDEEISMS
used with the same meaning in New York, and is a remnant
there of the old Dutch occupation.
Piti.— See Ipiti.
Pitjes. — (D. dim. of pit, a kernel, pip.) Small kernels or
pips.
Pitjies. — (M. pitis ; Java, pichis, small coin, money. "It
was the ancient coin of Java, and also the only one of the
Malays when first seen by the Portuguese," Crawford.)
Used colloquially for money — De pitjies zijn schaars — money
is scarce.
Oom Jannie sal ons peetoom maak
Want anders is de Ou geraak
Syn pitjies in gevaar.
(Eeitz's " Afrikaanse Gedigte," p. 53, 1897.)
Pi-tjou-tjou. — The onomatopoetic name of a bird of the
titmouse species.
Pitso. — (Sesuto, pitso, call, assembly, gathering ; Sechuana,
piicho, an assembly, a council.) The public deliberative
gatherings of the Chiefs or Councillors of the Basutos are
thus named.
" The other chief said they should come to the peetso all
well powdered." (Campbell's " Travels," i. p. 264, 1822.)
" The piicho or assembly remained sitting in easy con-
versation for nearly an hour longer." (Burchell's " Travels,"
II. p. 408, 1824.)
" All great questions, and all questions relating to peace
or war, are decided on in public assemblies which are de-
signated in their language by the name of Peetshoe."
(Philip's "Eesearches," n. p. 132, 1828.)
" The annual Pitso was held at Maseru on the 19th in-
stant, about 10,000 being present." (" Queenstown Free
Press," Sup., 28 October, 1879.)
Plamploet. — The name given to a variety of frog.
Plandockje. — A variety of frog.
Platanna or Plattie, — (Apparently a corruption of plat-
hander, flat-handed.) The name given to a variety of frog —
Xenopus Icevis — having a flat back, free fingers, and webbed
toes.
" It's a platana, one of them web-footed, flat-backed,
smooth-skinned, yeller frogs, with a mouth that goes all
round its neck." (G-lanville's " Kloof Yarns, " " The Empire,"
24 September, 1898.)
AFKICANDBKISMS 377
" It is not certain that when driven by hunger the plattie
does not revert to cannibalism." (" East London Dispatch,"
p. 6, 23 October, 1908.)
" The . . . Plathander (flat hand) or Clavred toad,
Xenopus Icevis, vphich occurs in most pools of v^ater. . . .
The Plathander seldom leaves the water, and may be most
easily procured by a drag-net." (Gilchrist's " South African
Zoology," p. 224, 1911.)
Platdoorn. — (D. plat, flat ; doom, a thorn.) Arctopus
echinatus, L. This plant is also known among the Dutch as
Ziekte troest (q.v.) ; a decoction is made from the root and
used for all kinds of cutaneous eruptions.
" The plat doom (Arctopus echinatus, Lin.) has long
been known to some of the surgeons of the Colony."
(Hoodie's " Ten Years in South Africa," i. p. 233, 1835.)
Plate-glass diamond. — This is the designation on the
Diamond Fields of a real diamond of a very brittle character,
which in colour and appearance is like a crystal of glass.
" Strange as it may appear a diamond is not in reality a
homogeneous substance, but is laminated, or in layers. In
some diamonds these layers can be easily separated, especially
so in the so-called ' plate-glass ' ones. . . . These plate-glass
diamonds are very white and peculiarly clear ones, having in
reality more the appearance of crystals of glass than of dia-
monds." (Lacy's "Pictures of Travel, etc.," p. 164, 1899.)
Plattekop. — (D. plat, flat ; kop, a head.) Glarias Garie-
pensis. See Catfish.
"It has a smooth and scaleless slimy skin . . . and a
huge, flat, bony head, from which the Boers give this fish
the name of Platte-kop, or plate-head." (Bryden's " Animals
of Africa," p. 197, 1900.)
Platte peters. — See Boerboontjes.
Plezierig. — (F. jjZotsir, pleasure, delight ; Ti.placere.) An
idiomatic expression in Cape Dutch equivalent to the English
"good-bye ".
Plover, Horse- shoe. — Charadrius tricollaris. The name
refers to the marking on the bird's neck. The bird has an
interesting method of securing its food ; a variety of beetles
and other insects harbour beneath the pats of cow-dung
hardened by the sun, the bird jumps upon these pats and
continues jumping till the disturbed insects try to escape,
when it secures them.
378 AFEICANDEEISMS
Pluimvee. — (D. pluim, a plume, feather ; vee, cattle.)
Poultry.
" So behandeld, is dit gen wonder dat ons di uitroep hoor :
' Pluimvee betaal ni '." (Dijkman's " Kook, Koek en Eesepten
Boek," p. 178, 1898.)
Plumbago. — Plumbago capensis. There are two Cape
varieties of the leadwort, the flower of the more common of
which is a very deUcate blue. The other, nearly white, is P.
zeylanica, Linn.
Pocket, A. — The holes in the bed-rock, which have been
filled by particles of gold, are known as "pockets".
" The South African diamond fields were henceforth
established, but of such pockets as Dutoitspan and New Eush
none yet had any inkHng." (Boyle's "To the Cape for
Diamonds," p. 86, 1873.)
" Fossicking with various success, at times earning only
his 'tucker,' at others rising to comparative wealth on the
discovery of a rich pocket." (Grlanville's " The Fossicker," p.
248, 1891.)
Poelepetaat or Poelepetater. — (F. poule, a hen; pintade ;
Sp. pintado, a guinea-fowl.) A name sometimes given by the
Dutch to the guinea-fowl. See Tarantall.
" It is rather interesting to note that there are two names
for the guinea-fowl living side by side, Poulepetate and ' Tar-
entaal,' apparently of Indian origin." ("Northern News,"
27 August, 1912.)
Poeskop. — See Koeskop.
" Of all things mind cow elephants without tusks; they
are not common, but if you do come across a poeskop like
this, ' pas-op ' (take care)." (Drayson's " Sporting Scenes," p.
151, 1858.)
"Poeskop, een groote zeevisch ; ook een rund zonder
horens. Gew. hoort men ook : poens-, koens-, en koes-kop."
(Mansvelt's "Idioticon," in loc, 1884.)
Poffertjes. — (P . pouf, pouffer , to blow up; Eng.^Mjf, any-
thing swollen and hght, as puff-pastry, powder-puff.) Light
spongy cakes, cooked in fat and coated with crushed or
powdered sugar.
" Poffertjes is an old Dutch pudding recipe worth pre-
serving." (Hilda's " Where is it ? of Eecipes," p. 196, 1904.)
Poison root. — See Gift-bol.
Poker plant. — The name sometimes given to the bulrush.
AFEICANDEEISMS 379
" Having a finger cut by the leaf of one (sedge) which we
had started to dig up as a poker plant." (" East London
Dispatch," p. 6, 18 October, 1912.)
Pokkies. — The Cape Dutch name for the small-pox.
" The Boers are of course withheld from coming from a
fear of the Pokkies, the virulency of which is greatly exagger-
ated." (" The Queenstown Free Press," 19 October, 1859.)
" They cried out, ' But we are doctors come to vaccinate
you and prevent you from getting the pokkies '." (Justice
Cole's "Eeminiscences," p. 26, 1896.)
Pompelmoosje. — Stromatus microchirus. One of the edible
fishes of the Cape waters, so called from some fancied resem-
blance, probably, to the Pampelmoose (q.v.) .
Pondok. — (Mai. pondok, a stage house, a leaf shelter, an
encampment. The suggestion which Mansvelt makes, that
the word is a corruption of the Bast Indian pandoppo, een
soort van open hut, is scarcely necessary, it having been in
all probability introduced directly by the Malays. Latrobe
— see quotation — gives the word a distinctly Dutch appear-
ance ; he was obviously feeling for a meaning.) In the Dutch
of South Africa this word is applied to a mean or shabby
hut.
" The present dwelling put up in the place of the house
burnt by those ferocious invaders (the Caffres), is a hovel,
not much better than a Hottentot's bondhoek." (Latrobe's
" Journal," p. 218, 1818.)
" Their dwelling comprises two separate buildings — one a
mere pondok, which served as a kitchen." (Noble's "The
Cape and its People," p. 50, 1869.)
" While the majority of the Boers have grown rich in the
corruption in Pretoria, the poor burghers are Uving in pan-
dokkies on the outskirts of the town." ("Eastern Province
Herald," 4 November, 1899.)
"In the morning we found that a dozen or more Hotten-
tots had pitched their pondhocks close to the wagon." (" The
State," p. 612, December, 1911.)
Pont. — (D. pant, a ferry-boat.) The name given to a sort
of moving bridge running upon ropes or chains, by which
wagons, cattle, etc., are transported from one side of a river
to the other.
" Means for crossing the river when too deep to be forded
have been provided by building a Pont (ferry-boat) at a place
380 APEICANDEEISMS
a little farther up the stream." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p.
140, 1822.)
Pontac. — (The name of the town in the South of France,
whence the vines appear to have been originally brought.)
A dark, dry wine of good medicinal qualities, and when pro-
perly matured, nearly equal to the best European port.
" Of the dark grapes the Pontac is the most valuable.
With careful manipulation it will give a very fine dark wine
which equals the Bordeaux." (Noble's "C.G.H. Official
Handbook," p. 276, 1886.)
" Here there was a commissariat store, and the officers in
charge . . . gave me half a loaf and some Pontac wine."
(Fenn's " How I Volunteered for the Cape," p. 100,
1879.)
Pontman. — The official who is responsible for the working
of the " Pont " (q.v.).
"We stopped at the house of the ferry-man, or pontman
as he is here termed." (Lichtenstein's " Travels," ii. p. 128,
1814.)
Poop. — (Zulu, im Pupa, meal, fine flour.) Mealie meal
porridge is generally known by this name among the natives
of Natal.
" In about an hour a man came . . . and shoved in another
of those wooden bowls containing mealie poop." (Eussell's
" Under the Sjambok," p. 176, 1899.)
Poor. — This word is in common use in South Africa with
the meaning " thin " or " in poor condition " ; it seems to be
a survival of the use of the word in various English dialects,
as applied to live stock.
" When Oom Jacob went away he left six oxen that were
too poor (thin) to go." (Haggard's "Jess," p. 85, 1887.)
Poor man's weather-glass. — Anagallis arvensis. One
form has pink flowers, the other blue, the latter is much more
frequently met with. The pimpernel.
" The Poor man's weather-glass (Anagallis) and Hypoxis,
split round the centre of the ovary so that the upper half falls
off." (Stoneman's " Plants and their Ways in South Africa,"
p. 143, 1906.)
Poort. — (D. poort, gate, gateway ; Lat. porta, a gate, en-
trance, outlet, passage. Of. the official designation of the
Turkish Government — the Sublime Porte, which Wedgewood
says is a perverted French translation of Babi Ah, lit. "the
AFEICANDEEISMS 381
high gate," the chief office of the Ottoman Government.)
A narrow pass between precipitous hills or mountains.
" The poort may be considered as the entrance into Cam-
deboo." (Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 109, 1801.)
" A pass, or as the Dutch call it, a Poort." (Baden Powell's
" Matabeleland Campaign, 1896," p. 142, 1897.)
Poor whites. — A class of Boer farmer, whose want of
thrift and industry has reduced them to poverty and to a style
of living by no means conducive to either health or morality.
" Hhepoor white and the loafer, though perhaps both in-
curable, are, unlike the poet, made, not bom ; they are the
direct result of the circumstances under which they exist."
(" Eeport S.A.A.A. Science," p. 484, 1907.)
Pooties. — (Kaf. i Puti, the small bluebuck.) Gephalopus
monticola.
" I was after pooties at the time, and got a rare fright and
made tracks for my father's camp." (" Bast London Dis-
patch," p. 9, 4 October, 1912.)
Pootje slang. — (J).poot, a foot ; slang, a snake.) A species
of Zonuridce (ChamasoMra) with a body 18 to 20 inches
long, much like a snake, but having small undeveloped
legs. They bask on the top of the long grass, and are very
quick in their ijiovements. They are fairly common in Natal,
but the one mentioned in the quotation from Anderson was
exceptionally long.
" The natives mention a very singular little snake, about
7 or 8 inches long, possessing four distinct legs, each pro-
vided with toes and nails like a lizard." (Andersson's " Lake
Ngami," p. 300, 1856.)
" At this outspan I killed a yellow snake, three feet in
length, with four legs. I heard there were such in Natal,
but this is the first I have seen." (Anderson's " Twenty-five
Years in a Waggon," i. p. 88, 1887.)
Popple-viet. — An onomatopoetic name applied in the
Transvaal to Pycnonotus layardi. See Tiptol.
" Known to the colonists as ' Tiptol,' and to the natives
as ' Kwebula '. Both of these names, as well as the Trans-
vaal name of Popple-viet, are attempts to produce the bird's
song." ("East London Dispatch," p. 3, 9 August, 1912.)
Porcupine fish. — See Zee vark and Globe fish.
Porkwood. — Kiggelaria africana, Linn., the wood of which
is soft and spongy.
Portefisie deur. — (P. porte, door, gate; Ti. porta, a gate;
382 AFEICANDEEISMS
F. briser, to split, fold up.) The half-doors of old farm-
houses : the folding doors used to divide room from room.
Note how the sense of F. porte having been lost, it has
been supplied again by the D. deur, a door.
Port Natal. — The name by which the Port of Durban
was known in the earlier days of the Colony, and by which it
is still known to mariners.
" Port Natal is to Durban what Port Philip is to Melbourne,
that is to say, there is no such place as either Port Philip or
Port Natal, these being only names applied to the towns of
Melbourne and Durbaji considered as ports." (Colenso's
" Ten Weeks in Natal," p. 8 n., 1855.)
Portuguese man-o'-war. — Different species of Velella,
Physalia and Perpita have received this designation. They
are far from pleasant company when bathing.
" Portuguese men-o'-war with their fairy sails above, and
treacherous feelers below." (Eoche's " On Trek in the
Transvaal," p. 8, 1878.)
Posteleintjes. — (D. postelein, porcelain, china.) Broken
pieces of porcelain or earthenware, with which the children
often amuse themselves.
Post-horns. — Curiously shaped shells found in certain
localities in great numbers ; they are similar in structure,
though very much smaller, to the shell of the nautilus. The
living animal, which is very much like the cuttle-fish, is
rarely met with.
Potatoes, sweet. — See Batatas. Batatas edulis, Ghoisy.
" This is also super-eminently the region of the sweet
potato." (Mann's " Natal," p. 100, 1859.)
Potatoes, round. — Solanum tuberosum, the ordinary potato
is often spoken of as the " round " potato, to distinguish it
from the " sweet " potato.
" The Irish or round potato . . . became plentiful after
the first year of our settlement." (Eussell's "Old Durban,"
p. 95, 1899.)
Potbrood. — (D. brood, bread.) Bread baked in a pot.
Potclay. — A South African abbreviation of "potter's
clay ". Many of the natives of various tribes are adepts at
making earthenware pots. Cetywayo's Tywala pots would
hold several gallons, and being made entirely by hand were
really clever productions.
" Their (the Bachapins) manufacture of earthen pots is
AFEICANDEEISMS 383
not despicable; they answer their purpose completely, and
are neither clumsy nor ill-shapen." (Burchell's " Travels,"
11. p. 594, 1824.)
" Een droge grond was te verkiezen boven zware potklei,
en moerassige grond was ongeschikt." (" De Worstelstrijd der
Transvalers," p. 210, 1882.)
Potlegs. — The pots used by the natives for cooking
purposes are of cast iron, and stand upon three long thin legs.
It was no uncommon thing in the earlier Kaffir wars for the
natives to break these legs into pieces of a suitable size to use
in their muzzle-loaders as bullets ; the character of the wounds
inflicted by these projectiles can be imagined ; fortunately the
native has never distinguished himself as a marksman.
" A fine old soldier of my regiment rushed at one spot
with only three or four men and got amongst a lot of them
before they could re-load, for they used powder-horns in those
days and long junks of lead, or the legs of iron pots, and thus
took a long time to load." (Hoodie's " Battles in Southern
Africa," ii. p. 27, 1888.)
" One of these marksmen we have nicknamed old Potlegs
from the nature of the missile (the iron legs of Kaffir cooking
pots) vrith which he treats us." (Baden Powell's " Matabele-
land Campaign, 1896," p. 156, 1897.)
Pot River. — A tributary of the Tsitsa Eiver, Griqualand
East, so called because of the pot-like holes, large and small,
which have been formed in the rocks on its bed.
The deepest pot in a' the linn
They fand Erl Kichard in.
(Scott's " Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border," ii. p. 188, 1861.)
Potted. — A slang term meaning " shot ".
" All the principal officers were potted by the first volley
before they knew they were being fired at." (Hobson's
" At Home in the Transvaal," p. 316, 1884.)
Pound master. — The official whose duty it is to attend to
the affairs of the Pound or Schut (q.v.).
" Pound Sale. Whittlesea, April 20, 1859. 1 Schimmel
horse ; 1 Bay horse ; 1 do. do. ; no marks. J. Thompson,
Pound master." (" The Queenstown Free Press," 16 March,
1859.)
Pram. — A somewhat vulgar word for a woman's breast.
Prambergen. — Mountains shaped like a woman's breast.
" The mountains of the Karreebergen . . . among them
384 AFEICANDEEISMS
one in the form of a depressed cone surmounted with an
additional summit, was distinguished by the name of Pram-
berg." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 300, 1822.)
Prambosch. — (D. praam, a woman's breast.) See Paar-
depram.
Prairie- pig. — In the north of Natal in the earlier days the
Wart-hog (q.v.) was known by this name.
" The animal which is known in the Natal uplands as the
prairie-pig, is properly the African wart-hog." (Brooks'
" Natal," p. 115, 1876.)
Praying-insect. — The Mantis (q.v.) is so called from the
peculiar position in which it holds its front legs.
" The lights in our tents at night attracted the strange
looking ' Mantis religiosa ' or praying insect." (King's
" Campaigning in Kaffirland," p. 308, 1855.)
" Looking at my feet one day, I saw a large specimen
of the Praying mantis, vulgarly called the 'Kaffir god'."
(Tangye's "In New South Africa," p. 269, 1896.)
Predikant. — (Lat. pradicare, to pubhsh, proclaim.) The
usual title given to a clergyman among the Dutch.
"The predicant, who had unfortunately lent himself to
the oppressions of the Company, now pUed them with religious
advice." (" C.G.H. Literary Gazette," iii. p. 37, 1833.)
Prelinite. — A mineral of a greenish grey colour ; it was
discovered in South Africa by a traveller named Prehn, by
whom it was taken to Europe, and after whom it was named.
" In a large block of stone, I found a very fine prehnite,
which perhaps had only come there by chance, since the
people of the country seemed wholly unacquainted with this
sort of stone." (Lichtenstein's " Travels," ii. p. 180, 1814.)
Pretty bird. — A name given by the sealers to Thalassogeron
chlororhynchus.
Prickly heat. — Lichen tropicus. A cutaneous rash, the
pricking itch of which is almost unendurable. It is prevalent
in Natal and the Eastern Province during the intense heat
of the summer.
Prickly pear. — Opuntia tuna. This cactus, from the fact
that any detached part of it will take root, and also that its
seeds are carried everywhere by the birds, is giving South
African farmers a deal of trouble. It seems to be almost
the only imported plant that is capable of making headway
among the indigenous growths of the soil.
APEICANDEEISMS 385
"The Prickly Pear hush or shrab,'~of about 4 or 5 feet
high . . . the fruit at first is green Hke the leaf ... it is
very pleasant in taste, cooling and refreshing." (Dampier's
"Voyages,"!, p. 223, 1729.)
"The prickly pea/r, Opuntia tuna, has become one of the
curses of large areas of grazing land." (Wallace's " Farming
Industries of the Cape Colony," p. 88, 1896.)
Pride of de Kaap. — Bauhinia Galpini, N.E.Br. A
scrambling leguminous bush or climber, bearing a profusion
of scarlet flowers, very common in the Kaap valley, Barber-
ton, is known by this name.
Pride of India or of China. — A designation sometimes
given to the Seringa (q.v.). See Indian pride also for another
application of this name.
" M. Azedarach, Linn., the ' Cape lilac,' or Pride of China,
is cultivated throughout the Colony, and partly naturalized."
(Harvey's "The Genera of South African Plants," p. 49,
1868.)
" We camped close by the river ; we drew our wagon and
pitched our tent beneath a lane of ' sering ' trees {Pride of
India) just then in full blossom." (Du Toit's " Ehodesia," p.
102, 1897.)
Pride of Table Mountain. — The local name of the exquisite
Disa uniflora (usually called grandiflora). This is one of
the most beautiful of the cool growing orchids, and is some-
times called " the flower of the gods ".
" Singly or in masses, the Pride of Table Mountain fondly
named so by Capeites, is a magnificent representative of Flora,
and many are the pilgrimages made to her shrine on the top
of the mountain during the flowering season." (Noble's " The
Cape and its People," p. 261, 1869.)
" The colour of the side sepals is a briUiant carmine, the
remaining parts blush-coloured, with delicate carmine veins
on the inside of the back sepal, and bright orange tints on the
upper parts of the petals. . . . This beautiful flower is the
object of universal admiration, and the name which has been
given to it, the Pride of Table Mountain, indicates the honour
in which it is held. It is indeed the queen of terrestrial
orchids in the Southern Hemisphere." (H. Bolus, D.Sc,
F.L.S., " Orchids of the Cape Peninsula," p. 147, 1888.)
Priests. — HalicBtm vodfer. The East London name for
these birds.
25
386 AFEICANDEBISMS
" The sea eagles, locally known as priests because of their
black and white plumage, are birds I like to see." ("East
London Dispatch," 4 August, 1906.)
Proef preek.— (D. proef, trial, test ; preeken to preach.)
A trial sermon preached by a candidate for the ministry in
the Dutch Eeformed Church.
" The Proef preeJc is a great event. Every theological
student is required by the law of the Dutch Eeformed Church,
to preach two trial sermons, one in Enghsh and one in Dutch,
in the large Dutch Church, before the termination of his last
year." (Mackinnon's " South African Traits," p. 49, 1887.)
Pronk bok. — (D. pronhen, to make a parade, to show off.)
Another name for the Spring-bok (q.v.). The reference is to
the peculiar bounds which this antelope is in the habit of
making, during which it displays the ridge of perfectly white,
curiously scented hair which runs from the withers to the
tail. When making these bounds, pronhen, this white hair,
which at other times is well-nigh hidden, is made to look like
a large plume laid along the back.
" The animals became disturbed, and began those extra-
ordinary saltatory accomplishments {pronken the Boers term
them) from which they take their name." (Bryden's " Kloof
and Karoo," p. 226, 1889.)
Prospect, To. — To search for deposits of precious stones or
metals.
" The only method of prospecting is to dig holes and see
what comes of it." (Boyle's " The Savage Life," p. 17, 1876.)
Prospector. — One engaged in the above search.
"Thus not long ago a ^rospec^or had been murdered by
the Mashonas." (Balfour's " Twelve Hundred Miles in a
Waggon," p. 182, 1895.)
Pruimbast. — (D. pruim, a prune, plum ; bast, bark.) Col-
poon compressum, the berries of which may be dried like
currants. See Bergbast and Cape sumach.
" A tariff of 1/- per 100 lb. was put on Pruimbast and some
other barks at Cedarberg some years ago." (Sim's " Forest
Flora of Cape Colony," p. 304, 1907.)
Pruimbesjes. — (D. pruim, a prune, plum ; bes, a berry.)
A palatable wild fruit growing on small trees or bushes along
the lower slopes of the mountains in the Camdeboo and else-
where in the Karoo.
" In search of pruimbesjes we made many delightful excur-
AFEICANDBEISMS 387
sions on horseback to the foot of the mountains." (Martin's
" Home Life on an Ostrich Farm," p. 230, 1890.)
Pruimpje. — (D. pruim, a quid of tobacco ; cf. the German
sailor's Pruntje, a quid.) A small quantity of tobacco for
either chewing or smoking.
" Even the Sunday school teachers. . . had complained
that there were so many quids (pruim^'es) and so much to-
bacco spittle on the floor that they got quite a turn in their
stomachs." (Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo," p. 329, 1889.)
Puff-adder. — Bitis a/rietans. A sluggish reptile " with
flat head, puffy neck, and a short thick body, beautifully
marked in black and yellow ". The name refers to the blow-
ing noise it makes when disturbed. It is justly feared on
account of the generally fatal character of its bite.
" The Puff-adder, which has its name from blowing itself
up to near a foot in circumference, is of a greyish colour, and
about three feet and a half in length ; it is considerably thicker
than any I ever saw in that country ; its head is large and
flat ; the poison-teeth about an inch long, and hooked. The
Puff-adder is extremely dangerous to cattle." (Paterson's
" Narrative," p. 164, 1789.)
" He proved to be a pof-adder as we believed, one of the
most poisonous species that are found in this country."
(Lichtenstein's " Travels," i. p. 35, 1812.)
" To sit down upon a puff-adder is to sit down for the
last time." (Drummond's " Tropical Africa," p. 166, 1888.)
" The most common South African member of this family
(Viperidai) is undoubtedly the Puff-adder {Bitis arietans), an
ugly brute of yellowish and orange-brown, with regular
chevron shaped dark markings on the back ; it seldom reaches
a length of more than four feet, but is of very stout girth."
(" Science in South Africa," p. 148, 1905.)
Puku. — Gobus vardoni. First discovered by Livingstone
on the upper Zambezi.
" Here I saw a small herd of pookoo antelopes, and after
a long stalk got within shot of them, and broke the shoulder
of the ram whose head I coveted." (Selous' "Travel and
Adventure," p. 259, 1893.)
Punteneurig. — (A corruption of F. Point d'honneu/r.)
Thin-skinned, touchy.
" Porte Brissee, the half-doors of old Dutch houses,
Puntenerig, Fr. Point d'honneur, which some have thought
25*
388 AFEIGANDEEISMS
of Huguenot origin, are to be found in use in certain localities
in Holland." (" Northern News," 27 August, 1912.)
Pyp-klip. — (D. pijp, a pipe, tube ; klip, a rock.) A soft
greenish grey rock found in Namaqualand, from which the
Namaquas make pipe-bowls, etc.
" The Dutch colonists. . . form the bowls of their pipes of
it, and have therefore given it the name of pyp-klip (pipe-
stone)." (Burchell's " Travels," ii. p. 526, 1824.)
Python or Natal Rock Snake. — Python sehcB. This mem-
ber of the BoidcB is fairly common in Natal and Zululand
and in the low country of the Transvaal and Ehodesia.
"The largest and most formidable was the Python or
boa constrictor of Natal." (Fleming's "Southern Africa,"
p. 399, 1856.)
" Snakes are very numerous and of many kinds. The
largest is the handsome python or Natal rock-snake {Hortulia
Natalensis), sometimes over 20 feet long, and common
on the coast." (Eussell's " Natal," p. 37, 1899.)
Qonce or Iqonce. — The native name for the Buffalo Eiver,
and also for King William's Town built on its banks.
Quagga. — Equus quagga, Gm. The name is onomato-
poetic, imitating the peculiar cry of the animal. These
animals, which, a few years ago, grazed in enormous numbers
on the plains of the Karoo and in the Orange Free State,
have now entirely disappeared therefrom.
" The Quacha is striped like the former (Zebra) on the
head and body, but with fewer lines. The flanks spotted ;
the rump plain ; the ground colour of the head, neck, body
and rump, a bright bay ; the belly, thighs and legs white, and
free from all marks. This species has hitherto been supposed
to have been the female of the zebra ; but later observations
prove that the male and female zebra are marked ahke. This
differs likewise in being thicker and stronger made, and in
being more tractable ; for instance, one had been so far broken
as to draw in a cart." (Paterson's " Narrative," p. 17, 1789.)
" The Quagga is so named onomatopoetically, the word
being an imitation of the peculiar bark of the animal, sound-
ing like ouog-ga, the last syllable being very much pro-
longed." ("Scientific African," p. 72, 1896.)
Quagga quick. — (D. kweek, dogs' grass ; cf. Eng. quick-
grass.) The name given to a species of grass that springs up
in the Karoo veld after heavy rains.
APEICANDEEISMS 389
Queen. — (D. kween, a barren cow.) The term applied by
hunters to barren female elephants.
" Old cows and especially queens (barren females) will be
found more difficult to deal with than the bulls." (Nicoll
and Eglinton's " Sportsman in South Africa," p. 61, 1892.)
Queen moth. — Argema mimosa. This beautiful Natal
moth is of a light yellow-green colour and attains to a good
size. Each of the four wings is " eyed " ; the underwings are
produced at the extremities into tails two or more inches in
length and edged on both borders with a narrow orange-
coloured band. The popular name is by no means inap-
propriate.
" The handsome Queen moth of Natal {Argema mimosa) a
beautiful sea-green insect whose wings measure when spread
out more than 5 inches from tip to tip. . . . The silken
cocoons which they spin are familiar to all visitors to Natal
in the shape of the rattling anklets worn by the ' ricksha
boys,' who gather the cocoons after the moths have emerged,
place a few pebbles in them and close the holes by first
moistening and then twisting up the loosened strands."
(" Natal Official Eailway Guide," p. 246, 1903.)
Quick grass. — Two different grasses are known by this
name, viz. Cynodon dactylon (in Bechuanaland C. incompletus,
also), which is commonly known as " Fine quick grass," and
Stenotaphrum caffrum, which is known as " Coarse quick
grass ". The former is the first grass to show green after
rains in the spring, hence the name.
" This idea " (that lamziekte is due to eating wilted grass)
" seems to have originated among the Batlapings, some of
whom associate the disease with the fine quick grass (Cynodon
incompletus)." (" S.A. Agric. Journ.," p. 173, August, 1912.)
Quick stertje or Quicky. — (D. hwihstaa/rt, a wagtail ; the
first syllable means "lively, fuU of motion," and is etymologi-
cally connected with both Eng. quick, alive ; and quake, to
tremble.) Motacilla capensis. These friendly little wagtails
are regarded everywhere with special favour ; the Dutch in
the neighbourhood of Graaff Eeinet sometimes speak of them
as " God's kinder," and caution the children against harming
them. See Wagtail.
" The little Cape wagtail or QuicJcstertje (Motacilla ca-
pensis) one of the tamest and most familiar birds in South
Africa." (" Science in South Africa," p. 139, 1905.)
390 AFEICANDEEISMS
" On the bank are seen a pair of those confiding little
birds the quicky of the Colonial, or the Cape wagtail." (" The
African Monthly," iv. p. 270, 1909.)
Quinine berry. — The Transvaal name of the fruit of Geph-
alanthus natalensis, Oliv.
Quinine tree. — Bauwolfia natalensis. So called because it
is supposed to have medicinal qualities similar to those of
quinine.
"Fairly exhaustive tests were appHed to needle-shaped
crystals which were found to constitute one-fifth per cent of
the bark of the ' Umjela ' or Quinine tree {TaberncBmontana
ventricosa, Hochst.). (?) The tree attains a height of 50 feet in
the Transkeian forests, with a diameter of 4 feet."
(" C.G.H. Agric. Journ.," p. 500, October, 1905.)
Raad, Tlie. — (D. raad, a council, senate.) (1) A council.
(2) The Parliaments of the Transvaal Eepublic and the Orange
Free State were so called ; the buildings in which they
respectively met were known as the Eaadzaal.
"Meantime, Mr. Orpen took umbrage at the Commis-
sioners and at Kok, and his Baad." (Dower's " Early Annals
of Kokstad," p. 71, 1902.)
Raak. — (D. raken, to hit, touch.) This word, sometimes
corrupted into "rock," is in common use in the Midland
Districts, in such expressions as : " That's rak," i.e. " That is
a hit," when a missile, such as a bullet or stone, has hit the
object aimed at.
Raap uyntjes. — (D. raap, a turnip ; ajuin, onion.) An
edible bulb, having the flavour and appearance of the turnip,
is so named in Namaqualand.
Rabl)edoe or Robbedoe. — A tomboy, careless person.
Rabbit fish. — Callorhynchus aniarcticus. This fish is
known by this name at East London, because of its rabbit-
like mouth. See Elephant fish and Joseph.
"Another curious fish on exhibit ... is the so-called
rabhit-fish, so named on account of its rabbit-hke mouth."
(" East London Dispatch," 24 June, 1905.)
Ragwort. — Several species of Senecio {S. latifoUa, etc.) are
thus named in the Eastern Province; they are credited
with giving horses the disease known as " Stomach staggers ".
See Molteno disease.
" The disease which is met with in this district is
due to the animals consuming the plant known as Bagwort
AFEICANDEEISMS 391
{Senecio Jacobea)." ("The Territorial News," 24 December,
1910.)
Raid, The. — The armed invasion of the Transvaal Eepublic
by the troops of the Chartered Company, under Dr. Jameson,
on 29 December, 1895, is known throughout South Africa as
"TheEaid".
Rain ° bird. — A bird of the GentropodincB {Guculidce, sub,
fam.) is so styledin the Eastern Province — Gentropus Bv/rchelli.
See Vlei lory.
"But of all the notes to be heard during a day at the
Nahoon, I fancy those of the rain-bird (one of our resident
cuckoos) are the most strange." (" Bast London Dispatch,"
4 August, 1906.)
Rain = bird. — In the Native Territories the Turkey buzzard —
Biicorax cafer — is so named by the colonists, because in times
of drought the natives try to drive these birds into the water
to drown them, thinking thus to secure rain — the superstition
being that while the body of the bird remains in the water
the rain will continue. Incessant rain means that one or
more of these drowned birds has been everlooked and must
be sought for and withdrawn from the water.
Rain maker. — A Witch doctor (q.v.) among the Kaffirs who
has added to his other accomplishments the special function
of bringing the rain; he is known as Umnini wemvula —
" master of the rain ".
Ramasammy. — (A corruption of Bamaswamn, "Lord
Eama".) In Natal and the Cape this word is used as a
generic name for Indian coolies.
Ramenas. — (D. ramenas, the black radish.) Baphanus
Baphanistrum — "Wild mustard is known by this name in the
Western Province.
" Charlock, wild mustard, or romines, Sinapis arvensis, L.,
is a widely prevalent weed of the corn-fields of Cape Colony."
(Wallace's " Farming Industries of the Cape Colony," p. 117,
1896.)
Ramki. — A primitive stringed instrument used by the
Bushmen and Hottentots.
" The ramkee is constructed on the same principle as the
guitar by stretching six strings along a flat piece of thin board,
with the half of a gourd or ' calabash ' at one end, over
which a piece of dried string is strained, on which the bridge
is placed " (Hoodie's " Ten Years in South Africa," i. 226,
1835.)
392 AFEICANDEBISMS
Rand. — (D. rand, edge, brink.) (1) The bridge or high
ground overlooking the valley of a river, as the Fish Eiver
Band, etc. (2) When used absolutely the word refers to the
well-known gold fields along the Witwatersrand in the Trans-
vaal.
" A few minutes more and he stood at the top of the
randt for a brief blow after his exertions." (Mitford's
" Eomance of the Cape Frontier," p. 23, 1891.)
"When will . . . publish the correspondence re the . . .
dispute? Has it not already appeared in the Band papers? "
(" Cape Eegister," 13 November, 1897.)
Rapuis bosje or Rapuis. — See Harpuis bosje.
"Mr. Moffatt (Tarka) brought up the question of the
noxious rapuis which had hitherto baffled their efforts."
(" East London Dispatch," p. 5, 22 August, 1912.)
Rate]. — Mellivora ratel. See Cape badgerl
" From its size, peculiar rattling cry, and general appear-
ance, I at first thought it was a ratel, which is now weU
known to naturalists." (Hoodie's " Ten Years in South
Africa," ii. p. 190, 1835.)
" Once on this farm a Hottentot caught the ratels . . .
with the broken ends of porcupine quills still in their face
and jaws." (" East London Dispatch," 16 August, 1907.)
Raw Englishman. — A recent arrival from the old country.
" Only a raw Englishman as the Boers define a recent
importation." (Mitford's "Eenshaw Fanning's Quest," p.
62, 1894.)
Raw native. — A native untouched by any civilizing or
elevating influence.
" Yes, it is here that you will find him, in Natal, the raw
native." (Statham's "Blacks, Boers and British," p. 135,
1881.)
Ray fungus disease. — Actinomycosis, A disease, affecting
cattle, caused by specific organisms technically known as
Streptothrix bovis .communis and S. actinomyces. The name
refers to the rosette-like appearance of the organism which
radiates from a central mass, and is not unlike the head of a
daisy in appearance. See Big jaw, Lumpy jaw, and Wooden
tongue.
Rds., Sks., Sts. — Abbreviations for rix-dollars, skillings,
and stuivers, the coinage of the old Dutch regime.
" Aye, there are men in whose hearts the shady woods
AFEICANDEEISMS 393
that clothe the foot of Table Mountain and Duivels Berg to
the East, never excited a thought unconnected with the rds.,
sks., and sts. they might produce." (" C.G.H. Lit. Gazette,"
16 March, 1834.)
Rechte geelhout. — (D. recht, straight, even, true ; geel,
yellow ; hout, wood.) See Yellow-wood.
Recht op Jakob. — (D. oprecht, sincere, upright.) The
popular name of a wildflower with a singularly straight stem
— the Zinnia.
Recifs. — (F. recif, a reef, shelf of rocks ; Port, recif^ ; Ar.
rasif.) Bars or reefs running parallel with the shore.
" Passing northward, the coast runs almost in a straight
line, free of caves, creeks, or indentations of any kind, until
the 21° of E. lat. when there commences a series of bays,
reefs, rocks and recifs or bars, which extend as far as 25
miles." (Andersson's " Okovango Eiver," p. 301, 1861.)
Red -bill. — The name sometimes given to the Kabeljauw
(q.v.).
Red bishop bird. — Pyromelana oryx. The plumage of
the male bird during the breeding season is very fine, the
upper parts are of a brilliant orange-scarlet, while the lower
parts are of a velvety black. When the breeding season is
over the male assumes the sober brown of his mate.
" One of the most beautiful of the many kinds of weaver
birds in Africa is the splendid red Kaffir finch, the rooi
fink of the Dutch colonists, sometimes also called the Bed
bishop bird." (Bryden's " Animals of Africa," p. 160, 1900.)
Red clay or Ochre. — The fine clay used by the natives
mixed with fat to smear their persons and rub into their
blankets.
" Selecting two of his smartest detectives he directed them
to assume the red clay and blanket of the raw Kafir."
("Queenstown Free Press," 19 February, 1884.)
Red cluster disa. — Disa ferruginea, Swtz.
Red coral. — Gorgonia flam/mea is sometimes so called by
the colonists. See Zee-tak.
" In some localities the sea bottom seems to be clothed
wiih. extensive growths of the red-coral or ' zee-tak ' {Gor-
gonia flamvmed) so frequently thrown up on the shore."
(" The S. A. Journal of Science," vii. p. 216, 1911.)
Red currant. — B,hu,s Icevigata. See Bosch taaibosch.
" Among hard-woods, black ironwood (Olea laurifolia) . . .
394 AFEICANDEEISMS
Bed currant {Bhus Icevigata) prevail." (Sim's " Forest
Flora of Cape Colony," p. 3, 1907.)
Red dagga. — See Dagga.
Red disa. — Disa uniflora, Berg. See Pride of Table
Mountain.
Red ebony or Red ivory. — Kiggelaria africana. K
beautifully coloured, close grained wood growing somewhat
sparsely along the coast of Natal, where it is known by several
names : Eed ivory, Boyal red-wood (q.v.), Natal mahogany. In
the Transvaal Bhamnus Zeyheri, Sond., is known as Eed ivory.
" The beautiful giraffe tree, elephant's thorn, and the red-
ebony tree. The wood of the latter is the hardest and finest
of any tree in this country next to the giraffe tree. ... In
its specific weight, closeness and hardness, it far exceeds the
black ebony." (Lichtenstein's " Travels," ii. p. 339, 1814.)
" Boyal red wood, this beautiful wood is known in Natal
as red-ivory." (Haggard's " Nada the Lily," p. 55.)
" This shows it to be possessed of higher properties than
any other South African timber, and to be the heaviest, with
the exception of Bed ivory, of those weighed by him." (Sim's
" Forest Flora of Cape Colony," p. 203, 1907.)
Red fire-fish. — Pterois volitans is so named in East
London.
" A very fine specimen of the Bed fire-fish {Pterois
volitans) was caught at East London . . . and is on view."
(" Queenstown Eepresentative," p. 4, 25 July, 1910.)
Redfox. — Another name given to Ganis mesomelas. See
Jackal.
" There are parts of the Orange Free State, Cape Colony
and Transvaal, still very much infested vrith the so-called
Bed fox (Booi Jakals)." (" Bloemfontein Post," p. 6, 22
June, 1912.)
Red gills. — Diagramma Durbanense. A Natal fish.
Red grenadier grosbeak. — Pyromelana oryx is known by
this name. See Eed bishop bird.
"Presently we saw and shot the red fink, sometimes
called the red-grenadier grosbeak, Ploceus oryx." (Bryden's
" Kloof and Karoo," p. 15, 1889.)
Red -headed wren. — Dryadromas fulvicapella, is so called
in Natal.
" This little grass-bird is called the red-headed wren.
(Woodward's " Birds of Natal," p. 27, 1899.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 395
Red-hot poker. — Kniphofia alooides. The Eastern Pro-
vince name of this handsome plant. The lower flowers of
the raceme are yellow, the upper crimson like a red-hot poker.
" A genus of handsome African plants with a short root-
stock, long, narrow radicle, leaves and scapes bearing dense
racemes of yellow or scarlet flowers. K. alooides, the Bed
hot poker is the most familiar." (Stoneman's "Plants and
their Ways in South Africa," p. 186, 1906.)
Red Kaffir fink. — Pyromelana oryx. See Eed bishop
bird and Eed grenadier grosbeak.
" The Bed Kaffir fink though not an uncommon bird is
certainly a very local one." (Layard's " Birds of South
Africa,"' p. 185, 1867.)
Red Kaffir or Reds. — The KafSr in his native state is so
called because of the red-clay or ochre with which he smears
his person and his clothing — i Qaha, one who smears.
" This red-Kaffir is in truth a savage." (Ballantyne's
" Six Months at the Cape," p. 44, 1879.)
" Eed ochre and oil are rubbed into the skin and frequently
into the blanket. When this is done by a tribe the people
are called Bed-Kaffirs, or simply 'Eeds'." (Kidd's "Es-
sential Kaffir," p. 31, 1904.)
Red -lipped snake. — Leptodira hotambceia. See Herald
snake. The upper hp of this snake is a bright red colour.
Red mangrove. — See Mangrove.
Red milkwood. — Mimusops obovata and M. caffra are so
named. See Waterboom.
Red necked pheasant. — Pternistes nudicolUs, not a com-
mon species ; found in Pondoland and Natal.
" Bed-necked partridge ... in the up-country districts
this large francolin . . . alights in the trees, and is called a
pheasant." (Woodward's " Natal Birds," p. 163, 1899.)
Red pear. — The Transvaal name of Scolopia Ecklonii,
Warb., S. Mundtii, is so named in the Western Province.
Red spider. — A minute, scarlet-coloured mite — Tetra-
rhynchus — which has given some trouble to the tea-planters
of Natal, attaching itself to the leaf of the tea-plants at times
in such numbers as to give the shrub a reddish tinge.
" The principal disease found in the tea-plant is what is
commonly called Bed Spider." (" Science in South Africa,"
p. 442, 1905.)
Red stinkwood. — Pygeum africanum. A fine tree known
396 AFEICANDEEISMS
for many years by this name, but only recently botanically
identified.
Red water. — A disease due to the presence of a parasite
in the blood — Piroplasma bigeminum. " As it is understood
in the Cape Colony, red water is not the non-contagious
derangement known by the name in Great Britain, but is
identical with the highly communicable disease called ' Texas
fever ' in the United States of America " (Wallace). This
disease is transmitted by the common blue tick of South
Africa — Bhipicephalus decoloratus. See Eooi water.
" The Bed Water. This dreadful cattle disease is said to
be steadily but surely approaching the Colonial Frontier."
(" Queenstown Free Press," 15 July, 1873.)
" He left Pietermaritzburg on 27 May, 1873, and reached
Lydenburg in twenty-nine days, with the loss of only one
ox by red water and a couple knocked up." (Baines' "Gold
Regions of South-East Africa," p. 132, 1877.)
Red water (human). — A peculiar form of Hcematuria, due
to a parasite known as Distoma hoematobium. It is supposed
to be introduced into the system by bathing in or drinking
impure water. It was prevalent in the neighbourhood of
Durban, Natal, in the eighties.
" The principal diseases of importance being dysentery,
low malarial fever (bilio-remittent), and a peculiar form of
hoematuria, due to a parasite named Distoma haematobium,
introduced into the system by the drinking of impure water."
(Matthews' "Incwadi Yami," p. 15, 1887.)
" It appears that a very large proportion of the boys suffer
from red water as the result of bathing iu the Buffalo Eiver.
No girl bathes there, and no girl suffers from the disease."
("The C.G.H. Education Gazette," p. 220, 1 November,
1906.)
Redwing. — Francolinus Levaillanti is known by this
name in the Cape Colony and in Natal. In the Transvaal
and Bechuanaland the name is applied to F. Oariepensis.
"Perhaps the commonest of our partridges is the well-
known Bedwing." (Woodward's " Natal Birds," p. 161, 1899.)
" North of this dividing line (the Orange Eiver) the Cape
Bedwing is replaced by the closely allied Orange Eiver Fran-
colin {F. Gariepensis) known to the Boers as the Booivlerk
Patrijs." (Haagner and Ivy's "Sketches of South African
Bird Life," p. 126, 1908.)
AFEICANDBEISMS 397
Redwood. — Ochna arborea. See Cape plane.
Reed dance. — A dance in vogue among the Bechuanas,
in which each man blows upon a reed flute, or whistle of very
small compass, two notes at most. The men dance in a circle
stamping the time, while the women move round the outside
of the circle clapping their hands.
" When the dancers, who were all men, had tuned their
reeds, they formed themselves into a ring. . . . The ring was
drawn as closely together as their number would conveni-
ently allow, but each person danced separate." (Burchell's
" Travels," ii. p. 411, 1824.)
" A native reed-dcmce was going on in the ' stadt ' (as
they call the native town)." (Baden Powell's "Matabele-
land Campaign," 1896, p. 14, 1897.)
Reed sparrow. — (1) Hyphantornis subaureus — the Yellow
finch is sometimes so called. (2) Burchell applies the name,
apparently, to Sylviella rufescens.
" I here met with, for the first time, an interesting species
of Beed Spa/rrow inhabiting the reeds by the river side."
(Burchell's "Travels," i. p. 440, 1822.)
"Like the canaries, the yellow finch {Hyphantornis
olivaceous) or reed sparrow as it is commonly called in this
country, has the same habit." (" Trans. S.A. Phil. Soc," i.
Part 2, p. 30, 1879.)
Reef, The. — All ground in the mines that differs from the
diamondiferous earth, has been called by the diggers, and is
now generally spoken of as " the reef ".
" The encasing rock of the mine, or the reef as the diggers
call it." (Noble's " C.G.H. Official Handbook," p. 188, 1886.)
Regen padda. — (D. regen, rain; padda, a toad, frog.)
Breviceps gibbosus. The name refers to the habit of this
animal of emerging from its hole and croaking before or
during rain.
"The commonest representative of the curious digging
family of Engistomatidce is Breviceps gibbosus, commonly
known as the regen padda." (" Science in South Africa," p.
149, 1905.)
Regenworm. — (D. regen, rain ; worm, a worm.) (1) Ac-
cording to Burchell this name was applied by the Hottentots
to a variety of Julus which emerges from the ground only
after heavy rains, his description points to J. terrestris, the
Songalolo (q.v.) of the Kaffirs. (2) In the neighbourhood
398 APEICANDEEISMS
of Uitenhage this name is given to a species of earth-worm
which attains to an enormous length, and occasionally ap-
pears above ground after heavy and continuous rains.
" Large worms about six inches long and nearly three
quarters of an inch thick were observed crawling along the
ground, drawn out of their holes by the rain. . . . The
Hottentots call it the Begenwerm (rain-worm), a name so
perfectly appropriate that I have adopted it in the specific
name pluvialis. It is nearly the largest species of Julus."
(Burchell's "Travels," i. p. 449, 1822.)
"The Eev. G. E. Fisk then read a portion of a letter
. . . from the Prosector of the Zoological Society of London
regarding the alleged existence of earth-worms six feet in
length. Prof. Guthrie stated that he had seen at Paarde
Poort earth-worms four feet long." ("Trans. S.A. Phil.
Soc," III. Part 2, p. Ixv, 1885.)
Reijer. — (D. reiger, a heron.) A heron.
"Here come old Oom Beijer. He is a kind old bird
though he holds his neck so crooked and looks like there
was nothing to smile at in the whole wide world." ("The
State," p. 640, December, 1911.)
Rekkertje. — (D. rekken, to stretch.) A boy's catapult.
See Schietertje.
Request Farm. — In the early days in the Orange Free
State and South African Eepublic, farms not exceeding 3000
morgen were granted to applicants who signed their names
in the Field Cornet's Eegister and undertook to remain per-
manently in the country. The application or " rekwest " being
registered the applicant could choose a vacant site, and at
the next meeting of the Land Commission the grant would
be confirmed. Farms granted thus were known as Eequest
Farms.
" Prior to the fixing of the Vetberg boundary, and also
subsequently, Cornelius Kok and his people sold lands to
Orange Free State subjects within the country bounded by
the Vaal Eiver on the north and the Vetberg line on the
South. On the purchase of these lands from the natives the
O.F.8. Government issued titles to those who had acquired
them in the form of requests or ' certificates'." ("The Dia-
mond Fields Advertiser," p. 7, 2 September, 1912.)
Rescue grass. — Bromus unioloides, H.B.K., an introduced
grass that promises to be useful.
AFEICANDERISMS 399
Reserve, The. — A tract of country set apart for occupa-
tion by the Fingos, was known as the " Eeserve ".
" They fell upon two Fingo kraals in the Beserve and com-
pletely destroyed them." (Godlonton's " Kaffir "War, 1850-1,"
I. p. 348, 1852.)
Reun. — (D. ruin, a gelding ; reu, a male dog. In Cape
Dutch these two words seem to have been combined in this
form and used of either object.) A gelded horse, a male
dog.
Rhebok. — (D. ree, a roe, hind ; reebok, a roebuck.) Gervi-
capra fulvorufula is known as the Eooi rhebok and Pelea
capreola as the Vaal rhebok.
" As I lay on the ground smoking I saw four rheabok of
the grey species . . . making for the river." (Clairmonte's
" The Africander," p. 225, 1906.)
Rhebok haas. — (D. haas, a hare.) Lepus saxatilis, the
habitat of this animal is the higher hills of South Africa.
See Eock hare.
Rhenoster bosje. — (CD. rhenoster, a rhinoceros ; D. bos,
a bush.) The common designation of Elytropappus rhino-
cerotis, Less.
" A neat, pale, bushy shrub, of the height of 3 or 4
feet called Ehinoster bosch (Bhinoceros bush) and said to
have formerly been the food of the huge rhinoceros, till those
animals fled before the colonists.", (Burchell's "Travels,"
I. p. 101, 1822.)
Rhinoceros. — This animal is to be foimd now only in one
or two out of the way places in South Africa.
" Vorstellung eines rAmoceros und elephanten." (Table
XXXII, p. 319, Kolben's " Beschreibung," 1745.)
Rhinoceros, or Tick bird. — Buphaga africana. The
strong sharp claws possessed by these birds enable them to
cUng securely to an animal, while they relieve it of the ticks
and other Iparasites with which it may be infested. See
Oxpecker.
" On nearing the bush, the rising of some rhinoceros (also
known as tick) birds, with their shrill peculiar shriek, warned
me that the beast was near." (Schulz and Hammar's " New
Africa," p. 130, 1897.)
Rhodes grass. — C Moris Gay ana, Kunth. A native grass
which was brought to the notice of the late Hon. Cecil Ehodes
while on a visit to the Queenstown District, as a valuable
400 AFEICANDEEISMS
fodder plant, and sent by him to his farm in the Matopos, is
now generally known as Rhodes grass.
Ribbon fish. — The Natal name for a somewhat rare fish,
a species of Lophotes.
" A very fine specimen of a ribbon fish. It was about 4|
feet long, like a flattish eel, with a very blue fringe-like fin
the whole length of its body, a sharp nose, and a jaw fitted
with sharp, long, curved teeth." (" Natal Mercury Pictorial,"
p. 526, 1906.)
Ride, To. — A common South African colloquialism uses
this verb somewhat peculiarly, e.g. " He is riding wood, for-
age, etc.," meaning " He is carting wood, forage, etc.," from
one place to another.
" I want you to ride a load of wood to the house."
(Glanville's " Tales from the Veld," p. 26, 1897.)
" We ought surely to have called upon them to replant
the deforested areas in their own reserves, the wood of which
they have ridden to Kimberley." (Macnab's " On Veldt and
Farm," p. 162, 1897.)
Ride and Tie, To. — Two persons sharing one horse on a
journey, one riding the horse a stage will fasten it up and then
walk on, the other on reaching the horse will ride on till he
overtakes the first, and so on to the journey's end.
" Bide and tie is the rule with all but myself." (Eoche's
" On Trek in the Transvaal," p. 222, 1878.)
Riem. — (D. riem, a tie, string.) Long strips of untanned
hide, exceedingly tough and supple, very generally take the
place in South Africa of rope, and are called " riems ".
" Thongs made of the hides of animals were everywhere
used by the farmers instead of cords, and ropes both for the
tackling of wagons and other purposes." (Thunberg's " Tra-
vels," II. p. 52, 1796.)
" Many of the straps or riems by which they had been
dragged to the place of slaughter, were found still adhering
to the bones of the arms and legs." (Holden's "Natal," p.
93, 1855.)
Riemlioogte. — (D. riem, a tie, thong ; D. hoogte, a height.)
The designation applied to a steep hill, the descent of which
by wagons was accomplished in the early days by the use of
riems, attached like the man-ropes of a field gun, and for
a like purpose.
Riemland. — The name by which Kroonstad, a district of
AFEICANDEEISMS 401
the Orange Free State, used to be known. This district was
frequented not so many years ago by large herds of blesbok,
thousands of which were shot by the Boers and their skins
cut into " riems " hence the name.
Riemlander. — A nickname jokingly applied to the people
of the above district.
Riempje. — Dim. of riem. Thongs made from the soft
skins of antelopes and used as string.
" Just slip off these bits of riempje, Tambusa, and give me
an assegai or stick or something." (Mitford's " A Eomance
of the Cape Frontier," p. 419, 1891.)
Riemschoen or Remschoen. — (D. rem, a brake ; schoen, a
shoe.) A lock shoe for wagon wheels, largely used before the
introduction of the patent screwbrake. Sparrman (" Voyage,"
I. p. 124, 1785) describes the contrivance. In the former part
of the word there is a confusion between rem and riem.
" On regaining the track, we found the riemschoen, or
iron slipper, which had fallen from the wagon, lying in the
road." (Steedman's " Adventures," i. p. 121, 1835.)
" The perpendicular character of the bank, rendered a
skid, or as it is termed by the colonists a remscoon, necessary
upon each hind wheel in addition to the drag-chains." (Harris'
"Wild Sports," p. 299, 1839.)
Riemschoen party. — The name applied a few years back
to that party in Cape pohtics which appeared to be averse from
progress ; the word Eiemschoen is applied in other direc-
tions with the same meaning, e.g. " Eiemschoen Districts ".
(" East London Dispatch," p. 5, 2 May, 1912.)
" I am pleased to find that my frequent allusion to the
backward element in the Legislative Council as a riemschoen
party has gone home." (" The Cape Argus," Weekly Ed.,
p. 36, 2 February, 1898.)
Rietbok. — (D. riet, a reed; bok, a goat.) Gervicapra
arundinum — reedy marshes are the favourite haunt of this
antelope. It is found all along the eastern coast districts.
" Here we also met with the reitboJc {antilope eleotragus),
the first I had seen. It is found generally in a marshy
soil among reeds, from whence the colonists have given it the
name of reithoh." (Steedman's " Adventures," i. p. 308,
1835.)
Rietkwartel. — (D. riet, a reed ; kwartel, a quail.) Turnix
Hottentotta.
26
402 AFEICANDEEISMS
" This handsome little bird {Biet qwartel and Sand-quail
of the colonists) is found sparingly throughout the Colony."
(Layard and Sharpe's " Birds of South Africa," p. 607, 1875-
84.)
Riet muis. — (D. riet, a reed ; rrmis, a mouse.) See Cane
rat.
Rijstbrensi. — (D. rijst, rice ; Mai. iraTig'sawg', a stimulant,
provocative.) Eice coloured with turmeric.
Rijstkluitjes. — (D. rijst, rice ; CD. kluitje, a dumpling.)
Dumplings or rolls made of rice.
Rijst mieren. — (D. ryst, rice ; mier, an ant ; cf . Eng. mire
in pis-mire, the old name of the ant.) The bodies of the
Termites, which are so named, are not unlike a grain of rice,
while their eggs resemble it more closely still. See Bushman
rice.
" The officials . . . would require a little elementary
knowledge of natural history, so as to be able to distinguish
between the genuine article Gocusts' eggs) and other things
approaching it in likeness, such as rice-ants, or rijst-mieren,
tampans, ticks, or Kaffir-corn." (" The Cape Argus," Weekly
Ed. p. 46, 27 September, 1899.)
Ring horses, To. — This is accomplished by passing a rope
or a riem through the snaffles of a number of horses and join-
ing the ends, the propensity of any one of them to stray is thus
counteracted.
" Blankets were unstrapped, the horses tied together by
a rope running through their snaffles, in colonial parlance
called ringing; no saddles were removed." (Montague's
" Campaigning in South Africa," p. 323, 1880.)
" In the police force the horses were always rung at
nights." (Ex. C.M.E.'s " With the Cape Mounted Eifles,"
p. 63, 1881.)
Ringhals. — (D. ring, ring, circle ; hals, the neck.) Sepe-
don hcemachcetes. A snake of the cobra species, with a dis-
tinctly marked ring round the neck. It is hooded and is
capable of ejecting a very acrid saliva to some distance. Its
bite is exceedingly dangerous. See Spuug slange.
" A ' cobra-di-capell ' or hooded snake, called by the
colonists the Bingeaault." (Fleming's "Southern Africa,"
p. 400, 1866.)
" I think the species is called ringhals (or ringed throat)
in the Colony." (Baines' " Explorations," p. 449, 1864.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 403
Ringhals kraai. — (D. hraad, a crow.) Gorvultur alhicollis.
This bird, which is really a raven, is so called because of the
white ring which runs round the lower part of its neck.
" This large raven, which goes by the name in the Colony
of the Binghals (ring-neck), is abundant throughout the
Colony." (Layard's " Birds of South Africa," p. 417, 1875-
84.)
" The Eing-hals is usually resident in Cape Colony and
Natal, and roosts all the year round in or near its nests."
(Stark's " Fauna of South Africa," i. p. 11, 1900.)
Ringed, To be. — Zulu men are distinguished from boys by
a head-ring. The head is shaved all but a narrow strip quite
round, the hair along this strip is worked up with gum, etc.,
into a black polished ring called isi Coco (q.v.) . The ring
indicates that the wearer has attained to the dignity of man-
hood. The sanction of the chief is required before a man
can become a Kehla (q.v.) or " ringed " man.
" Both man and woman shave their heads close, the former
leaving only sufficient to attach the isigoko or ring, and the
latter a small tuft, called embeeti, on the crown . . . strange
to say the will of the king is as necessary for the adoption of
either of these badges, as in any other of his despotic acts,
a whole regiment being sometimes ordered to adopt the ring."
(Gardiner's " Journey," p. 100, 1836.)
" Let me have your old men ; they are, as I see by those
who are ringed, about a hundred." (Glanville's " The Fos-
sicker," p. 196, 1891.)
Rispers or Ruspers. — (D. rups, a caterpillar.) The cater-
pillars of several small moths, which in some seasons are so
numerous as to destroy large areas of Karoo veld, are so called
in Cape Dutch.
" The caterpillars, which are very Hke the destructive
rispers familiar to residents in the Karoo, have already killed
a large number of trees in this neighbourhood." ("East
London Dispatch," 26 June, 1906.)
Rissies. — Cayenne pepper is so called by the Malays ;
among the Dutch of South Africa chilHes are also thus de-
signated.
"i tfelepel wit peper, klein knypi rissiis, 4 eetlepels
room van melk." (Dijkman's " Kook, Koek en Besepten
Boek," p. 92, 1898.)
" Gooi peper, scut, 'n stukki rooi rissi en asyn by di uie,
26 *
404 APEICANDEEISMS
maak goed deurmakaar." (Dijkman's " Kook, Koek en
Eesepten Boek," p. 30, 1898.)
Rissinglbosch.— In the July No. (1912) of the "South
African Agricultural Journal," Mr. Burtt Davy gives this as
a Bechuanaland name applied to Grewia cana, Sond. The
fruits are eaten by the Bechuanas who also make a kind of
beer from them.
River boils. — A cutaneous eruption from which the diggers
suffered in the early days at the river diggings.
" The sleeves of his flannel shirt were rolled up to the
shoulder, displaying arms seamed and livid with the skin
disease we call river or Hebron boils." (Boyle's " The Savage
Life," p. 28, 1876.)
River bream.' — Chrysophrys estua/rius, a Natal fish.
River-horse. — The block of wood employed by the
Namaquas to assist them in swimming across swollen rivers.
See Paard.
" Alte und Junge, Greise und Kinder kamen iiber den
Strom geschwommen (mit Hiilfe eines Holzblocks) nur um
mir die Hand zum Gruss zu reichen." (Wangemann's " Ein
Eeise-Jahr in Siid-Afrika," p. 351, 1868.)
" Being now assembled amongst the tribes at the water-
side, the men prepared their river-horses for mounting, i.e.,
each man taking the pole he carried, inserted a peg of wood
in a hole bored for the purpose about three feet from the
upper end, then striding across the pole . . . and grasping
the peg vdth his left hand to prevent the pole rolling, he
launched forth, swimming with his right hand and his feet."
(Eidsdale's " Scenes and Adventures in Great Namaqualand,"
p. 44, 1883.)
River otter. — Lutra inunguis. See Otter.
" We obtained also in the way of trade, some good curios,
handsome skins of the riuer oi^er {Lutra inunguis) ." (Bry-
den's " Gun and Camera in South Africa," p. 360, 1893.)
River steenbras. — Cheilodactylus grandis. An East
London name for this fish, also known as the Bank steenbras
and Tiger-fish (q.v.).
" I notice under the heading of ' Eemarks,' upon the bank
steenbras, tiger-fish, or river steenbras the following : ' Ab-
undant all through the year. Black transverse stripes,
thick hps, and grunts when caught '." (" East London Dis-
patch," 31 October, 1906.)
APEICANDEEISMS 405
Road party. — A gang of labourers employed to repair the
roads.
Roan antelope. — Hippotragus equinus does not occur south
of the Orange Eiver, but is not uncommon in the Eastern
Transvaal and Ehodesia.
" I have twice met with the roan antelope to the south of
Bamangwato. A few roan antelopes are still to be found in
Griqualand "West." (Selous' " Wanderings in South Africa,"
p. 213, 1895.)
Robbe. — (D. rob, a seal.) Arctocephalus pusillus, a fur
seal and the only member of the marine carnivora haunting
the shores of South Africa.
Robben Island. — (D. rob, a seal.) An island lying in the
entrance to Table Bay, so named because at one time it was
a favourite haunt of seals. Compare Eobia's Eeef at the
mouth of the Kills off Staten Island, which really means
Seal's Eeef, and was so called in early days by the Dutch for
the same reason. (Bryant and Gay's " History of the United
States," I. p. 353.)
Robber flies. — The AsilidcB, a division of the Diptera.
They are fierce insects, preying upon other insects, the juices
of which they extract with their powerful sucker.
"Very abundant are the Bobber flies, Asilidce, and much
varied are their forms ; butterflies or wasps on the wings are
mastered with incredible facility by these insect-devourers."
(" Science in South Africa," p. 172, 1905.)
Rock. — This word is frequently used in the Midland dis-
tricts where the word " stone " would be employed in Eng-
land, e.g., " He threw me over the hedge with a rock " (stone).
This expression contains another pecuhar Cape usage, viz.,
the omission of the preposition before the indirect object -of
the verb.
Rock baager. — A fish caught in the Orange Eiver.
It is universally known as the Bock baager, because, un-
like its much larger, mud-loving congener, it chiefly haunts
rocky spots." ("Trans. S. A. Phil. Soc," p. xcviii, viii.
Part I, 1893.)
Rock bait. — See Eooi aas.
" The blue fish ... so far as I know, is only caught with
ascidian {roch bait) upon our part of the coast." (" East
London Dispatch," 7 August, 1905.)
Rock cod. — Epinephelus gigas is so called at Mossel
406 AFEICANDBEISMS
Bay and at Delagoa Bay. See Garoupe and Koning klip-
visch.
" The roch cod are especially good." (Monteiro's " Delagoa
Bay," p. 151, 1891.)
" A second rock cod, of proportions excelling the dreams or
even the tales of local fishermen, was caught off Inyack on
Thursday and exhibited in the market on Friday morning."
(" Lorenzo Marques Guardian," 25 June, 1906.)
Rock eagle. — Halietus vocifer.
"Mr. Eickard notes it from East London, where it is
called the Bock eagle." (Layard and Sharpe's "Birds of
South Africa," p. 46, 1875-84.)
Rock fish. — The Bast London name for Cantharus hlochii.
See Hottentot.
Rock grunter. — See Chor-chor.
Rock hare. — See Ehehok haas.
Rock pigeon. — Golumba phoeonota is so called in the Mid-
land Districts of the Cape Colony.
Rock rabbit — Another name for the Dassie (q.v.) .
'I?i3 a true mountain home, laid in nest of small hills,
Where naught that has life, but the rock-rabbit dwells.
(Hudson's " Features in South African Frontier Life," p. 74,
1852.)
Rock salmon. — Lutianus salmonides, a fine fish, reddish-
purple above and red beneath.
" I also noticed . . . two of the finest rock-salmon I have
ever seen. This is one of the best table fishes we have."
(" Natal Mercury Pictorial," p. 334, 1905.)
Rock snake. — The Natal python. See Python.
" The markings of the Natal python are very beautiful,-
the colours being dark olive brown, with purplish white under
parts. ... In South Africa this species is often called the
Bock-snake." (Bryden's " Animals of Africa," p. 182, 1900.)
Rock, To. — (D. raken, to hit, touch.) To hit with a mis-
sile; the word is also used by children for a hit when
playing at marbles. See Eak, of which this is the English
corruption.
Roer. — (D. roer, a tube; G. Bohr, a tube, a gun-barrel.)
The old-time, heavily metalled, elephant guns, used by the
Dutch voortrekkers.
" Two rifles, four double-barrelled guns, and a large Dutch
AFEICANDEEISMS 407
piece or roer." (Barter's " The Dorp and the Veld," p. 47,
1852.)
Roerdomp. — (D. roer-domp, the bittern.) Botaurus capen-
sis. One of the designations given to this bird by the Dutch.
See Brul-vogel.
" The hammerkop {Scopus umhretta), the bittern {Botaurus
stellaris) called by the Boers roerdomp, are seen pretty fre-
quently." (Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo," p. 93, 1889.)
Roer drapers. — (D. drager, a carrier, bearer.) Gun-
bearers.
" Kreli was to have been -with the Kaffir division, having
a body guard of Kaffir {roer-dragers) musket bearers." (God-
lonton's " Kaffir War, 1850-51," i. p. 170, 1852.)
Roer-niij=niet or Truitje roer-mij-niet. — (D. roeren, to
touch ; lit. " Touch me not ". Truitje is the shortened form
of Gertrude.) This appellation is given (1) to two plants
whose leaves when touched emit a very unpleasant odour —
Melianthus major and M. camosus, Vehl. ; and (2) to a very
thorny plant the spines of which do more than suggest cau-
tion.
" A few nests of the Nectarina famosa were discovered
among the roer-mij-niet bushes." {" Scientific Africa," p. 76,
1896.)
Rog. — (D. rog, a thornback.) Baja maculata. See Skate.
Rogge Veld. — (D. rogge, rye.) Eye-land — the name given
to a part of the Fraserburg and Sutherland Districts.
" An opinion that many of the plants of the Boggeveld are
sufficiently hardy to bear the winters of England, is not alto-
gether speculative." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 255, 1822.)
" Many a treasure did the eagle eye of the botanist discern
as we jogged along through the Bogge-veld." (" East London
Dispatch," p. 10, 27 July, 1912.)
Rog, Wilde. — (D. rogge, rye ; wilde, v?ild.) Secale africa-
num.
Rol plek. — (D. rollen, to roll; pleh, place, spot.) The
curious formations known as Kommetjes (q.v.) are sometimes
so called — the idea being that they were formed by the wal-
lowing of buffalos or elephants.
" Those saucer-like depressions so numerous in some parts
of our veld are rather fancifully accounted for at times. We
have heard them described as pits dug by Kaffirs in days of
tribal warfare, from whence ambushes were made good or
408 AFEICANDEEISMS
that they were the rol plehs of big game." (" Bast London
Dispatch," p. 6, 18 October, 1912.)
Roman. — (D. rood, red; man, man.) Ch/rysoph/rys cristi-
ceps, Guv. One of the prettiest and most dehcious of the South
African fishes. It has given its name to the Eoman Eock in
False Bay, in the neighbourhood of which the fish abounded.
The name, which is a corruption of " roodman," " rooiman,"
has reference to the deep orange colour of the fish.
" The finest fish are caught here, and particularly the
rooman, that gives its name to a rock in the neighbourhood
of which it is found in great abundance." (Le Vaillant's
" Travels," i. p. 80, 1796.)
Roman Rock. — The rock in False Bay referred to above.
"A large, round rock in the harbour went by the name
of the Ark, another was called the Bomance-roch." (Thunberg's
" Travels," i. p. 269, 1795.)
Rondavel. — (D. rondeel, a tower.) As used now it means
a poor sort of round hut, but appears to have been used origin-
ally of the loop-holed places built by the Boers to protect their
kraals and stock.
" Ook thans nog is de rondavel, van 15 tot 20 voet in door-
snede, of het, soms 30 tot 40 voet lange ' hartebeesthuis,' het
gewone verblijf van den Boer, die een nieuwe plaats aanlegt,
en voor zich en zijn huisgezin geen ander onderkomen heeft."
(Cachet's " De Worstelstrijd der Transvalers," p. 422,1882.)
"At present the Landrost lies in a Rondavel of reeds and
mud." (Wilmot's " Life of Sir Eichard Southey," p. 69, 1905.)
" These rondahles (round towers) as they were called, are
still to be seen on the oldest farms in the Longkloof and in
other parts of the country." (Sellick's " Uitenhage Past and
Present," p. viii, 1905.)
Rondebosje. — (D. rond, round ; hos, bush.) A variety of
Protea.
Rond looper. — (D. rond, around, about; loopen, to run;
rondloopen, to gad about.) A gad about, a tramp.
" The Kaffir when engaged had no pass whatever in his
possession — he was what I may term a rond-looper."
(" Queenstown Free Press," 3 March, 1863.)
Roodebek. — (D. rood, red ; bek, a beak, bill.) Vidua prin-
cipalis, the Widow bird. See also Eooibekje.
Roode besje. — (D. rood, red ; bezie, a berry.) Olinea
cymosa.
AFEICANDEEISMS 409
Roode blad. — (D. rood, red ; hlad, a leaf.) Comhretum
eryth/rophyllum. This name refers to the autumn tints of the
foliage. See Bush willow.
Roode els. — (D. rood, red ; els, alder tree.) Gunonia capen-
sis. The flowers have a strong, sweet scent.
Roode haas. — (D. rood, red ; haas, a hare.) Lepus crassi-
caudatus. See Klip haas and Eooi stert.
" The hares known as the Vlackte haas {Lepus capensis),
Rhebok haas (L. saxatilis) and Boode haas (L. crassicaudatus)
... are spread all over the country." (" Science in South
Africa," p. 134, 1906.)
Roodehout. — (D. rood, red ; hout, wood.) See Cape plane.
Roode melkhout. — Mirmtsops ohovata. See Eed milkwood.
Roode peer. — (D. rood, red ; peer, a pear.) Scolopia
rrmndii, but in Pondoland the name is given to a euphorbi-
aceous tree.
Roodepoot elsje. — (D. rood, red ; poot, a foot ; els, an awl.)
Himantopus candidus, Bonn. " This bird may be distinguished
from all our waders by the disproportionate length and slender-
ness of its legs, which are of a bright red colour." (Layard.)
" Els " refers to the shape of its bill.
" Breeds in September, and is called Boodepoot elsje, lit.
' red-legged cobbler's awl '. The likening of the bills of these
two birds (see Bonte elsje) to an awl is not bad. " (Layard and
Sharpe's " Birds of South Africa," p. 675, 1875-84.)
Roode rabassatn. — Pelargonium anceps. Ait. This plant
is used by the Malays to promote parturition.
Roode trewa. — (D. rood, red.) Satyrium cucullatum.
(Thunberg's "Flora Capensis," p. 17, 1823.) = 5. corii-
folium, Sw.
Roode zaad gras. — (D. rood, red ; zaad, seed, spawn.)
The Cape Province name of Tristachya leucothrix, Trin.
Roof of Africa, The. — The name sometimes given to the
great Drakensberg range of mountains. See Drakensberg.
" The Drakensberg range has been aptly called the Boof of
Africa." (" Cape Times," p. 9, 28 September, 1912.)
Rooi aas. — (D. rood, red ; aas, carrion.) The name given
to the fleshy part of an Ascidian, which, when removed from
its cartilaginous envelope, is largely used for bait all round
the coast. See Eock-bait.
" Of the baits available . . . rooi-aas . . . is given the pre-
ference, because ... far more are taken upon rooi-aas, and
410 AFEICANDEEISMS
the fish bite upon it more freely." (" Bast London Dispatch,"
30 May, 1905.)
" One of the features of the rocky parts of the coast line
from Cape Point eastwards is the clusters of rooias or ' red-
bait ' (a large Ascidian which covers the rocks) ". (" Science
in South Africa," p. 192, 1905.)
Rooi baatje. — (D. rood, red ; Mai. badjoe, a jacket.) The
Cape Dutch name for the English soldiers ; this has been
largely supplanted in recent years by the term " Khakies," both
names having reference to the colour of the soldier's uniform.
" And how Umhala would laugh at the Boed vatjes."
(Ward's " Five Years in Kaffirland," i. p. 164, 1848.)
" The border colonist would have held his ground against
the native, without the aid of a single Boode-baatje (red-coat)."
(Barter's " The Dorp and the Veld," p. 171, 1852.)
" The Bode bashees of the party, as the Kaf&r's denomin-
ate our gallant red-jackets." (Drayson's " Sporting Scenes,"
p. 22, 1858.)
" After that tale I think I may ask the Boe ba/rgie oflScer to
tell us a story." (Drayson's "Tale of the Outspan," p. 79,
1862.)
" Sonny, them rooibaaitjes can fight, but they're foolish."
(Glanville's " Tales from the Veld," p. 206, 1897.)
Rooibaatje. — Acridium purpuriferum. A large red and
green locust is so named ; but the term is also applied to the
red-striped Voetgangers (q.v.).
"The young locusts are partly red and partly black.
The Dutch call them vootgangers, that is footmen, or goers
on foot. Sometimes they are called rooibatjes, that is red-
coats, in allusion to the soldiers." (Calderwood's " Caffers,"
p. 157, 1858.)
" The young of the migratory one : Pachytilus migratorius
are so gaily coloured as to have earned for them the local
name of rooi batjes or redcoats." (" Trans. S.A. Phil. Soc,"
IX. p. xlv, 1902.)
Rooibekje. — (D. rood, red ; bek, a beak, bill.) (1) Estrilda
astrilda, a well known Cape bird with red beak and pretty
plumage. See King of six. (2) In Natal the name is also
given to Vidua principalis.
" The roodbeckjes {Loxia astrild) made great havock in the
gardens, where they devoured both blossoms and seeds."
(Thunberg's " Travels," ii. p. 23, 1796.)
APEICANDEEISMS 411
"Flocks of the charming wee Booibekje." ("Scientific
African," p. 88, 1896.)
" This bird {V. principalis) derives its name from its pretty
wax-like red bill, which resembles that of the estrilda, and in
common with them it is called roibek." (Woodward's " Natal
Birds," p. 66, 1899.)
Rooi bles riet haan. — (D. rood, red ; bles, a blase ; riet, a
reed ; haan, a cock.) Gallinula chloropus. The Moorhen,
sometimes called by the Dutch Booi bles hoender (D. hoen, a
hen) is a familiar Bnghsh bird.
Rooibloem. — (D. rood, red ; bloem, a flower.) The para-
sitic Striga lutea, Lour., which attaches itself to the roots of
wild grasses and also to cultivated crops of the grass family,
especially mealies ; by absorbing the juice of the plant it
prevents its maturing. The plant is also called Booi bosje,
Mealie gift, Witch weed.
" The plant disease ... is that known as witch- weed or
rooi-bloemtje." (" Bast London Dispatch," p. 6, 13 April,
1911.)
Rooi-bok. — (D. rood, red ; bok, goat, antelope.) Another
name for the Pallah (q.v.).
Rooi-bosje. — (D. rood, red ; bos, a bush.) A species of
Borbonia. See also Eooibloem.
Rooibos tea. — This is prepared from a species of Borbonia.
"Cape rooibos tea." ("The S.A. Journal of Science,"
VII. p. 374, 1911.)
Rooi gras. — Anthistiria imberbis, Betz. This, perhaps
the most valuable of the indigenous grasses, derives its name
from the brownish-red colour which it assumes in winter.
It is common throughout the Cape Province. In Bechuana-
land Themeda Forskalii, var. Bv/rchellii, 'Hack., is known by
this name.
" The Stormberg region, where, within my own short ex-
perience, miles of rooi-grass have given place to the diminu-
tive Quagga-couch grass, while what used to be vleys of reeds
or rushes are now drained by recently formed dongas, and the
rushes have given place to rooi-grass." (Sim's " Forest Flora
of Cape Colony," p. 37, 1907.)
Rooihond. — (D. roo(^, red ; hond, 9. Aog.) The Cape Dutch
name for the scarlet-fever or scarlatina,
Rooi hout. — (D. rood, red ; hout, wood.) Ochna ojrborea,
one of the forest trees reserved by Government,
412 AFEICANDBBISMS
" A flock of long-tailed mouse-birds, called finks (!) would
dash past to settle in a rooihout tree." (Clairmonte's " The
Africander," p. 2, 1896.)
Rooi jakhals. — (D. rood, red.) Ganis mesomelas — some-
times called the Silver jackal (q.v.).
" There are parts of the Orange Free State, Cape Colony
and Transvaal, still very much infested v^ith the so-called
red fox (Booi jakals)." (" Bloemfontein Post," p. 6, 22
June, 1912.)
Rooi kat. — Felis caracal. The Cape Dutch name for this
animal. See Lynx.
" Boode katt is the name here given to a kind of red lynx,
with long locks of hair at the extremities of its ears, and the
top of its tail black." (Thunberg's " Travels," ii. p. 182,
1796.)
" Lynxes, or as the Dutch call them, rooikats." (Martin's
" Home Life on an Ostrich Farm," p. 217, 1890.)
Rooiman. — A species of Solpuga found in the Karoo ; it is
a reddish colour and has claws not unlike those of a lobster.
See Jaag-spinnekop.
" Theilarge nocturnal yellow and black species of Solpuga
. . . are variously known locally by the name of Bomans,
Jadg-spinnekoppen (hunting spiders) or Haar-scheerders (hair-
cutters)." (" Science in South Africa," p. 178, 1905.)
Rooi meerkat. — Gynictis penicillata ; the bushy-tailed
meerkat.
Rooi mier. — (D. mier, an ant.) A species of red ant.
Rooinek. — Originally a jocose Dutch name for an English-
man, subsequently used somewhat contemptuously, and
occasionally preceded by a vigorous adjective. The follow-
ing amusing mistake with reference to this epithet is worthy
of preservation : " A ' Pall- Mall ' correspondent has discovered
an amusing blunder in Mr. Bryce's book. Mr. Bryce takes
the Boers to task for speaking of an Englishman as ' rotten
eggs '." (" Impressions of South Africa," p. 509, 1898.) The
truth is, as the correspondent correctly points out, that, in
South Africa, Englishmen, owing to their more rosy com-
plexion, as compared with other white men living there, are
jocosely spoken of as "red necks" (rooinek in Transvaal
Dutch, rood nek in the Dutch of Holland). This expression
Mr. Bryce has misinterpreted as " rotten eggs ". (" The
Empire," 29 January, 1898.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 413
" Booinek, once a term of bantering endearment, has un-
fortunately lost its charm, since it has been converted into a
term of dislike by the Boers for the foreigner." (Schulz and
Hammar's " New Africa," p. 397, 1897.)
Rooi rhebok. — See Ehebok.
Rooi schimmel. — See Blauw schimmel.
" He rides a horse about fourteen hands high, which he
calls a red-schimmel but which you would term a roan."
(Cole's " The Cape and the Kaffirs," pp. 51-52, 1852.)
" There was plenty to do if one looked about, but there
was nothing crying out to be taken in hand ; and I saddled
the rooi-schimmel." (Glanville's " Kloof Yarns," " The
Empire," 30 July, 1898.)
Rooi staart.^ — (D. rood, red ; staart, a tail.) See Klip
haas and Eoode haas.
Rooi steenbras. — (D. rood, red ; brasem, a bream.) Dentex
rupestris. A much esteemed Cape fish, often exceeding 3^
feet in length and 14 inches in depth.
" Die beeden letztern Arten von Brassen am Vorgebiirge
nennen die Colonisten Jacob-Bvertsen ; sonsten heissen sie
rothe Steinbrassen, auf Franzosisch Breme rouge." (Kolben's
" Beschreibung," p. 368, 1745.)
Rooi stompneus. — (D. rood, red ; stomp, blunt ; neus,
nose, snout.) Ghrysophrys gibbiceps. See Jakob zwart.
Rooi taal. — (D. rood, red ; taal, language, tongue, speech.)
The English language is sometimes so designated by the
Dutch.
" They are usually glib-tongued, speak the taal and the
rooi-taal with equal readiness, and are well versed in that
sophistry which misleads the man in the street." (" The
Graaff Eeinet Advertizer," 18 December, 1898.)
Rooitje. — The name sometimes given to the Silver fish
(q.V.).
Rooi trewa. — Satyrium coriifolium. See Geele trewa and
Ewa trewa. Another name for this orchid.
Rooi valk.— (D. valk, a hawk, falcon.) A small hawk
Tinnunculus rupicolus.
" Einer der kleinsten der sudafrikanischen Tagraubvogel."
(Holub und Petzeln's " Ornithologie von Siidafrika," p. 29,
1882.)
Rooi vink.— (D. vink, a finch.) The Eed Kaffir finch.
Rooi vierk. — (D. vlerk, a wing.) Amydras morio — it de-
414 AFEICANDEEISMS
stroys large numbers of caterpillars and insects, but is also
partial to fruit.
" Am. rudipennis (Shaw). Booivlerh Sprejki der Boers."
(Holub und Petzeln's " Ornithologie von Siidafrika," p. 112,
1882.)
Rooivlerk karper. — (D. rood, red ; vlerh, a wing ; harper,
a carp.) Barbus Burchellii, Smith.
" The karper or carp (Rooivlerk harper, red-finned carp, of
the Dutch colonists, Barbus {Pseudobarbatus) Burchellii of Dr.
Andrew Smith, first identified as its name impHes by the
traveller Burchell, circa 1812) is a handsome little fish, not
unUke a perch in shape." (Bryden's " Gun and Camera in
South Africa," p. 461, 1893.)
Rooi wangetjes. — (D. rood, red; wang, a cheek.) An
appropriate name for a variety of pear which has a bright
red spot on a yellow surface. The word "wang" for cheek
occurs in the York Mystery Plays, ed. Smith. " Thy wordis
makis me my wangges to wete — (Thy words make me wet
my cheeks)," (p. 64, 1. 275, Oxford, 1885).
Rooi water. — See Eed water.
" Wij hebben dit jaar hier aan de Zoutpansberg vele
beesten verloren aan die vreeselijke ziekte genaamd rooiwater."
(Hofmeyr's "Twintig Jaren in Zoutpansberg," p. 288, 1890.)
Rooi wortel. — (D. rood, red ; wortel, a root, carrot.) Bul-
bine latifoUa. The root of this plant, which is orange yellow
in colour, is used at a certain stage for rheumatism ; it is
scraped and steeped in brandy, the taste being intensely bitter.
Rooster koekjes. — (D. rooster, a gridiron, grate ; hoeh, a
cake.) Cakes of unleavened bread cooked on a gridiron over
the coals of a wood fire. Called also Veld bricks, Doughboys,
and sometimes Dood-gooi.
"I had meal to fall back upon with which to make
rooster-hoohies, that is, cakes without leaven baked on the
gridiron." (Edward's "Eeminiscences," p. 53, 1883.)
" So one day Mr. Herbert taught me how to make roster
cahes (a roster means a gridiron)." (Hobson's "At Home in
the Transvaal," p. 79, 1884.)
Root gall worm. — See Bel-worm.
Rorke's Drift — A commissariat and hospital post on the
Buffalo Eiver, Natal, gallantly defended during the Zulu War
by a handful of British soldiers under Lieutenants Chard and
Bromhead, against 4000 Zulus, on 22 January, 1879.
AFEICANDEEISMS 415
Setting Rorke's Drift till now unhonoured name,
By Plassey and Assaye, and fights of fame.
Rose apple. — Jambosa vulgaris, of little worth as a
fruit.
" Jambosa vulga/ris, the rose apple, of the East Indies,
reaches the height of 30 feet in its native woods, and is pretty
common in Cape gardens." (" Cape Monthly Magazine," i.
p. 90, 1857.)
Rosinbosch. — This hybrid word is heard in some localities
instead of Harpuisbosch (q.v.).
" Many of the Camdeboo mountain farms . . . have had
a large portion of their veld ruined by the spread of the
rhenosterbosch and the rosinbosch (or haarpisbdsch)." (" The
Queenstown Daily Eepresentative," p. 7, 9 April, 1912.)
Rossignol. — (F. rossignol, a nightingale.) Saxicola pile-
ata, Omel., has been thus designated. See Nachtegal and
Schaapwachtertje.
" It has also the more local name of ' Nagtgaal,' and
Bossignol, from a habit it is said to have of singing by night."
(Andersson's " Birds of Damaraland," p. 108, 1872.)
Rottang. — (Mai. rotan, Calamus rotang.) The name
given to several species of tough and strong Bast Indian
climbing plants of the genus Calamus and its allies. The
stem, cut into walking sticks, is known by the same name in
South Africa.
Rotte kruid. — (D. rot, a rat; ArMid,. powder.) An earlier
Dutch name for arsenic.
" As for poisons arsenic (then called f-otte kruid, rat
powder) was used, but not very successfully." ("C.Gr.H.
Agric. Jour.," p. 691, 1904.)
Round potato. — See Potato, round.
Round tailed meerkat. — Suricata tetradactyla. See
Meerkat.
Royal heath. — Erica regia, Bartl.
Royal red wood. — See Eed ebony, and quotation 2.
Rozijntjes. — (D. rozijn, a raisin.) The small fruit of
Grewia cand., Sond.
" An old woman kindly refreshed us with sour milk, and
gave the people plenty of rozijntjes, little raisins." (Back-
house's "Narrative," p. 548, 1844.)
Rozijntjes bosch. — See above.
" The banks of the river produce lofty trees . . . such as
416 AFEICANDEKISMS
Mimosa, Salix, and species of Bhus, called by the Dutch
Bezyne houd." (Paterson's " Narrative," p. 113, 1789.)
Rub-rub berries. — The name given to the berries of Bhus
obovata in Lower Albany.
Ruggens. — (D. rug, back ; of. Bng. ridge.) Hills or
ridges, which, like the arched backs of closely packed animals,
run side by side as in the Winterhoek, Caledon, and Btedas-
dorp Districts in the Cape Colony, are thus designated.
" In the Bredasdorp District . . . the real lamziekte veld
is said to lie between the dunes and the ruggens. The disease
is not known in the ruggens, where the veld is sweet."
(" S.A, Agric. Jour.," p. 35, July, 1912.)
Ruggi. — Dim. of the above is employed of a series of
smaller ridges.
Rush, A. — A taking possession, by force of numbers, of
property which is supposed to be gold or diamond bearing.
A "canteen-rush " is one that has had its origin in canteen
talk and gossip, and is sometimes engineered and worked for
purposes sufficiently obvious.
" Hitherto a rush had been held, and actually upheld by
argument, as a superior right to any mere private claims.
The Free State distinctly admitted this, and enjoined it by
law." (Boyle's " To the Cape for Diamonds," p. 143, 1878.)
" I don't think many people believed in this last of our
countless alarms. It was pooh-poohed on every side as a
' ca.nteen-rush '. Some man who wanted to be rid of his bar
stores had got up the excitement by nods and winks." (Ibid.
p. 142.)
Rush, To. — (1) To take possession by force of numbers as
above. (2) The word has acquired a wider meaning, and is
now often used in the sense of suddenly inducing one to do a
thing that in calmer moments he would perhaps decline to
do — taking him unawares.
"About that time the farm was rushed, an expressive
word though sinister to the ears of a landed proprietor now-
adays. It signifies that diggers swarmed to the spot in such
numbers as to render merely foolish any resistance a pro-
prietor might meditate." (Boyle's "To the Cape for Dia-
monds," p. 90, 1873.)
Rustbank. — (D. rusten, to rest ; bank, a bench.) A rough
wooden couch, the seat of which is often made by weaving
in and out hide thongs or riems.
AFRICANDEEISMS 417
" A rust-bank, a rude sofa of wood, covered with skins,
stands against the wall facing the entrance." (Bryden's
" Kloof and Karoo," p. 268, 1889.)
" The few very rough seats and the rust banken . . . were
occupied by the men, the women sat on the floor." (Dower's
" Early Annals of Kokstad," p. 25, 1902.)
Rustland. — (D. rusten, to rest.) Land that is allowed to
rest, to he fallow for a time.
Rye, Saldanha Bay. — Secale africanum, a variety of rye,
which, on rich soil, grows to 5 feet and sometimes to 7 feet
high, and has been known to yield as much as fifty-fold.
Saam. — (D. samen, together.) This word is often used by
English-speaking colonists in a somewhat peculiar way, e.g.
" Can I come saam? " " He went saam " ; meaning " Can I
come with you ? " " He went with them." This is an imi-
tation of the Dutch idiom, and is current in the Midland
Districts of the Cape Colony. Cf. " Thenne comen clerkus
to comfortye hure samen ". (Langland's " Piers the Plow-
man," 4, 27. Skeat Ed.)
Sable antelope. — Hippatragus niger. The first specimen
of this handsomest of the South African antelopes submitted
to naturalists, was procured by Major Harris in the Magalies-
berg. See Harris buck and Zwaart-wit-pens.
" It were vain to attempt a description of the sensations I
experienced when ... I at length found myself in actual
possession of so brilliant an addition to the riches of natural
history. The prize evidently belonged to the Aigocerine
group, 'and was equal in stature to a large galloway." (Har-
ris's "Wild Sports," p. 263, 1839.)
Sack milk. — (D. zak, a bag, pocket.) The earlier colonial
name for what is now known as Sour milk or Amasi (q.v.) . It
was commonly prepared in a bag made of the skin of a goat
or sheep — hence the name.
"A community of, Hottentots . . . received us very
friendly, and invited us to drink some of their sack milk."
(Sparrman's " Voyage," i. p. 239, 1785.)
Sacred jackhanger. — The common name of Tarsiger silens.
The male bird in its flight strongly resembles the male
Butcher bird (q.v.).
" This bird is known as the Sacred jackhanger to the
colonial schoolboy." (Haagner and Ivy's " Sketches of South
African Bird Life," p. 103, 1908.)
27
418 AFEIOANDBEISMS
Saddle, The. — This term is applied to a saddle-like for-
mation somewhat frequent in South Africa, by which two
mountains are joined together.
" The police turned out smartly, and off we went up the
rocks to the Saddle. . . . Just at the saddle foot we came upon
a wounded man, assegaied in ten places, and flung over the
kranz by the enemy." (Barkley's " Among Boers and
Basutos," p. 99, 1893.)
" By eleven o'clock the party had climbed to the summit
of a saddle overlooking Umbunda's Pass, and was able to dis-
tinguish its future route lying in the gorge some hundreds of
feet below." ("East London Dispatch," p. 6, 21 June, 1912.)
Saddle off, To. — See Off-saddle, Dutch afzadelen.
" He asked us if we would saddle off our horses and enter
his habitation." (Hoodie's " Ten Years in South Africa," i.
p. 65, 1835.)
Saddle up, To. — A colloquialism common throughout the
whole of South Africa ; it is the English rendering of the
Dutch opzadelen, to saddle a horse.
" The tractable steeds were without difficulty caught and
saddled up." (Napier's " Excursions," ii. p. 17, 1849.)
"At five o'clock we commenced to saddle up again."
(Godlonton's "Kaffir War, 1850-51," i. p. 397, 1852.)
Saffraan hout. — (D. saffraan, saffron ; hout, wood.) Elceo-
dendron croceum ; this tree has a whitish bark with a yellow
sub-cuticle which shows through, hence the name.
"A tree 20 to 40 feet high, 2 to 4 feet in diameter.
Wood hard, yellow, Saffranhout." (" Flora Capensis," Vol.
I. p. 468, 1859-60.)
Sage wood. — Buddleia salvicefolia. See Salie hout and
Salie tree. A strongly scented plant, a native of the
Transvaal.
Sail, A. — (D. zeil, as in dekzeil, a tilt.) The canvas cover
stretched over the strong frame of a buck-wagon.
" The wagon in which I was had seventy-two stabs in
the sail." (Bird's " Annals of Natal," i. p. 240, 1888.)
Saint. — A term sometimes applied to an inhabitant of
Grahamstown — the City of the Saints (q.v.).
" The older generation of Grahamstown's citizens regarded
Mr. Sheffield's book (' The Story of the Settlement ') as one
which no loyal Saint should be without." (" East London
Dispatch," p. 4, 14 August, 1912,)
AFEICANDEEISMS 419
Saint Barnaby's thistle. — Gentcmrea solstitialis — this
plant retains in South Africa the trivial name which it has
received in England.
" By proclamation in the Government Gazette saltwort
{Salsola kali) and S. Barnaby's thistle {Gentaurea solstitialis)
are declared noxious weeds in the Division of Bedford."
("East London Dispatch," p. 4, 6 January, 1912.)
Saint Helena peach. — A variety of peach the flesh of which
is yellow.
" One kind of peach, known as the St. Helena peach ... is
in such incredible abundance that in some places pigs are fed
on the ripe fruit." (Brook's " Natal," p. 293, 1876.)
" Probably the yellow St. Helena is the best self stock to
graft on." (Wallace's "Farming Industries of the Cape
Colony," p. 189, 1896.)
Saint Monday. — Monday is generally observed as a holi-
day by the Malays of the Cape Peninsula, hence this designa-
tion.
" It is quite a common sight, especially on Saint Monday,
to see eight, ten, or twelve people, crammed into one " (a
Cape cart). (Cole's "Eeminiscences," p. 68, 1896.)
Saint Peter's fish. — An east coast name for Dentex
rupestris. See Kooi steenbras.
" On each side is a fairly large vertical black mark . . .
this marking is responsible for the fish being sometimes
called St. Peter's fish, the idea being that the marks were
caused by St. Peter seizing one of these fish to extract the
coin from its mouth with which to pay tribute." ("East
London Dispatch," 29 July, 1905.)
Sakabula. — (Zulu, i Sakabulo, the large Kaffir finch.)
Coliopasser procne. ' This name is in general use all over Natal.
It is one of the very few polygamous passerine birds.
" This bird is well known in the Colony by its Kaffir
name ' isakubula'." (Woodward's "iNatal Birds," p. 67,
1899.)
"They bartered the highly prized tail feathers of the
sakaboola bird,which they were adepts at catching, for food
and other commodities." ("East London Dispatch," p. 3,
20 July, 1912.)
Salamander. — (Grk. aaXafiavpa, an animal of the lizard
kind that was supposed to be able to extinguish fire.) This
name is applied by the Dutch to lizards generally.
27*
420 AFEICANDBEISMS
" These stones and the cavities among them serve as a
retreat for . . . serpents, salamanders, lizards, mice, and
moles." (Latrobe's "Journal," p. 45, 1818.)
Saldanha Bay. — A bay situate on the v?est coast of the
Cape Colony, it is named after Antonio de Saldanha, the
Portuguese Commander who visited the Cape in 1503. This
name seems to have been used occasionally by early vrriters,
of Table Bay.
" The ships which were lying in Table Bay should im-
mediately take shelter in that of Saldanha." (Le Vaillant's
" Travels," i. p. 28, 1796.)
Saldanha Bay rye. — See Bye, Saldanha Bay.
Saldanier. — A Hottentot from the neighbourhood of Sal-
danha Bay was so called by the early Dutch colonists.
" The Ottentoo Herry . . . coming with two Saldaniers
before the gate, and requested to be admitted." (Hoodie's
" Eecords," p. 16, 1841. Van Eiebeeck's " Journal," 9 October,
1652.)
Salie. — (D. salie, sage.) The numerous species of Salvia
found in South Africa are known by this name among the
Dutch ; but beside these Ghilianthus olaceus, Brachylena el-
liptica, Tarchonanthus camphoratus, and Buddleia salvia-
folia, all share this name with the true Salvia.
Salie hout. — (D. salie, sage; hout, wood.) See Sage
wood.
Salie tree. — (D. salie, sage.) See Sage wood and Salie
hout.
" Wild willows and feathery-flowered zalie trees grew in
delightful profusion." (Slater's "The Sunburnt South," p.
11, 1908.)
Salmon, Cape. — This name seems to be applied somewhat
variously along the coast; at Durban it is given to the
Kabeljauw (q.v.) ; at East London and Port Elizabeth it is
given to a large kind of herring, Elops saurus ; and at Cape
Town to the Geelbek (q.v.) ; this is the cause of considerable
confusion.
Salt, To. — (1) To salt a mine or reef is to adopt some
device which will deceive a possible investor into beheving
that that which is worthless contains precious minerals in
paying quantity. Gold, for example, has been fired from a
gun on to the exposed quartz, visible gold being the result,
(2) To give an animal immunity from any disease by inocu-
AFEICANDBEISMS 421
lation or some other means. The peculiar use of the word
in the last quotation should be noted.
" They certainly are the genuine article, and if, as some
people say, the fields are salted, there must be a precious fine
mine of rock gold somewhere to supply the nuggets."
(" Queenstown Free Press," 21 October, 1873.)
" In accordance with the use of the word salt in the South
African language, we subsequently employ the term salted
beast to denote those animals which have withstood rinderpest,
and through this are not liable to contract the disease. Thus
the expression to salt a beast means to render the animal im-
mune to the disease, to immunize him." ("C.G.H. Agric.
Jour.," p. 6, 9 January, 1898.)
" All farmers agree that cattle which recover " (i.e. from
lamziekte) " do not salt from the disease, in other words, there
is no immunity." (" S.A. Agric. Jour.," p. 54, July 1912.)
Salted. — (1) At first the word appears to have been em-
ployed of animals which had been inured by exposure, either
to climate or to some certain disease. (2) Now it means that
the animal has actually had a usually fatal disease, either by
inoculation or otherwise, and has recovered therefrom — with
reference to that particular disease the animal is said to be
" salted " and is regarded as being proof against a fresh
attack.
" The only thing I had was my salted riding horse."
(Baines' " Gold Eegions of South-East Africa," p. 27, 1877.)
" This lot were thoroughly salted, that is they had worked
all over South Africa, and so had become proof (comparatively
speaking) against 'red-water '." (Haggard's "King Solomon's
Mines," p. 42, 1887.)
" Inoculating unsalted horses with some of the blood
serum of salted ones in order to protect them from horse-sick-
ness poison." (" Scientific African," p. 42, 1896.)
Salt-lick. — An American name given by hunters to those
localities the soil of which was largely impregnated with
various saline minerals ; and which, on this account, were
much frequented by wild animals. After rains the saline
crystals formed on the surface of the ground would be eagerly
licked off by them.
" These pans or salt licks are met with in several parts of
South Africa." (Gordon Cumming's "Adventures," i. p. 135,
1850.)
422 AFBICANDEEISMS
" During my peregrinations, however, I have seen some-
thing of every kind of sport, whether at night by the side of the
mirrored water, or the salt lick, or by day on foot or on horse-
back, and I must conscientiously declare that in my opinion a
midnight ambush by a pool, well frequented by animals, is
worth all the other modes of enjoying a gun put together."
(Andersson's "Okovango Eiver," p. 85, 1861.)
Salt pan. — An anglicized form of the Dutch "zout-pan ".
See Pan.
" It was one of those salt water lakes which abound in
South Africa, where they are called zout-pans by the colonists."
(Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 123, 1801.)
" The country where these lakes, or salt pans as they are
styled, are situated." (Fleming's "Southern Africa," p. 76,
1856.)
" I walked to see those wonderful Salt pans. . . . The
salt and soda brine is perpetually oozing from the bottom,
and is continually being scraped up vdth a sort of wooden
scraper into heaps, where, after a time, by the action of the
atmosphere, lit becomes crystallized. . . . These salt pans aie
the property of the Transvaal Government. " (Sir F. Young's
"A Winter Tour in South Africa," pp. 67-68, 1890.)
Salt-wort. — Salsola kali, found on sandy sea-shores.
" By proclamation in the ' Government Gazette ' saltwort
(Salsola kila) and S. Barnaby's thistle (Centaurea solstitialis)
are declared noxious weeds in the division of Bedford." (" East
London Dispatch," p. 4, 5 January, 1912.)
Sambal. — (Mai. " Sambal, a spiced condiment in general
use." Crawford.) Finely shredded onions, quinces, cucum-
bers, etc., prepared with vinegar and various spices, and used as
a relish with meat. A favourite salad with the Dutch colonists.
" The most common seasoning employed to give a relish
to their insipid food is the lombock (i.e. red pepper) ; triturated
with salt it is called sambel." (Eafifles' "History of Java," i.
p. 98, 1817.)
" There are recipes for quince jam and jelly . . . and for
a quince Sambal (i.e. green chutney), a Malay recipe."
(Hilda's "Diary of a Cape Housekeeper," p. 84, 1902.)
Sambalbroek. — (D. broek, trousers.) A humorous name
for the very wide trousers worn by the Malays.
Sambriel. — (Port, sumbriero, that which shades.) An
umbrella.
AFEICANDEEISMS 423
" Close behind it followed the heir apparent, on foot, under
a sambreel, or sunshade of state." (Stavorinus' " Voyages," i.
p. 87, 1798.)
Sambriel or Samareel boom. — (Port, sumbriero, that
which shades; boom, a tree.) Another name for Cussonia
spicata. See Cabbage tree.
" Harvey says : ' Tree 15 feet high, with the aspect of a
palm, called by the colonists Sama/reelboom, Nojesboom '.
Samareelboom means umbrella tree." (Sim's "Forest Flora
of Cape Colony," p. 230, 1907.)
Sambrieltje. — (Dim. of above.) A parasol, sun-shade.
Sambriero. — (Port, sumbriero, that which shades.) A
broad-brimmed straw hat.
" I had just fallen down a sand-bank while running after
a large butterfly, when I heard Lulu shout for me, but I did
not take any notice until I had secured the specimen under
my broad-brimmed sombrero." (Farini's " Through the
Kalahari Desert," p. 334, 1886.)
Sammy. — See Eamasammy, of which this is an abbrevia-
tion.
Sampan. — Ornithodorus savignyi, var. emeus. A particu-
larly poisonous member of the Tick {IxodidcB) Family. See
Tampan tick.
" Omab, subst. samban (bunte, giftige Buschlaussorte)."
(Kronlein's "Wortschatz der Khoi-Khoin," p. 271, 1889.)
" The ground beneath is full of the dreaded sampans,
which bury themselves in his flesh and cause serious injury."
(Scully's " Between Sun and Sand," p. 8, 1898.)
Sancord. — Sebastes maculatus. Known also as the bastard
Jakob Bvertsen.
Sandalwood. — Excoeearia afrieana. The natives make
necklaces and charms of the scented wood of this tree.
Sand hoppers. — Small Crustacea (Orchestiida) found in
the sand of the sea-shore, they move by springing.
" Their stomachs were filled with small sand-hoppers
{Crustacea)." (Layard's "Birds of South Africa," p. 705,
1875-84.)
Sand mole. — See Duin mole and Cape mole.
" The sand moZe inhabits the dunes, flats, and other sandy
localities along the coast, throwing up the sand at intervals
in hills a foot high." (" The State," p. 231, September, 1912.)
Sand quail. — Turnix Hottentotta. See Eietkwartel.
424 APBICANDEEISMS
Sand quick. — A Bechuanaland name for Schrmdtia hul-
hosa, Stapf. (Burtt-Davy, " S.A. Agric. Journ.," July, 1912.)
Sand river. — A river the water of which runs under the
sand and can be obtained by digging to a slight depth.
" The Setlagoli is, however, a sand river, water flows
beneath the sand ; and even in time of drought pools of water
are to be found here and there over its course." (Bryden's
" Gun and Camera in South Africa," p. 21, 1893.)
Sand shark. — See Viool visch and Zand-kruiper.
Sand smelt. — Percis nebulosa, C. cmd V., is so named in
Natal.
Sand worm. — A minute parasite, probably of fungoid
character, which burrows along under the skin of the foot,
causing almost intolerable itching and inflammation.
" The next visitation was caused by the absence of shoe
leather and the practice of going bare-footed, especially by
young people, it was popularly known as Sand-worm." (Eus-
seU's " Old Durban," p. 504, 1899.)
Sarani. — (Mai. nasrani, sarani, a corruption of Nazarene,
a Christian.) In some parts of the Western Province this
term is applied to professing Christians of coloured blood.
The Patriot-Woordeboek derives this word from Saracene (!) .
" Orang Sirani or Nazarenes, is the name given by the
Malays to the Christian descendants of the Portuguese."
(Wallace's "The Malay Archipelago," p. 311, 1872.)
Sardine. — A small species of herring — Clupea ocellata —
very abundant on the coast at times, is so called. See Sussie.
Saroet or Seroet. — (Tamil, shuruttu, a roll of tobacco.)
In the Cape Colony this word retains its older meaning of
" cigar," but it is also used of Manilla and Natal cigars cut
off at both ends. See Serootje.
Sassaby. — (Sech. Tsessebe.) Damaliscus lunatus, found
in the low country of the Transvaal, Southern Bhodesia, etc.
" There were standing within shot of me at once about
three hundred pallahs, about twelve sassaybys, and twenty
zebras." (Gordon Cumming's " Adventures," ii. p. 119, 1850.)
Sassatjes. — (Mai. sisate, minced meat, meat chopped.)
Veal or mutton cutlets curried slightly and cooked on a
wooden skewer over a clear wood fire. They are quite as
toothsome as a "Wiener schnitzel".
" Sasaitie, or cabobs, is really no despicable eating."
("C.G.H. Lit. Gazette," p. 138, 2 September, 1833.)
APEICANDEEISMS 425
"A Hittite . . . with along spear and a very pronounced
intention to spit you on it, like a sassatje." (" Cape Argus," 22
December, 1894.)
Sausage tree, or Bologna-sausage tree. — Kigelia pinnata
is known by this name in Ehodesia, etc. The reference is to
the appearance of the fruit.
"It (Hyphantornis xanthops, Hartl.) was procured by Mr.
Jameson on the Umvuli Eiver on 11 September, where,
however, it was not very common, feeding among the blossoms
of the sausage tree." (Layard's "Birds of South Africa," p.
438, 1875-84.)
Saw-fish. — At the Cape this name is given to Prisiophorus
cirrhatus.
Scab. — See Black spot.
Scab. — A disease among stock called by the Dutch
" Brand-ziekte " (q.v.) ; it is the result of an abnormal and
unhealthy condition of skin, due to irritation caused by
myriads of microscopic mites or acari, of which there appear
to be several varieties.
" Scab, or brand-ziekte of the Angora goat, is not nearly
so difficult to cure as that of the Boer goat." (Wallace's
"Farming Industries of the Cape Colony," p. 329, 1896.)
Scab Act. — An Act passed by the Cape Parliament having
for its object the prevention of the spread of scab in the
Colony, and its ultimate eradication. ,
" The Chief Scab Inspector is nominally in control of the
working of the Scab Act." (Wallace's " Farming Industries
of the Cape Colony," p. 369, 1896.)
Scabbard fish. — Lepidopus argyreus. See Kalk visch.
Scab inspector. — An official appointed under the above
Act to examine flocks for scab.'
Scald, To. — To wring a horse's back.
" Horse blankets . . . very often had the effect of scaZdiwg'
a horse's back, making it soft and causing . . . sore backs."
(Fenn's " How I volunteered for the Cape," p. 194, 1879.)
Scavenger. — Lethrinus scoparius. A Natal name for this
fish.
" Among other sorts I noticed . . . scavengers, hlne-&3h."
("Natal Mercury Pictorial," p. 719, 1906.)
Scavenger beetle. — Scarabceus. The designation some-
times given to the Mistkruier or Tumble-bug (q.v.).
" The Scavenger beetle is often seen and sometimes may be
426 AFEICANDEEISMS
found in the act of rolling a spherical mass of dung into a
satisfactory place, where it may sink it into the ground and
lay its eggs in the warmth-producing mass." (Tangye's " In
New South Africa," p. 270, 1896.)
Schaapboer. — (D. schaap, a sheep ; boer, a farmer.) A
sheep farmer.
" These plants were known to the veeboer or schaapboer
as the cause of the troubles they produce, long before any
scientific investigation of their properties had been made."
(" S.A. Agric. Jour.," p. 61, July, 1912.)
Schaapbosjes. — (D. schaap, a sheep ; bos, a bush.) Pent-
zia virgata is known by this name.
" Besides the many kinds of sweet grass, we also saw
many kinds of small shrubs resembling our schaapboschjes."
(Du Toit's "Ehodesia," p. 120, 1897.)
Schaapendrolletjes. — Plectronia ventosa and P. ciliata.
" Serissa ? capensis. (Thunberg's ' Flora Capensis, Burm.
Afr.,' p. 257, Table 94.) (Vulgo) schaapdroUetjes." (Burc-
heU's " Travels," i. p. 31, 1822.)
Schaapsteker. — (D. schaap, a sheep ; steken, to sting.) Tri-
merorhinus rhombeatus. A snake which does not kill sheep
as its popular name would seem to imply ; nor is it the ex-
cessively poisonous snake which it has the reputation of
being.
" The Scarpsticker of the Dutch, or night adder, a small,
dingy-brown adder, spotted with black, about eighteen inches
long." (Fleming's " Southern Africa," p. 406, 1856.)
" The farmer, or his herdsman, comes along, finds the
dying sheep, and seeing Schaapstekers about, immediately
concludes that they are the guilty parties, hence the name
Schaapsteker, which means 'sheepsticker '." (Fitzsimon's
" Snakes of South Africa," p. 130, 1912.)
Schaapwachter. — (D. schaap, a sheep ; wacht, a guard.)
A shepherd.
" A few slight instructions from a schaapioagter (shep-
herd) whom we met with were considered sufficient."
(Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 236, 1822.)
Schaapwachtertje. — (Dim. of above.) Saxicola pileata.
This favourite among the birds is so styled because, posses-
sing great powers of mimicry, it not only imitates other birds,
but whistles exactly as the shepherd does when driving his
sheep. See Nachtegaal and Kossignol.
APEICANDEEISMS 427
" The Schaapwagtertje (little shepherd) so called from its
familiarity in approaching the Hottentots, while attending
their sheep, is a bird common to all the open country of this
part of South Africa." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 270, 1822.)
" The Schaapwachter (shepherd) of the Boers, a Saxicola
. . . was often seen and heard." (Bryden's " Kloof and
Karoo," p. 54, 1889.)
Schai. — (Mansvelt says, " warsch, een afgesleten vorm
van schaden, benadeelen," but is it not an attempt to repro-
duce the Hottentot *a (dental click) to steal, quietly to re-
move ?) To steal, " to jump " (q.v.).
Schanz. — (D. schans, a redoubt ; G. Schanze, a trench,
bulwark.) A protection or defence made of stones, earth,
thorn-bushes, etc. The Basutos are very clever at building
these.
" Anfanglich baueten sie an dem Salz-Flusse (Zout Eivier)
eine Schanze von Holz und Erde, und hielte eine Wache zur
Sicherheit ihrer Heerden darinnen." (Kolben's " Beschrei-
bung,"p. 200,1745.)
" 'Lucky I took the precaution of building &" schanz, eh ? '
said Eenshaw." (Mitford's " Eenshaw Fanning's Quest,"
p. 177, 1894.)
Schanz, To. — To fortify a place by means of schanzen,
as the Basutos did when besieged by the colonial forces on
Thaba Bosigo, 1880.
" The top of this mountain was about a mile long, and
about a half a mile broad, and was completely schwnzed in
every direction." (Hoodie's " Battles," ii. p. 185, 1888.)
Schanz wache. — (D. schans, a redoubt ; wacht, a guard.)
The men set to man and guard these fortifications.
" The line-guard, also called the schanz wache, or foot-
guard." (Damberger's " Travels," p. 8 n., 1801.)
Schei. — (D. schei, a transom, cross-bar.) Sometimes they
are called " yoke-scheis " — flat, wooden pegs passing through
the yoke on each side of the neck of the ox, from the lower
ends of which a thong passes just below the throat of the
ox, securing the yoke in position.
" At each end of it (the yoke), the trek-chain being fastened
to the middle, is a pair of notched slips of wood, called sJceis,
let into holes in the yokes at a sufficient distance apart for
the neck of an ox to fit in between them." (Balfour's
" Twelve Hundred Miles in a Waggon," p. 72,1895.)
428 AFEICANDBKISMS
Schelm. — (D. schelm, a rascal, rogue. The word was
used by English writers of the seventeenth century, as
Pepys, Taylor the Water Poet, etc. ; and Burns, in his
immortal " Tarn o' Shanter," makes Tarn's wife address
him thus : —
She tauld thee weal thou wast a skellimi,
A bletherin', blusterin', drunken blellum.)
The word is used all over South Africa for (1) A thievish
ne'er-do-well ; (2) a bad-tempered animal.
" 1654, 6 August. These schelms give us nothing but
such affronts as they can or may." (Eiebeeck's " Journal,"
Hoodie's " Eecords," p. 53, 1841.)
" For the bold skelm-hea,Bt is preparing to fight."
(Pringle's " Poems," p. 114, 1828.)
" It is my belief that a thorough Cape schelm would give
at least two points in the rubber of roguery, and beat the best
English swindler living." (Drayson's " Sporting Scenes," p.
314, 1858.)
Schep. — (D. scheppen, to scoop, to dip out.) To schep
water is to dip it up with a small vessel into a larger one.
Opschep is the order to dish up for the table, and a schepje is
a small portion from one of the dishes on the table.
" The farmer gave the order to ' schenk een zoopje '
(pour out a dram), and then to skep op (set the victuals on
the table)." (Alexander's " Expedition," i. p. 50, 1838.)
Schepsel. — (D. schepsel, a creature.) A creature, a cowardly
rascal, applied to natives or coloured people.
" The coloured (people) who are generally styled heathen,
or schepsels, creatures." (Backhouse's "Narrative," p. 620,
1844.)
" Die farbige Eace, die er nicht als Menschen, sondern als
schepsels (Geschopfe) betrachtet." (Kranz's " Stid-Afrika,"
p. 53, 1880.)
Scherm. — (D. scherm, a screen, fence; G. Schirm, screen,
shade.) A screen, or ambush, generally made of branches of
trees.
" Two or three scherms for night shooting had been thrown
up." (Baines' " Explorations," p. 131, 1864.)
" The bed-room is generally the lee side of a bush or scherm
of cut branches." (Baden Powell's " Matabeleland Cam-
paign," 1896, p. 169, 1897.)
AFEICANDBEISMS 429
Schietertje. — (D. schieten, to shoot.) A boy's catapult.
See Eekkertje.
Schildpad. — (D. schild, a shield ; pad, a toad ; schildpad,
a tortoise, a turtle.) (1) A tortoise. (2) It is also a term of
contempt applied to a lazy person.
"Tortoises of various species are also numerous, their
colonial name is skilpot, which is a corruption of Schildpat,
shield-toad." (Backhouse's " Narrative," p. 489, 1844.)
" The skelpot, he's got a head hke a puff-adder." (Glan-
viUe's " Tales from the Veld," p. 43, 1897.)
Schildpad besjes. — (D. bes, a berry.) The fruit of Mundtia
spinosa, D.G., vsrhich is slightly astringent.
" The fruit ... is eaten by the children and Hottentots
who call them sMldpatbesjes." (Pappe's "Florae Capensis
Medic8B Prodromus," p. 2, 1868.)
" Eatable berries occur, among others, on Mundtia spinosa
{schildpad besjes)." (Marloth's " Annual Address, S.A. Phil.
Soc," p. 11, 29 August, 1894.)
Schildpad bos. — The name given in Namaqualand to a bush
the seed-pods of which are not unlike a tortoise's head in shape.
Schildpaddop. — (D. dop, shell, pod.) The shell of the
tortoise.
Schildpadje. — A species of Coccinellida with semi-trans-
parent elytra.
Sctiildpad trick. — A game in which two boys fasten them-
selves together with a riem round the waist or neck, then
turning their backs to each other and going upon all fours,
the riem passing between their legs, each tries to pull the
other, the one who succeeds in pulhng his opponent after him,
does the trick, or trek.
" Two of the drivers, Jan and Harry, performed the
schildpat (tortoise) trick." (Baines' "Explorations," p. 386,
1864.)
Schild slang:. — (D- schild, a shield ; slang, a snake.) As-
pidelaps scutatus — found in Natal, Orange Free State, Trans-
vaal, etc.
Schimmel (D. schimmel, a grey horse. Sanders, the
great German lexicographer, says: The name (Schimmel)
probably means the shimmering one {das schimmernde Boss).)
A grey horse ; these however are further distinguished by the
predominant colour; e.g. " blauw-schimmel," a blue-grey
horse ; " rooischimmel," a red or iron-grey horse. These are
the favourite colours for horses among colonists.
430 AFEICANDERISMS
" I was brusquely informed that if I wanted to purchase
the schimmel (roan), I must return in the evening." (Napier's
"Excursions," i. p. 295, 1849.)
"This feat was performed ... by one horse, a large
grey or schimmel, the favourite colour in South Africa."
(Barter's " The Dorp and the Veld," p. 109, 1852.)
" A ' blaauw schimmel paard ' is a dappled grey, and others
are distinguished as red or brown according to their colour."
(Baines' " Gold Eegions of South-east Africa," p. 66, 1877.)
Schimmel day — An expression meaning "early dawn."
This appears to be a corruption of Schemer dag (D. schemer,
twilight, dusk), when the light first shimmers. See
Schimmel.
" I may as well explain that schimmel means mottled, or
dappled. Schimmel day is when the light clouds begin to be
dappled with the tints of early dawn, but the word is gener-
ally used to imply the time of dawn, even though there are
no clouds." (Baines' "Gold Eegions of South-east Africa,"
p. 66, 1877.)
Schlenter. — (1) A slang word meaning dubious, untrust-
worthy, make-believe ; it was in use in this sense on the
Diamond Fields. (2) The word then came to mean an imi-
tation, a counterfeit ; as a singular noun it was used to de-
signate imitation gold, while as a plural noun it was applied
to imitation diamonds, some of which, made of glass, were
such close and clever imitations as to deceive even those who
were regarded as experts.
" ' Of course,' whispers the seller who had pushed his way
to the side of the buyer, 'this sale was only schlenter'."
(Comtesse de Bremont's "The Gentleman Digger," p. 99,
1891.)
"Numerous were the offers to subscribe handsomely to the
stakes in event of the challenge being no schlenter one."
(Couper's "Mixed Humanity," p. 384.)
" Eosseau took the detectives to a plantation at Belgravia,
where he showed them a small sack containing bars of gold
or schlenter." ("Cape Argus," Weekly Edition, p. 35, 16
March, 1898.)
"Good Lord, man, can't you see they're all schlenters."
(Griffith's "Knaves of Diamonds," p. 35, 1899.)
Schoenlapper. — (D. schoonlapper, a cobbler; lappen, to
patch, botch, mend.) In South Africa this word, which in
AFEICANDEEISMS 431
Holland seems to be applied to one species only, is used by
the Dutch for butterflies generally.
Schoff.— See Skoff.
Schoffel. — (D. schoffelen, to hoe, to clear of weeds ; cf .
Eng. shovel.) A hoe ; a weeding tool.
Schoffel, To. — To clear the ground of vegetable growth
with a hoe or spade : sometimes corrupted to " scuffle ".
" In old lands no kind of preparation keeps the annual
weeds down, and annual schoffeling must be practised for
several years." (" C.G.H. Agric. Journ.," p. 339, 1897.)
" The flowering of the wild chestnut . . . and the ripen-
ing of the fruit on the Kaffir plum, show that it is time to
scuffle." (A. Smith's " Short Papers on South African Sub-
jects," p. 42, 1893.)
Schoff ler. — One who clears the ground by "schoffeling ".
"In the native lands, where the owner cannot rise to a 75,
the scoffler is busy with the hoe." (" East London Dis-
patch," 16 September, 1904.)
Schoft. — (D. schoft, a quarter of a day.) (1) In the South
African vernacular this term is applied to the wagon journey
from one outspan to another, covering a period that varies
from four to six hours. (2) It also means part of a working
day ; a job.
" Four such hours with a horse or with eight oxen are reck-
oned to make one skoft." (Sparrman's " Voyage," i. p. 137,
1785.)
" Each day's journey is called a skoff and the length of
these is generally regulated by local circumstances, being
from five to fifteen hours." (Barrow's "Travels," i. p. 55,
1801.)
" It was seventy days' journey with an ox wagon (schoften)
from Kuruman to the Zambezi without delay." (" Queens-
town Free Press," 6 February, 1861.)
Schoolmaster. — Schoolmastering in the early days of the
Colony was the resort of those whose expedients for securing
a livelihood were wellnigh exhausted. Deserted sailors, dis-
charged soldiers and others, whose attainments were of a
very elementary character, would journey from farm to farm
teaching (?) a few weeks at each place, with what result can be
imagined. The Educational Department has succeeded in
producing, even on the farthest outlying farms, a vastly better
condition of things, and a good education is now within reach
of all
432 AFEICANDEEISMS
" The Cape Schoolmaster is an institution of the land. . . .
The pedagogue is a circulating creature who rides from farm
to farm, taking his pupils in such order as he can." (Boyle's
" Chronicles of No Man's Land," p. 88, 1880.)
" Among wealthy Boers . . . the jScAooZmasier is an officer
of the household as one may say. . . . The Schoolmaster is in
fact half-secretary, half -steward, and all servant." (Ibid.,
p. 89.)
Schoorsteen veger. — (D. schoorsteen, a chimney ; vegen, to
sweep ; veger, a brush.) Ibis Mthiopica, Lath. The Sacred
ibis, which ranges throughout the whole of Africa.
"A few specimens of the Sacred ibis or Schoorstein veger
(lit. chimney-sweep) as it is called by the colonists, have
come under our notice." (Layard and Sharpe's "Birds of
South Africa," p. 736, 1875-84.)
Schotel. — (D. schotel, a dish; Lat. scutella; cf. Eng.
scuttle.) A dish whether of earthenware or tin.
Schrik. — (D. schrik, fright, terror.) A start, a fright.
The word is in common use, both as a noun and as a verb,
all over South Africa.
" But, lor' bless yer, the schreik he gave me." (Glanville's
" Tales from the Veld," p. 173, 1897.)
" The oxen skreeked in a bunch." (Haggard's " Nada the
Lily," p. 2.)
Schrikkeljaar. — (D. schrikkelen, to spring, jump.) Leap
year is so termed, because at one time, instead of adding a
twenty-ninth day to February {Schrikkelmaand) every fourth
year, a day was interjected between the 23rd and 24th of the
month — men schrikkelt een dag over. The same method was
employed in Germany, hence the terms : Schaltjahr, Schalt-
tag, from schalten to insert. Hij komt alle Schrikkeljaar kerk
toe, lit. " He comes to church every leap-year," i.e. very seldom.
Schuins pad. — (D. schuinsch, sloping, aslant ; pad, path,
road,) A road on the side of a hill with a slope across it
towards the fall of the hill.
" The road ran round a projecting swell of the ground^
which descending almost abruptly, left no level space for the
wheels, and made what the Dutch call a scuinsch pad, and a
very squint path it was certainly." (Barter's " The Dorp
and the Veld," p. 79, 1852.)
Schurvejantje. — (D. schurft, scurvy, scab ; Jantje, Johnny.)
The name given to a rough scaled variety of lizard.
AFEICANDEEISMS 433
Schurvepadda. — (D. schurft, scurvy, scab; pad, a toad.)
A rough skinned frog or toad.
Schut. — (D. schut, a fence, screen.) The common name
in South Africa for what is known in England as the
" pound " ; an enclosure for strayed animals. It is often
spelled and generally pronounced " Skit " (q.v.).
Schut hocks. — (D. schut, a fence, screen ; hok, a pen, en-
closure.) Sheds or outbuildings for animals.
" The party off-saddled here . . . stowed away a part of
the unbroken furniture in the schut-hocks around the dwelling
. . . saddled up and went down to Mr. Temple Nourse's
farm." (Godlonton's " Kaffir War, 1850-51," p. 253, 1852.)
Schut kraal. — A kraal employed as a schut or pound.
See Skit kraal.
" On calling for the horses I had engaged, found they had
been put in the schut-kraal, or pound." (Thomson's " Travels,"
p. 26, 1827.)
" A cherished institution of the Boers, by whom it is known
throughout South Africa as the Schut kraal." (Eussell's
" Old Durban," p. 151, 1899.)
Schut meester. — (D. meester, master.) The official in
charge of the pound. See Skit master.
Schut vee. — (D. vee, cattle.) Impounded cattle. See Skit
cattle.
Schut verkoping. — (D. verkooping, sale, auction.) The
public sale by auction of impounded stock. See Skit sale.
Scissor grinder. — Platypleura capensis. The name given
to this Cicada, because its deafening, unmusical (the ancients
notwithstanding) noise is supposed to resemble that made by
a scissor grinder. See Singertje.
Scorpion spider. — Phrynus reneformis. This Arachnid is
so named in Natal.
Scotch. — A common South African term denoting certain
brands of whisky.
Scotch cart. — A strongly built, springless cart in use on
nearly every farm in the country.
" Performing their pilgrimage by every means of locomo-
tion from the bipedal shank's mare, or scotch-cart drawn by
two oxen, to the spanking turnout of the wealthiest farmer."
(" Cape Illustrated Magazine," p. 90, 1892.)
Scotchman. — This is the peculiar designation given by the
natives to a florin ; it is said to have originated thus : a
28
434 AFBICANDEEISMS
certain Scotchman employed a nmnber of natives at half a
crown a day. at the end of the engagement he palmed
off upon the unsophisticated labourers a number of florins
as half-crowns, it was not until they tried to pass them
as half-crowns that they discovered how they had been
" had ". See also Ama-German.
"In deaUng with Kaffirs I frequently heard the term
Scotchman applied to a two-shiihng piece." (Atcherley's
"A Trip to Boerland," p. 55, 1879.)
" Jantjis touched his hat ; spat on the Scotchman as the
natives of that part of South Africa call a two-shilling piece."
(Haggard's "Jess," p. 93, 1887.)
Scotchman. — Dentex prmorbitalis, Giinther, is known by
this name in Natal.
Sea bamboo, or Trumpets. — EMonia huccinalis. This
large marine alga is thus designated in the Cape Peninsula.
" On 10 November we saw for the first time trumpets, or
sea-bamboo, floating on the ocean." (Stavorinus' "Voyages,"
I. p. 25, 1798.)
" The Dutch call this plant Zee-bambos (sea-bamboo), and
boys after cutting its stem to a convenient length when dry,
sometimes amuse themselves in blowing as a'horn or trumpet,
but the sound thus produced is very hollow and dull." (Bur-
chell's " Travels," i. p. 28, 1822.)
" The gigantic stems of the Sea-trumpet (Ecklonia
buccinalis, Horn)." (Pappe's " Florae Capensis Medicae Pro-
dromus," p. 45, 1868.)
Sea-cow. — Hippopotamus amphibius, L. It would seem
that the Dutch name — Zee-koe — of which this is the angli-
cized form, is due to a striving after meaning on the part of
the early Dutch colonists. The latter half of the name ap-
pears to be a corruption of the 'Hottentot name of the animal
* gao (with an initial palatal click). In the first place, support-
ing this suggestion, the Dutch name is applied to both sexes
alike. Then there is nothing in the outward appearance of the
animal to suggest the name koe or cow ; and there is on the
other hand, in the colonial pronunciation of the above name,
a distinct approximation to the sound of the Hottentot name
as pronounced by the Hottentots themselves. The new sense
having crept into the Hottentot word, the Dutch word zee
(sea, lake) would have to be prefixed to distinguish the
animal from the ordinary cow.
AFEICANDEEISMS 435
" In the great rivers there is a Monstrous Creature which
they call a Sea-cow, the Flesh, or to say better, the Lard of
it is good to eat, and hath a very pleasant taste." (" A Voyage
to Siam," by six Jesuits, p. 74, 1688.)
" The huge animal has doubtless obtained its present
name of hippopotamus, v^hich signifies ' river-horse ' merely
in consequence of the neighing sound it makes, as othervrise
in its form it bears not the least resemblance to a horse, but
rather to a hog. Neither does it in the least resemble an ox ;
so it could only be the different stomachs of this animal which
could occasion it to be called sea-cow at the Cape ; and per-
haps it is for the same reason that the Hottentots call it t'gao,
which nearly approaches to t'kau, the name by which the
buffalo is known among these people." (Sparrman's
" Voyage," ii. p. 290, 1785.)
" Nor can anything be more inapplicable than the colonial
name of Zeehoe {Sea-cow), to which animal I never could per-
ceive that it had in any respect the slightest similitude."
(Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 412, 1822.)
" The hippopotamus is termed by the colonist Zekoe or
Sea-cow, the least applicable designation perhaps, not except-
ing that of the river-horse, that could have been conferred."
(Harris's " Wild Sports," p. 220 n., 1839.)
" In order that I may not appear paradoxical, I must ex-
plain that in alluding to a sea-cow as ' him,' I used the
generic term sea-cow by which this animal is spoken of in
South Africa." (Hoodie's " Battles," ii. p. 450, 1888.)
Sea-devil — See Devil fish.
" This evening several Sea-devils or Eays passed by our
ship, being flat fishes, two or three fathom long, of an ugly
figure." (Kaempfer's "History of Japan," p. 90, Eeprint,
Vol. I. Orig. pub., 1727.)
" A few days ago one of the local shops had on exhibition
a very bizarre form of fish in the angler, fishing frog, or sea-
devil (Lophius piscatorius)." (" Bast London Dispatch,"
24 June, 1905.)
Sealice. — One or more varieties of small crustaceans,
found in the sand and used as bait, are so named in Natal.
"Natal boasts a very fine bait unknown to us at East
London. It is known as sea-lice." ("East London Dis-
patch," 9 January, 1907.)
Sea snake. — Hydrus platurus — not uncommon on the
28*
436 AFEICANDEEISMS
South African coast and very poisonous ; the flat tail and
body enable them to swim actively. See also Zee slang.
" The only species of Sea snake which inhabits the ocean
about the coasts of South Africa is the black and yellow
species." (Fitzsimon's " Snakes of South Africa," p. 159,
1898.)
Secretary bird. — Serpentarius secrefarius. A well-known
South African bird, somewhat unduly esteemed as a snake
and vermin destroyer. It has a curious crest of feathers
which it can raise or depress at will, not unlike in appearance
pens stuck behind the ear, to which it is indebted for its
popular name. See Slang vreeter.
" The Secretaries bird though it has already been brought
alive to Europe ... is too remarkable among the feathered
kind to be left unnoticed." (Sparrman's "Voyage," i.
p. 153, 1785.)
"The Secretary bird (Serpentarius secretarius), though
very unlike one's idea of a hawk, is undoubtedly an aberrant
member of the Accipitrine Order." (" Science in South
Africa," p. 142, 1905.)
Semmels. — (D. zemelen, bran ; F. semoule ; It. semola,
bran ; Lat. simila, finest wheat flour.) (1) Bran. (2) The
Dutch have apphed this term to a substance not unlike bran
in appearance, found in the neighbourhood of Jagersfontein.
" A quantity of simmels (coarse bran) also lay on the
ground." (Kay's "Eesearches," p. 503, 1833.)
"At Jagersfontein there is a substance of a singular
character, which from its appearance has been named by the
Boers sem/mels (bran). This is a fine clayey debris, glistening
with talc, and is undoubtedly the detritus from the talcose
claystone or clayey schist." (" Cape Monthly Magazine,"
II. p. 359, 1871.)
Sens. — (G. Sense, a scythe.) The Cape Dutch name for a
scythe.
Serang. — (Pers. sa/rhang, a commander or overseer.) Ac-
cording to Yule and Burnell, in Anglo-Indian usage, "a
native boatswain, or chief of a lascar crew ; the skipper of a
small native vessel," is so called ; in Cape Dutch it is applied
to the overseer of a gang of labourers.
" From Malay or Indian sources we have pisang, penang
(curry), blatjang (sauce), serang (leader of a gang)."
("Northern News," 27 August, 1912.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 437
Sergeant-major. — Sargus cervinus has been thus desig-
nated at East London, because of its " stripes ".
" Sargus cervinus, our very common Zebra, or as it is
sometimes called, the sergeant major, on account of its very
distinct stripes." (" East London Dispatch," 26 June, 1906.)
Seringa. — (D. sering, lilac.) Melia azedirach.
"The watercourses . . . along which we had sown the
seeds of the sering a-hoom." (Barter's " The Dorp and the
Veld," p. 103, 1852.)
" Seringa trees are planted along the sides of the streets."
(Mann's " Natal," p. 109, 1859.)
Serootje. — See Saroet.
" As Mr. Baxter has finished his cherootje, we had better
all go to bed." (Watkin's "From Farm to Forum," p. 32,
1906.)
Settlers. — In 1820 a number of emigrants were brought
out to South Africa under a scheme of State Aided Emigra-
tion, and were located principally in the district of Albany ;
these emigrants are spoken of throughout South Africa as the
Settlers.
" A sober and dispassionate observer will fully acquit the
Settlers of any share in provoking the late war." (Boyce's
" Notes on South Africa," p. 27, 1838.)
" The charge respecting commandos does not in the least
affect the British Settlers in Albany." (Ibid, viii.)
"Abundant evidence will be adduced to show that the
Kaffirs acted in the offensive, the Settlers on the defensive
throughout." (Godlonton's "Kaffir War, 1850-1851," i.
p. 5, 1852.)
Settlers' Bible. — The designation sometimes given to the
" Grahamstown Journal ".
" Time was when the Settlers' Bible, the ' Graham's Town
Journal,' was the paper of the Colony." (" Queenstown Free
Press," 28 October, 1861.)
"The 'Journal' was known as 'the Settlers' Bible,' and
the Settlers swore by it." (Murray's " South African Ee-
miniscences," p. 126, 1894.)
Seur. — (F. sieur, seigneur, the lord of a manor, a
nobleman ; Lat. senior.) A form of address frequently em-
ployed by Dutch-speaking coloured servants when speaking
to or of their master.
"I will go first, sieur. If there are Kaffirs this old Hot-
438 AFEICANDEEISMS
tentot will smell them." (Glanville's " The Kloof Bride,"
p. 174, 1898.)
Seventy-four. — Dentex rupestris, Guv. A delicious table-
fish; it has received its name, so tradition says, "from its
having been caught from a ship of the line of that number of
guns, on dropping anchor in Simon's Bay ". (" Cape Monthly
Magazine," iv. p. 354, 1873.) Dr. Gilchrist favours another
derivation, see below. See Streep-visch.
" Day by day I . . . tasted all the edible treasures ex-
tracted from the depths of the seas, such as seventy-fours."
("Cape Monthly Magazine," xi. p. 25, 1875.)
" This derivation " (that is the one referred to above)
" may be correct, but another naturally suggests itself to
those f amihar with the appearance of this fish. The Seventy-
four is charactised by several very distinct bright blue bands
running along the body, not unlike the rows of guns of an
ancient man-of-war, one carrying seventy-four guns being
considered a well-equipped vessel in those days." (Gilchrist's
" History of the Local Names of Cape Fishes," p. 221
(XI. Trans. S.A. Phil. Soc), 1902.)
Seven-weeks' fern. — See Thirty-day fern.
Seven-years' flowers. — The name given by the earher
colonists to the flowers of Helichrysum vestitum. See Ever-
lastings and Zevenjaartjes.
" Several sorts of elichrysum . . . the colonists call all this
species seven-years' flowers, because if gathered when in full
bloom, they will last a long time with their beauty unim-
paired ; seven years according to the popular belief." (Lich-
tenstein's " Travels," ii. p. 121, 1815.)
Shad. — Temnodon saltator. So called in Natal, this fish
is known in the Cape Colony as the Elft (q.v.), and at East
London as the Chad (q.v.).
" The photo this week is that of the fish known locally as
the Shad. It arrived here in large shoals in August."
("Natal Mercury Pictoral," p. 251, 1905.)
Shad or Shaddock.— Ci^r^^s decumana, L. The name is
said to have been given to the fruit in the West Indies from
that of the English captain who introduced it there from the
East.
" The Shaddock {Citrus decumanus) is a large lemon of
the size of a child's head, with a moderately acid and refresh-
ing juice." (Thunberg's " Travels," ii. p. 278, 1796.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 439
" We were informed that it was the Shaddock, also called
vulgarly 'Eve's apple,' or 'forbidden fruit'. By what
authority the latter names were given we cannot tell."
(" Queenstown Free Press," 19 June, 1861.)
Shake=down, A.— In the language of South Africa this
is a rough and ready arrangement for sleeping, when a proper
bed is not available.
" Though it was not likely they would be able to sleep
much, went through the form of preparing shake-downs for
them in the dining-room." (Prichard's " Friends and Foes
in the Transkei," p. 188, 1880.)
Shank-end, The. — A humorous name applied to the
Cape Peninsula.
" In the ' Cape Monthly Magazine ' I also contributed the
'Shank end shindy,' commemorative of a meeting held in
Cape Town to condemn the proceedings of the Parliament
sitting for the first and last time in Grahamstown." ( Jus-
tice Cole's "Eeminiscences," p. 120, 1896.)
Shankender. — An inhabitant of the Cape Peninsula.
" On the 26th inst. Messrs. . . . will sell the Bound House
Hotel, which is a popular resort for Shankenders." ("East
Province Herald," 20 August, 1901.)
Sheep, Cape. — See Cape sheep.
Sheep fish. — The name given to a fish at Knysna.
Sheep's ears. — Helichrysum appendiculatum, Less. The
plant is so called because of the close resemblance which the
woolly leaves bear, when lying flat upon the ground, to sheep's
ears.
Sheep's tail. — An abbreviation of " sheep's tail fat."
" And then they did not take kindly to meaHe bread and
pumpkin fritters, even when fried in sheep's tail." (Moodie's
" Battles," I. p. 215, 1888.)
Sheep-tail fat. — The heavy tails of the South African or
Cape sheep are composed almost entirely of pure fat, which
is in great request for cuUnary purposes in most households.
" The usual way-side meal of greasy mutton-chops floating
about in a liquid sea of sheep-tail fat." (EUis's " South
African Sketches," p. 6, 1887.)
Sheep-tail fat honey. — A pure-white honey obtained in the
Northern Transva'al.
"An absolutely white honey— white as driven snow with
a flavour and fragrance peculiarly its own. When expressed
440 AFEICANDBEISMS
from the comb it almost immediately solidifies to the con-
sistency of vaseline. In this state no one would imagine it
to be anything but pure lard. It is known amongst the Boers
as Sheep tail fat honey." (" S.A. Agric. Jour.," p. 790, June,
1912.)
Shell. — (D. geel, yellow.) A corruption of the Dutch
word geel, applied in the neighbourhood of King William's
Town to the Sijsje (q.v.).
Shell-tick. — The name given in the neighbourhood of
Port Elizabeth to what was thought to be a distinct species
of tick, but which, it now appears, is the male of the, great
cattle tick — Amhlyomma HehrcBum.
Shepherd's delight. — The occasional designation of Aden-
andra uniflora and other species.
Shepherd's tree.- — Capparis albitrunca. A white-barked
tree growing in the Karoo, it affords good shade, and is
much appreciated by the native herds. See Wit-gat boom.
"The root of the wit-gat or shepherd's tree are other
favourite foods " (of the porcupine). (" East London Dis-
patch," 16 August, 1907.)
Shepstone's hen. — In former days Shepstone was a name
to conjure with among the natives of Natal. Theophilus
Shepstone in the early days of the Colony was the representa-
tive among them of the Government, the taxes of which were
met by the produce of a few fowls, these were spoken of as
" Shepstone's hens ".
" In former years a particular fowl, dubbed Shepstone's
hen would be set apart for the satisfaction, by the sale
of its eggs or chicken, of the yearly tax-gatherer ". (Eobin-
son's "A Lifetime in South Africa," p. 317, 1900.)
Shimyaan. — The name given in Natal to a powerful in-
toxicant, made of treacle and water fermented in the sun.
" Shimyan and jwarlar were produced for our consump-
tion, and we were invited to witness the usual dancing per-
formances at the kraal after dark." (Lindley's "After
Ophir," p. 306, n.d.)
" For many years much trouble was caused by the manu-
facture in the coast districts of Shimyaan. ..." This bever-
age was maddening in its effects, and the parent of much
crime. (Eobinson's " A Lifetime in South Africa," p. 307,
1900.)
Shiners. — (1) Many farms in the Karoo have kraals or walls
AFEICANDEEISMS 441
built of "packed" stones, i.e. without mortar; a stone built
into such a wall with its thickest side outward is known as a
"shiner," and is objected to because of the ease with which
such stones may be pressed out by the weight above. (2) A
slang word for a diamond.
" The great thing to look out for is that the men do not
put in shiners, that is stones showing their longest way to
the front." (Douglass' " Ostrich Farming," p. 39, 1881.)
" When they dug it up they at once came to the conclu-
sion it was a real shiner, and delighted with the discovery
they took saddle and posted to Imvani." (" Queenstown Free
Press," 15 January, 1884.)
Ship of the desert. — The designation sometimes given to
the South African buck-wagon.
" Our lady passengers, two in number, we assisted into
the ' cartel,' a sort of arbour, constructed for their benefit, at
the stern of this ship of the desert." (" Queenstown Free
Press," 12 February, 1884.)
" Nowadays every one knows all about the Ship of the
desert — that wonderful product of the despised Boer mind."
(Lacy's "Pictures," p. 223, 1899.)
Shooting the corn off. — (D. de koren afschieten.) Part of
the merry-making at a Western Province harvest-home ; it
consists in the firing of guns.
" Powder is given them to enable them to carry out what
is known in the vernacular as shooting the corn off." (Noble's
" C.G.H. Official Handbook," p. 229, 1886.)
Shope. — The Eastern Province name for the fruit of the
Waterboom — Eugenia cordata.
Shovel-nosed slcate. — A species of Bhinobastus is thus
designated.
"A spotted sand shark, the large variety. Its proper
name is shovel-nosed skate, and it is common along our
coast." (" Natal Mercury Pictorial," p. 588, 1906.)
Shrimpi — See under Swempi.
Shropes. — The edible orange-red fruits of Mimusops caffra,
Sond. are known by this name. It is a common shrub on the
sand hills along the sea beach at East London and Port
Alfred.
Sick, — In most parts of South Africa — due, perhaps, to the
infiuence of the Dutch ziek, sick, diseased — this word is not
restricted to the idea of " nausea," but retains its older and
442 AFEICANDEEISMS
wider meaning, and is applicable to any kind of disease ; as in
Matthew viii. 14, " Sick of a fever ". The word " ill " is but a
poor substitute for this old word.
Signal hill. — A part of the mountain to the right of Cape
Town from the sea, so called because a signalling station is
placed upon the top of it, from which approaching or passing
vessels are signalled to the port authorities. It is also called
the Lion's Eump, and at one time was known as King James'
Mount.
" A long, unbroken hill of moderate height is King
James's Mount (the Lion's Eump of the Dutch)." (Bar-
row's " Travels," i. p. 14, 1801.)
" On the Lion's Eump is a signal station and look-out
post, where by hoisting certain numbers of black balls, im-
mediate notice is given of all ships seen in the offing." (Bur-
chell's " Travels," i. p. 74, 1822.)
Sijbok. — (D. sijd, silk ; hole, a goat.) The angora goat is
so called because of its long silky hair.
" Dis differente soorte van Brandsiekte — insektes wat
skape, boerbokke en sybokke antas." (Dijkman's " Kook,
Koek en Eesepten Boek," p. 170, 1898.)
Sijsje. — (D. sijsje, a linnet ; G. Zeisig, a green finch.)
Fringilla Butyracea, Linn. The name appears to be ono-
matopoetic in its origin, and to be connected with the Dutch
sissen, to hiss. About King William's Town it is known as
the Grinnet and Shell (q.v.).
Silckel bosch. — (D. sikkel, a scythe, sickle.) Dichrosta-
chys nutans bears this name in the Transvaal.
Sillc bark. — See Zijdebast.
" In the gorge beneath the fall an indigenous thicket,
yellow-wood, Hottentot cherry, silk bark, has been allowed to
remain." (" Cape Times," p. 9, 12 October, 1912.)
Silver bark. — The name given in the Eastern Province
to Ochna atropurpurea. See Cape plane.
"The favourite blossoms of the Ochna or silver bark."
{" Bast London Dispatch," p. 5, 3 July, 1909.)
Silver bream. — Ghrysophrys Natalensis, Cart. A Natal
fish.
Silver fish. — (1) Dentex argyrozona. The Western Pro-
vince name of this fish, which shows, when fresh, a
beautiful silver sheen, though the fish is a delicate pink. (2)
Dentex rupestris is known by this name in the Eastern
AFEICANDBEISMS 443
Province. See Sieventy-four. (3) It also appears to be
applied to a freshwater fish up country. See the quotation
from Bryden. (4) This name is also given to Lepisma sac-
cha/rina. See Silver moth and Fish moth.
" A very common representative of the order {Aptera) is
Lepisma, a small silvery grub-like animal which runs with
great rapidity. It is commonly known as the Silver fish."
(" Gilchrist's South African Zoology," p. 108, 1911.)
" Speaking of the silver-fish, as they are called, there
are numbers of them to be found, curiously enough, in a
huge, rock-encircled tarn of very deep water about fifteen
miles from Mafeking. This tarn lies just over the Trans-
vaal border in Marico, and is well known in the neigh-
bourhood by its Boer name of ' Wonder-gat ' (wonder-
hole)." (Bryden's " Gun and Camera in South Africa," p.
462, 1898.)
Silver Jackal. — Canis mesomelas. The fur of this animal
has quite a silvery appearance, arising from the white hairs
which in summer are very numerous. See Fox and Vos,
The name is also applied, and perhaps more appropriately, to
Vulpes chama on account of its silvery grey, soft, thick fur.
" The Silver jackal, which is the largest and most
common of the South African jackals, is distributed in more
or less quantities all over South Africa, but, as may be
imagined, it is far more numerous in the Interior." (Nicoll
and Bglington's " The Sportsman in South Africa," p. 95,
1892.)
Silver moth. — (1) Lepisma saccharina, is sometimes so
called because of the silvery scales with which it is covered.
See Fish moth and Silver fish (4).
Silver moth. — (2) Leto Venus, a large, beautiful fawn-
coloured moth, elegantly marked with silver ; it is found in
the neighbourhood of Knysna.
" Mr. E. Trimen exhibited specimens of the Silver moth
(Leto Venus) from the Knysna district of the Cape Colony."
(" Trans. S.A. Phil. Society," p. xlvi. ; V Part II, 1893.)
Silver tree. — Leucadendron argenteum, B. Br. This beauti-
ful tree vdth its silvery leaves grows abundantly on the
mountain slopes of the Cape Peninsula, which seems to be
its native habitat. The silver sheen of the leaves is due to a
dense down of silky white, unbranched, unicellular plant hairs.
"Silber-baum ... die Blatter scbeinen als ob sie aus
444 AFEICANDEEISMS
Seide und Silber bereitet waren." (Kolben's " Beschreibung,"
p. 410, 1745.)
" The Protea argentea or Silver-tree, as it is called, ex-
hibited the whole year throughout its glossy white or silver
grey leaves." (Sparrman's "Voyage," i. p. 32, 1785.)
" The celebrated silver tree . . . produced only in this
small peninsula, and in no other part of the world." (Lich-
tenstein's " Travels," ii. p. 116, 1815.)
Singer, or Singertje. — A popular designation of the Cicada.
See Scissor-grinder.
" The day had been very hot and the singers in the trees
had kept up their incessant drone. " (" The Methodist Church-
man," p. 5, 21 December, 1904.)
Sinkings. — Toothache and neuralgia are often spoken of
by this name, as is also an acute form of rheumatism. See
also Zinkins.
" The present seemed a case of sinkings only ... a com-
plaint so universally known and dreaded in this country."
(" C.G.H. Literary Gazette," iii. p. 116, 1833.)
" The changeableness of the temperature in the spring
and autumn, renders a kind of rheumatism common, which
is here called sinkings." (Backhouse's " Narrative," p. 84,
1844.)
Sirie hout. — See Camphor hout.
Sit, to. — A curious use of this word — arising, apparently,
from a Cape use of the Dutch zetten, to set, in the sense of
liggen, to lie, to rest — is often heard in the Midland districts,
in which it is employed as if it were synonymous with " to
hang," " to lie," etc. ; e.g. an apple is said to sit on a branch,
and a stone is said to sit on the ground.
Sit still, to. — The natives are said to " sit still " when
there is no war movement or agitation among them.
" The Governor then . . . said that he had come up ex-
pecting to have to move his troops, but that now all must
sit still and plough. He would only punish the bad." (God-
lonton's " Kaffir War, 1850-51," p. 25, 1852.)
Sitting up. — (D. opzitten, to sit up.) See Opsit.
Sit up, to matte one. — A slang expression in common use
meaning to make one bestir oneself, to set one thinking, to
surprise or astonish one ; the metaphor is obvious.
" The Eeverend Jan had great faith in his own ideas
upon the subject vvbich he meant to expound on this Sabbath
AFEICANDEEISMS 445
morn, and expound he did. In brief he aroused the sleepy
sons of the land and made them sit up." (" The State,"
p. 510, November, 1911.)
Sjambok. — (Pers. chabuk — through the Malays — a whip.)
A strip of dried giraffe or hippopotamus hide used as a
whip, and in the hands of a powerful man a most formidable
weapon. The word appears to be of oriental origin, " Chaw-
buck " being the name given to a similar article in India,
while in Java it assumes the form " Chabuk ". The Achter-
08 sjambok (hinder-ox sjambok) is a short, thick instrument
of the same material, with which the oxen nearest the wagon
are quickened, the ordinary whip being too long to be effec-
tive at such close quarters.
" Poor and little thieves are flogged with a great whip
(called Siwmback) several days in succession." (" Van
Twist," p. 29, 1645.)
" GhanbocJcs are a sort of whips or switches, made of the
skin of the rhinoceros or hippopotamus." (Le Vaillant's
" Travels," ii. p. 226 n., 1796.)
" These sort of whips which they call Shambos are most
horrid instruments." (Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 145, 1801.)
" The skin (of the rhinoceros) is the only thing valuable
to the colonists to cut into strips for making the driving
whips, known here by the Malay name Sha/mbohs.'' (Lichten-
stein's " Travels," i. p. 98, 1812.)
" We saw a snake evidently too large to be hurt by a
zamboze." (Baines' " Explorations," p. 30, 1864.)
"The agter-os-sjambok (a tremendous whip of rhinoceros
hide)." (Pringle's "Narrative," p. 77, 1840.)
Sjambok stroop. — (D. stroop, treacle, syrup.) A humour-
ous name for a beating.
" The donkeys have fallen into a brown study, for which
the only remedy is repeated applications of sjambok stroop."
(Du Plessis' "In the Heart of Africa," p. 99, 1905.)
Sjambok, to. — To thrash with the above terribly cruel
instrument.
" As for the husbands he sjambokked them nearly to death
for letting their wives go." (Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo,"
p. 379, 1889.)
Skate — Baja maculata, a near relative of the English skate.
Skilpad. — The ordinary colonial form of the D. schildpad.
Skey. — The ordinary colonial form of the D. schei.
446 AFEICANDEEISMS
Skip jack. — (1) Elcps saurus is sometimes so called at
Bast London and Port Alfred. See Cape Salmon. (2) The
name appears to be given also at some places on the coast to
the fish known in Natal as the Garfish (q.v.)
"The 'Cape salmon,' Skipjack, 'Victoria trout,' and
other aliases." ("Bast London Dispatch," p. 6, 3 March,
1909.)
" The fish was chiefly remarkable for its elongated body,
and its long, narrow and slightly turned up beak, was a Saury
pike, known here as a ' Greenback ' and in some places as
the Skiver or Skipjack, from its habit of jumping out of the
water. It is fairly common hereabout and has often been
known to leap into a " grainer's " boat, attracted by the light."
("Bast London Dispatch," p. 4, 26 September, 1912.)
Skipper. — See Skip-jack and quotation.
Skit — The ordinary colonial form of the D. schut.
Skit-cattle. — Impounded cattle. See Schut-vee.
Skit- kraal. — See Schut-kraal.
" The oxen he was seeking were safely lodged in the skit-
kraal or pound." (Gordon Cumming's "Adventures," i. p.
21, 1850.)
Skit-master. — See Schut-meester.
Skit-sale. — Sale of impounded stock. See Schut ver-
koping.
Skoff. — (D. schofttijd, breakfast, or meal-time.) In Natal
this word is used of the food itself, but with exclusive refer-
ence to the food of the natives. The recent war seems to
have widened its application.
" He promises them plenty of cattle and cows, meal, milk,
and scq^ (food) if only they remain faithful to him." (Flem-
ing's " Southern Africa," p. 269, 1856.)
" Food with the colonials was always skoff; a malingerer
was never anything but a skrimshanker." (" A Subaltern's
Letters to his Wife," p. 108, 1901.)
Skoff, to. — A slang word meaning to eat voraciously or
greedily.
" In some parts the lions are simply awful, and scoff fifty
per cent of the men who have gone down and ninety per
cent of the donkeys." (" A Nobody in Mashonaland," p. 184.)
Skorrie-morrie. — (German-Jewish, soerrer-e-morrie, a
rogue, knave, good-for-nothing ; Heb. n")'iD1 "T^D, the wil-
APEICANDEEISMS 447
ful and refractory (son), Deut. xxi. 18; from "^ID to be re-
fractory, and rno, to be contumacious.) In Holland the
expression is used collectively, but in South Africa it is also
employed of one person with the meaning rogue, rascal, knave.
Skritn-shanker. — A malingerer, one who feigns sickness
to escape work.
" Food with the colonials was always ' skoff ' ; a mahngerer
was never anything but a skrimshanJcer." ("A Subaltern's
Letters to his Wife," p. 108, 1901.)
Slaai bosch. — (D. sla, salad ; bos, a bush.) Several varieties
of Mesembryanthemum are so called. See Ice plant.
" One kind of slaai bosch with a very large fleshy leaf,
seems even during the greatest heat of the day, to be literally
covered with sparkling dew-drops, but on feeling for the
moisture you are soon undeceived, and what appeared dew
on the surface is firmly secured under a thin transparent
film, which is raised throughout the surface of the leaf, in
small and brilliant globular blisters that are pleasing to be-
hold." (Chapman's " Travels," i. p. 376, 1868.)
Slaap gerust. — (D. slapen, to sleep ; gerust, peacefully.)
The usual " good night " wish among the Dutch.
" Well, good night, slaa^ gerust." (Slater's " The Sunburnt
South," p. 25, 1908.)
Slaappapawer. — (D. slapen, to sleep ; Lat. papa/ver, a
poppy.) The Cape Dutch name for the poppy ; in Holland
it is known as the " slaapbol ".
Slaap willetn. — (D. slapen, to sleep; Willem, William.)
"A slaap willem with large, red beak, lazily moving from
bush to bush." (" East London Dispatch," Christmas Number,
p. 38, 1907.)
Slachters Nek. — (D. slachten, to slaughter ; CD. nek, a
narrow ridge connecting two hills or mountains.) As the
result of a feeble attempt in the year 1815, on the part of a
few dissatisfied Boer farmers, to defy the authorities, six of
them were tried and condemned to death, and on "the very
spot where they had exacted an oath from their followers to
exterminate the English, they were hanged, and from that
day the place has borne the name of Slachters Nek. To
this unfortunate occurrence, the first instance of colonists
of European stock suffering death for treason in South
Africa, is to be traced very much of the bad blood which
448 AFEICANDEEISMS
has existed between the Dutch and the English in South
Africa since.
Slag ijzer. — (D. slag, stroke, blow ; ijzer, iron.) A gin,
springtrap.
" Eesorting to the use of strychnine, or otherwise the
springtrap {slagt ijzer) ; the former effective to a certain
extent, the latter hardly ever so." (" The Bloemfontein
Post," p. 6, 22 June, 1912.)
Slamaier. — (This word seems to have originated in a con-
fusion of the two words Islam and Maleier.) A term
applied to a Malay, a follower of Mahomet.
Slang bosch. — (D. slang, a snake; bos, a bush.) The
name given to Elytropappus glandulosus, Less.
Slangen wortel. — (D. wortel, a root.) Folygala serpent-
aria, E. and Z. The root of this plant is used by the natives
as a remedy in cases of snake bite.
" Another specific has been lately found called the slangen-
wortel {Gatula capensis and anthemoides)." (Hoodie's " Ten
Years in South Africa," i. p. 234, 1835.)
Slangetje. — Glinus anguillaris, C and V. The name has
reference to the snake-like shape of the fish.
"Another species, G. hiporosus, is not often met with, it
is an eel-like fish closely resembling the Slangetje." (" The
S.A. Jour, of Science," vii. p. 228, 1911.)
Slangkop, Cape. — (D. Kop, a head.) Ornithoglossum
glaucum, Sal. The local name of a poisonous bulb.
" Slangkop. {Ornithoglossum glaucum, Sallis.) This is
another bulbous plant, which is found over a large area of
South Africa. When eaten by stock it produces effects similar
to those produced by ' Tulp '." (" Science in South Africa,"
p. 355, 1905.)
" About two years ago some specimens of the plant sZawgi-
kop were forwarded through the Government authorities to
the Imperial Institute, London, for experiments as to their
toxic properties. The results went to show that the plant is
highly poisonous, and further investigation has been directed
towards testing the physiological effects." (" East London
Dispatch," p. 4, 21 June, 1912.)
Slangkop, Transvaal. — Urginea Burkei, Baker. The
flower-stalk and the leaves of this plant are particularly danger-
ous to the small stock of the farmer. The name refers to the
resemblance which the early flower-spike bears to a snake's head.
AFEICANDEEISMS 449
"With some poisonous plants trouble is experienced
mainly at certain seasons of the year; this is particularly
the case with the tulps (species of Homeria and Moraea) and
slangkop (Urginea Burhei), and usually also Chailletia or
Giit-hlsi&v (Dichapetalum cymosum)." ("Agric. Jour, of the
Union of South Africa," p. 88, January, 1912.)
Slangkos. — (D. host, food, victuals.) Toadstools are so
named.
Slang muishond. — (D. slang, a snake.) Poecilogale albi-
nucha.
Slang verklikker. — (D. verklikken, to disclose, discover.)
The Dutch name for Erythropygia coriphaeus. See Kat-
lachter.
Slang vreeter. — (D. vreten, to eat ravenously, to swallow ;
cf. Eng. fret — " like a moth fretting a garment " ; Ps. xxxix.
12, Prayer Book Version.) The Dutch name for the Secretary
bird (q.v.).
Slangwyte. — Parus afer, the Grey tit.
" Mr. Ortlapp sends it from Colesberg, where he says it
is called Slangwyte by the Dutch colonists." (Layard and
Sharpe's "Birds of South Africa," p. 330, 1875-84.)
Slaughter cattle. — Cattle intended for the butcher, as dis-
tinguished from trek or draught cattle.
" If the Kaffirs had only advanced . . . they would have
taken guns, slaughter-cattle." (Ex C.M.E.'s "With the Cape
Mounted Eifles," p. 71, 1881.)
Slijm uyntje. — (D. slijm, slime; ajuin, an onion; F.
oignon.) A bulbous plant, bearing a primrose-coloured flower,
is so named in Namaqualand ; the bulb contains a large
quantity of a viscid fluid.
Slim. — (D. slim, sly, cunning, bad.) As used in South
Africa this word means smart, cunning.
" A man who in his dealings can cheat his neighbour is
considered as a slim mensch, a clever fellow." (Barrow's
" Travels," ii. p. 103, 1804.)
" I am too slim for them, believe me." (Couper's " Mixed
Humanity," p. 77.)
Slimes. — The fine grey matter which under the old gold-
winning process used to run away from the battery as waste,
but which now under the new processes yields a good per-
centage of gold.
" A coloured man was to-day sentenced ... for being in
29
450 AFEICANDBKISMS
the unlawful possession of a quantity of slimes." ("East
London Dispatch," p. 10, 26 June, 1912.)
Slimness. — (D. slim, sly, cunning, bad.) Smartness,
craftiness, slyness.
" It is said that South Africa does not bear a high reputa-
tion for honesty amongst the nations of the world. Slimness
has become characteristic, in a minor degree, of the whole
community." (" The State," p. 518, November, 1911.)
Slimy. — Equula edentula, Bl. The Natal name of this fish.
Sling:. — In various parts of South Africa a catapult is so
named.
"Catapults or slings as they used to call them." ("A
South African Boy," p. 42, 1897.)
Slingrer. — Chrysophrys puniceus is so called in East Lon-
don and Natal.
" Catching ten fish, all slingers, totalling 25 lb. weight, in
under two hours." (" East London Dispatch," 21 November,
1905.)
Slinger-om-di-smoel. — (D. slingeren, to sling, toss ; smoel,
G. Maul, muzzle, chops.) A jocular name for Boer-meal
porridge.
" Dan had ik misschien gewaagd van zekere meelspijs, die
sling er-om-den-smoel genoemd wordt, en van andere aardig-
heidjes." (Changuion's " De Nederduitsche Taal in Zuid-
Afrika hersteld ". " Proeve van Kaapsch Taaleigen," p. v,
1844.)
Slop. — Spatula capensis. The Cape shoveller, a rather
rare bird.
Sluit. — (D. sloot, a ditch.) A narrow channel, natural or
artificial, through which water flows. The spelling of this
word seems to have been assimilated by false analogy to that
of Spruit (q.v.).
"It has water in abundance brought by a slote, or canal
from a considerable distance, and lying so high that all the
grounds may be irrigated with ease ; and a mill supplied by
it." (Latrobe's " Journal," p. 187, 1818.)
" Going one dark night to a friend's house, and keeping
in the middle of the road to avoid the shots, 1 stumbled over
... an ox." (Barter's " The Dorp and the Veld," p. 33, 1852.)
" The surface has. become considerably drier since it was
stocked with sheep, owing to the formation of sluits and even
rivers by the washing of escaping rain water." (Wallace's
" Farming Industries of the Cape Colony," p. 38, 1896.)
AFRICANDBEISMS 451
Slump. — A word imported from the United States of
America, used to express a downward run of prices in the
share market, or a depressed condition of things generally.
Smalblad. — (D. smal, small ; Mad, a leaf.) Maba natal-
ensis. The leaves of this tree are little more than half an
inch in length, and the branches are very densely covered
with them.
Small stock. — Sheep and goats are so designated.
Smasher. — A soft felt hat with a broad brim, made
familiar to the people in England first by the Ehodesian
troops at the Jubilee festivities, 1887.
"A wide-awake, called in South Africa a smasher."
(Couper's " Mixed Humanity," p. 4.)
" The Dutchmen stared at him from under the brims of
their felt ' smashers,' and puffed at their pipes." (Glanville's
"The Fossicker," p. 156, 1891.)
Smear, to. — A process that does not appear to be peculiar
to South Africa. The earthen floors of many farmhouses
are smeared over, at regular intervals, with a mixture of cow-
dung and water ; when dry this makes a good surface, and is
by no means so unpleasant as some would imagine. See
Uitsmeer.
" The space was smeared with mud and cow-dung, re-
sembling that used in all parts of India for the same purpose."
(Harris's "Wild Sports," p. 143, 1839.)
" We were unsuited physically for such work as daghering
huts or smearing floors." (" Adventures in Mashonaland by
Two Nurses," p. 32, 1893.)
Smee eendtje. — (D. smient, halve eendvogel, a widgeon ;
of. provincial Enghsh (Norfolk) smee, a widgeon ; smee, small ;
eend, a duck.) Poecilonetta erythrorhynca, the EedbiUed Teal.
"A small brown duck which, according to Spielman, is
called by the colonists Smd-eendje (widgeon)." (Burchell's
"Travels,"!, p. 283, 1822.)
" The Smee-eendtje is common and very generally distri-
buted." (Layard and Sharpe's "Birds of South Africa," p.
351, 1875-1884.)
Smeergoed. — (I), smeer, fat, tallow; goed, stuff.) An
ointment or liniment.
" 'n Kruie, genoem Koverbos (bekend an Montague) . . .
Di selfde bos met bokvet angemaak, is goed ver smeergoed."
(Dijkman's "Kook, Koek en Eesepten Boek," p. 130, 1898.)
29*
452 AFEICANDERISMS
Smeer lap. — (D. smeren, to smear; la/p, a, patch, rag.)
(1) The clout or lapje used in the process of smearing de-
scribed above. (2) A dish clout. (3) A term of abuse in-
dicating something very degraded.
" ' Oh, thanks,' I said ; ' look here, you've been kicking up
all this trouble because you wanted me to wait fourteen
years for burgher rights, and now that you want my assist-
ance, you're willing to make me a burgher on the pop. No,
my friend, give your burgher rights to Hollanders and other
schmeerlaps, but not for me, thanks.'" ("Cape Times,"
Weekly Edition, p. 22, 25 October, 1899.)
"Now, Mr. Editor, the name he called the Dutch is just
what he is — 'Een eerste klas smeerlap'." ("East London
Dispatch," p. 7, 4 September, 1912.)
Smeer winke — (D. smeer, fat, tallow ; winkel, a shop.)
A grocer's shop.
Smellers. — Several varieties of elegant metallic-green and
copper-coloured coleoptera, with a peculiarly penetrating
though not unpleasant odour. Musk beetles have received
this name in the neighbourhood of Port Elizabeth and
Uitenhage ; and sometimes, but not with so much reason,
they are called " Spanish flies ".
" I found a large number of longhorns commonly termed
' Spanish flies '. These are readily discovered as they diffuse
a strong and not unpleasant odour of lasting power. An
Africander youngster who accosted me one day, gave them the
name of Smellers, and he was not far wrong." (Bairstow's
" Nat. Hist. Notes from South Africa," p. 6. Eeprintfrom
" The Naturalist," 1883.)
Smelling out. — The operations of the Kaflir witch-doctor
in order to the detection of evil doers — i.e. often enough
those who have incurred the displeasure, or whose increasing
cattle have excited the cupidity of the chief — are known to
the colonists as " smelling out". The expression is a literal
translation of the Kaffir uku Nuka, to smell out, to find out
by sagacity.
"I could not help smiling at them and at their solicitude
to know the result of her smelling." (Shooter's " Kaffirs of
Natal," p. 175, 1857.)
" Their mode of proceeding in smelling out witches and
wizards, for females as well as males are concerned."
(Holden's "Kaflir Eaces," p. 301, 1866.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 453
" The family of the native who has escaped to our camp
had been smelt out, and if his brother were not rescued, he
would be condemned to some horrible death." ("Adven-
tures in Mashonaland by Two Nurses," p. 268, 1893.)
Smelt. — (1) Silago Sihama is known by this name in Natal.
(2) At Struis Bay the name is appHed to Atherina breviceps.
Smilax. — A name often given to the thornless varieties of
asparagus.
Smoel. — (D. smoel, muzzle, chaps.) Hou' jou smoel,
" Hold your jaw," was the phrase applied by the Boers to an
Act passed immediately after the annexation of the Trans-
vaal by Sir T. Shepstone in 1877, which made it high treason
for anyone to discuss the annexation ; it was called the hou'
jou smoel law.
Smoke bird. — Dicrurus afer is known by this name in
Natal ; the reference is to the way in which the bird seeks its
prey in the thick smoke of the grass fires. See Bijvanger.
" In districts where the grass is periodically burnt these
birds flock from all quarters at the first sign of a fire, and
display the greatest intrepidity in dashing through the smoke
and flames in pursuit of the insects that are driven out."
(Stark's " Birds of South Africa," ii. p. 266, 1901.)
Smoor. — (D. smoren, to smother, stifle.) As used in South
Africa this word means " to stew ". Smoorvlees{ch), stewed
meat.
Smoorfish. — (D. smoren, to smother, stifle.) A Malay
preparation making a very appetizing dish.
" I am often asked for the recipe for smoorfish, so I will
write down once for all the way we ourselves do it." (Hilda's
" Diary of a Cape Housekeeper," p. 65, 1902.)
Smoorkos. — (CD. smoor, to stew ; host, food, victuals.)
Anything that is stewed.
Smouse or Smouser. — (This word appears to be a corrup-
tion of the name of Moses, brought over from Holland in the
Dutch B.I. Company's days. The corruption arose from the
manner in which the Dutch Jews themselves pronounced the
name (?). Is this the origin also of the Dutch smousen, to
cheat ? Cf. the English slang, " to Jew a man ". So far,
however, as I have been able to trace the word in South
African use, it is generally applied to those not of African
birth, but not to Jewish pedlars exclusively, for when used
of them it is usually in the form, " A Jew smouse ".) One
454 AFEICANDEEISMS
who visits farms, outlying villages, and Kaffir kraals, on foot
or otherwise, for the purpose of retailing various wares.
" There is at the Cape a species of old-clothes men . . .
who from their enormous profits and the extortion they prac-
tise have obtained the name Ga,-pse-Smouse, or Cape Jews."
(Le Vaillant's " Travels," i. p. 55, 1796.)
" From the Bechuanas we learned that the proprietors of
the wagons were smouses (traders), and that they had been
several weeks among the Bergenaars, carrying on a contra-
band trade with that people." (Philip's " Eesearches," ii.
p. 96, 1828.)
" I dare say . . . you have heard that I have turned a
regular smoutch." (Napier's " Excursions," ii. p. 391, 1849.)
"I was not a smouser, the term applied to those who
went about the country in wagons to sell and buy."
(Anderson's " Twenty-five Years in a Waggon," i. p. 40, 1887.)
" The life of a smouser is as healthy and interesting as it
is adventurouB." ("Graafif Eeinet Advertiser," 23 August,
1897.)
Smouse, To. — To engage in the method of trading above
described.
" That kind of thing soon knocked the smousing man
over." (" Graaff Eeinet Advertiser," 23 August, 1897.)
Snaaks. — (D. snakerij, drollery.) Droll, strange, pe-
culiar : e.g. snaaks weer, peculiar weather.
Snake. — The name given by the Eimberley miners to a
dyke of igneous rock, because of its serpentine course across
the mine.
"It therefore impresses upon one's mind that the snake
is a younger eruption formation coming from the same
volcanic source as the blue-ground." ("Science in South
Africa," p. 820, 1905.)
Snake-berry. — See Bitter-apple.
" The stink-blaar and the snake-berry are among the first
large plants to take possession of waste ground, and are often
found as weeds in cultivated lands. " ("East London Dis-
patch," 31 August, 1911.)
Snake bird. — (1) Pycnonotus Layardi. So called in
Natal from the habit of these birds, when alarmed by tree
snakes (or even by hawks), of attacking them in a mob.
(2) In the Cape Colony this name is given to the African
darter — Anhinga rufa — because of its long snake-like neck.
APEICANDEEISMS 455
" Pycnonotus Layardi.~It is a bold bird, and if it sees a
snake or anything to disturb it, sets up a loud chattering."
(Woodward's "Birds of Natal," p. 21, 1899.)
" The Darter snake-bird or Fresh- water duiker, named by
Temminck Plotus Levaillanti, belongs to one of the lowest
forms of Aves, termed by ornithologists the Pelecanidee, viz.
Pelecans, Cormorants, etc." (" Trans. S.A. Phil. Soc," ii.
Part 2, p. 85, 1881.)
Snake flower — The orange-coloured Ornithogalum flavis-
sirrmm is so named in Namaqualand. The outside of each
alternate petal is marked by a black spot, and, when the
flower is closed, it is not unlike a snake's head in shape, the
black spots representing the eyes and mouth — hence the name.
Snake root. — Garuleum bipinnatum, Less.
"Among the medical indigenous plants of the Cape, the
present deserves particular notice. It is well known to
almost every resident as the Snake-root, having acquired its
vernacular name from its effects as an antidote against the
bites of venomous snakes with which the country abounds.
The root of this plant which is a native of the Eastern
Districts, where it grows in the deserts of the Karoo, has a
great similarity to the Eadix Senegse of the pharmacopoeia.
It is bitter and acrid and contains a good deal of a resinous
substance, almost homogeneous to that which we observe in
the root of Polygala Senega. In the form of decoction or
tincture, this root is a great favourite with the colonial farmer,
in various diseases of the chest, asthma, and such affections
where a free secretion of the mucous membrane of the lungs
and bronchiae is desirable. It also promotes perspiration,
and acts as a diuretic in gout and dropsy. This valuable root
ought to have a place in the 'Materia Medica '." (Pappe's
"Florae Capensis Medicse Prodromus," p. 21, 1868.)
Snake stone. — A piece of bone rubbed down into an oval
shape and burnt at the edges, used to be sold to the country
people as a remedy for snake-bite. It was supposed by the
purchaser to be a stone taken out of the head of a certain
species of snake, and also to be a specific for snake-bite.
"The Hottentots are acquainted with several vegetable
antidotes against the poison of serpents ; but the most ap-
proved remedy amongst the Dutch is the slang e-steen or
snake-stone, which they hold to be infallible." (Barrow's
" Travels," i. p. 140, 1801.)
456 AFEICANDEEISMS
Snap haan. — (D. snaphaan, firelock, gun.) An earlier
name for the old-fashioned muzzle-loading musket, subse-
quently known as a Babiaan bout (q.v.)-
" Every morning, after prayers and coffee, the first thing
that occupied attention was the snap-haan, or as it later
grew to be called, baviaan bout." (Sellick's "Uitenhage,
Past and Present," p. v, 1905.)
Snapper. — Ghrysophrys gihhiceps is so called in the neigh-
bourhood of Bast London. It is also called the Eed stump-nose.
"We caught a great many red snappers, but had much
difiiculty in saving the bait and the game from the hungry
jaws of the sharks ; as soon as a snapper was hooked dozens
of these voracious monsters commenced disputing the prize
with each other and with the captor." (Owen's " Narrative,"
II. p. 177, 1833.)
Sneeze Hottentots. — (D. Sina, China.) The epithet Si-
nese was applied to a tribe of Bushmen Uving to the north of
the Great Pish Eiver, whose light yellow complexions re-
sembled those of the Chinamen seen at the Cape. The
country occupied by them was known as the Sneeze Vlakten,
or Chinese Plains.
" The Sneeze Vlakten, Cineeze, Cineese or Chinese, from
the appearance of the Bushmen living upon them." (Stow's
"Native Eaces of South Africa," p. 128 n., 1905.)
Sneezevrachje. — (D. Sina, China ; vracht, freight, cargo,
burden.) A load of mixed merchandise ; the term is probably
derived from the mixed character of the old time cargoes
from China and the East.
Sneeze wood. — Pteroxylon utile. This wood is of great
value, being one of the most durable grown in any part of
the world. The presence in the wood of pungent, essential
oil which irritates the nostrils and induces violent sneezing
when the wood is being worked, helps largely to preserve the
timber. The English name is simply a translation of the
Dutch Niez-hout. Note neese is an old English form of the
word sneeze.
" This vale is called Niez-hout Kloof, from a kind of tree
which is said to excite sneezing if it be rubbed and then
smelled." (Sparrman's "Voyage," ii. p. 76, 1785.)
" The wood known in the Colony as Sneeze-wood is also
the produce of an evergreen which grows to a large size."
(Mann's "Natal," p. 155, 1859.)
APEICANDEEISMS 457
Snelders. — (G. Schneller, spring, trigger.) See quota-
tion.
" They much annoyed and harassed the infantry, by dis-
mounting, laying their snelders (long guns with hair-triggers)
across the saddle on their horses, firing, reloading, and re-
mounting to gallop out of range of our Brown Bessies."
(Hoodie's " Battles," i. p. 597, 1888.)
Snijsel or Snippertje. — (D. snijden, to cut ; snipperen, to
cut into small pieces.) A preparation of flour somewhat like
macaroni, cut into short lengths and used to thicken soup,
etc.
Snoek. — (D. snoek, a pike.) Thyrsetes Atun, Guv. A
scaleless voracious fish, caught at times in enormous num-
bers round the Cape peninsula ; it is salted and dried as an
article of trade. In Austraha and New Zealand the same
fish is known as the Barracouta.
" Two kinds of fish, the Hottentot and the swooA:, are split
open, salted, and dried in the sun in large quantities, princi-
pally for the use of the slaves." (Barrow's " Travels," ii. p.
300, 1804.)
Snoek-galjeon. — The Hoetje's Bay name of the fish else-
where known as the Papegaai visch.
Snoek pekelaar. — (CD. pekelaar or pekelaring seems
to be a corruption of D. pekelharing, pickled herring ; it was
apparently applied to pickled fish generally, until its original
meaning had disappeared.) Snoek sliced, salted and dried.
" Snoek pekelaar is the name we give to fillets of snoek,
slightly salted and sun-dried." (Hilda's " Diary of a Cape
Housekeeper," p. 142, 1902.)
Snoep. — (D. snoepen, to pilfer dainties.) To eat dainties
in secret, to enjoy forbidden things in secret. Among the
descendants of the Dutch in New York, the word is also used
with the same meaning ; to snoop meaning to eat stealthily.
Snot sickness or Snotziekte. — The term is applied by
farmers to any disease of animals which is accompanied by
a large mucous discharge from the nostrils.
"A horrible and very fatal illness, called by the Boers
snot sickness, which cattle are very liable to from pasturing
on ground frequented by black wildebeests." (Gordon Cum-
ming's "Adventures," ii. p. 373, 1850.)
" The term snotziekte does not describe any particular or
specific disease ; it is a term applied when excessive mucous
458 APBICANDEBISMS
discharge is observed to run from the nose, such discharge
being seen in different diseases, in different species of animals,
and is due to many different causes." ("Agric. Jour. S.A.
Union," p. 139, January, 1912.)
Snowball. — The name given in South Africa to the
Viburnum.
Snowball shrike. — Dryoscopus cubla has received this
name in Natal ; it refers to the puff of soft, white feathers with
which the back of this bird is garnished, which the bird can
erect and depress at will ; the Lesser puff-backed shrike.
"In Natal it is sometimes called the Snowball shrike."
(Haagner and Ivy's " Sketches of South African Bird Life,"
p. 97, 1908.)
Snowdrop. — (1) In the neighbourhood of King WiUiam's
Town Ornithogalum thyrsoides is known by this name. See
also Chinkering ching and Viooltjes. (2) It is also pretty
generally applied to the flower commonly known as the Snow-
flake (q.v.).
" Chinkerinch e (or as it is locally known. Snowdrop)."
(" East London Dispatch," p. 4, 30 March, 1909.)
Snowflake. — A flower somewhat like the English snowdrop,
sometimes called the African snowdrop — Leucojum vernum.
" The snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) and the snowflake
{Leucojum vernum) are admired for the gracefulness of their
flowers, and the latter for its scent also." (Wood's " Hand-
book to the Flora of Natal," p. 131, 1907.)
Snow in summer. — The South African trivial name of the
imported Ozothamnus rosmarinifolius.
" The flowers, which are white and daisy-like • in appear-
ance, are produced in such wonderful profusion, that the plant
has become popularly known as Snow in summer." (" South
African Gardening," p. 333, August, 1912.)
Snyde diamonds. — This is another name given to the
imitation diamonds that were occasionally employed for illicit
purposes in the early days of the Diamond Fields. See
Schlenter. The word is also applied to counterfeit gold coins.
" It is certainly a curious phase in this glass, or in thieves'
Latin snyde diamond, question . . . that . . . neither the
manufacturer nor the possessor of these spurious articles can
be brought to justice." (Mathew's "Incwadi Yami," p. 198,
1887.)
" A brief examination satisfied the disgusted inspector
AFEICANDEEISMS 459
that the astute Yankee had once more turned the laugh against
him. The things were ' schlenters ' or snyde diamonds."
"A 'mint' which has its headquarters in Germany, for
the purpose of making and conveying snide gold coins to
Africa." (" East London Dispatch," p. 5, 29 July, 1909.)
Soap bush. — See Gona and Kannabosch. This name is
also applied to Noltea africana ; after macerating the sapo-
naceous leaves of this bush the natives use them for washing.
" I found his three fresh and strapping daughters boiling
soap, prepared with fat and the branches of the soap-hush."
(Alexander's "Expedition," i. p. 83, 1838.)
Sobosobo. — (Kaf. um Sobosobo.) The fruit of Solanum
nigrum, Linn. The small black berries make a jam not un-
like that of the real blackberry in flavour. This plant is
known in England as the " Garden night-shade ".
" Mention may be made of the well-known weed common
in old lands, Umsobosobo (S. nigrum). In the old country it
is undoubtedly poisonous, but here in South Africa its little
black berries are eaten with impunity and are even made
into jam." ("East London Dispatch," p. 6, 10 November,
1911.)
Soetjes. — (D. zoetjes, softly, gently.) Gently, slowly.
" ' Suitjes, baas, suitjes. If we miss the spoor we lose
time and all. Here is a stone turned, and there a toe dug in,
and here,' he was following the trail like a pointer, ' is a bit
of dry skin of biltong.' " (Glanville's " The Kloof Bride,"
p. 275, 1898.)
Soggens. — (D. 's ochtends, of the morning ; this appears
to be the origin of this word.) In the morning.
Solder. — (D. zolder, a garret, loft ; Lat. solarium, a flat
house-top exposed to the sun.) Up- stairs, an upper story.
See Brandzolder and Zolder.
Soldier. — (1) Dentex miles is so named in Natal. (2) In
the Cape Colony this name is given to a bright red member
of the bug family — Scantius.
Sole. — See Tong-visch. These fish are generally known
as soles at Port Bhzabeth and East London.
So long. — This expression is in constant use all over South
Africa, with several slightly varying significations ; sometimes
it means " for the present," at other times " meanwhile ".
At parting it is used as a form of farewell, and then it seems
to suggest a wish for a future meeting, like the German auf
460 AFEICANDEEISMS
Wiedersehen. The origin of the phrase has still to be ascer-
tained.
" Men came tumbling out of the swing-doors in twos and
threes, wiping their lips, and then separating with a ' So
long, old man, see you at tiffin '." (" I.D.B.," by W. T. E., p.
221, 1887.)
"'Going? Well so long / ' ' So long, Aloe.'" (GlanviUe's
" Tales from the Veld," p. 222, 1897.)
Somar or Somarso. — (D. zoo-maa/r-zoo, so so.) Tolerably,
neither good nor bad, after a fashion, in a way.
" The Dutch word somar ... is also a word to which I
think I could challenge the most learned schoolmaster in the
Colony to attach any definite meaning. It is used by both
Boers and Hottentots in almost every sentence ; it is an
answer to every question ; and its meanings are endless."
(Gordon Cumming's "Adventures," i. p. 27, 1850.)
Somerhuis. — (D. zomer, summer ; huis, a house.) (1) A
small house in town, occupied by a farmer of the district with
his family at Nachtmaal time, or during a brief visit. (2) It
is also used, as is its English equivalent, of an arbour in a
garden, a summer-house.
Somtseu. — A Sechuana word meaning a "Nimrod," a
mighty hunter. This name was given by the natives to
Mr. Gordon Gumming. It was afterwards appUed by the
natives of Natal to Mr. (afterwards Sir) Theophilus Shepstone
on the occasion of his first visit with Major Charters to occupy
Port Natal. There is either a bold " striving after meaning "
in Barter's use of the word " Samson " (see quotation), or an
entire misunderstanding.
" Such was the appearance of the great T' Somtseu"
(Mr. Gordon Cumming). (Napier's " Excursions," ii. p. 391,
1849.)
" Mr. T. Shepstone, the diplomatic agent, whose influence
over the natives is universally acknowledged, and who is
looked up to by them as the great Samson or ' Sagem ' of
their tribe." (Barter's " The Dorp and the Veld," p. 134,
1852.)
" When the mission first arrived at Pretoria, a message
came from Cetewayo to the effect that he had heard that the
Boers had fired at Sompseu (Sir T. Shepstone) and announc-
ing his intention of attacking the Transvaal if ' his father '
was touched." (Haggard's " The Last Boer War," p. 60, 1900.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 461
Songalolo. — (Kaf. i Songololo, a species of Myriapoda
common in South Africa ; uhu Songa, to roll up.) Juliis
terrestris bears this name in the Eastern Province ; it refers
to its habit of curling up into a coil when disturbed. See
Eegen wurm.
Soopje. — (D. zoopje, a dram ; zuipen, to tipple ; cf. Scotch,
sowp, a spoonful, a small quantity ; Eng. sup.) The quantity
of spirit which goes to make a soopje is variable, one man's
soopje would be another man's overthrow. The term seems
to have been applied also to brandy in quantity. See last
quotation.
" Those who enter a house are always presented with a
sopi, that is to say, a glass of rack or gin, or rather of French
brandy. . . . Before they sit down to talk, etiquette requires
also that they should be offered a sopi." (Le Vaillant's
" Travels," i. p. 76, 1796.)
" In the morning after breakfast he takes his sopie, or glass
of brandy." (Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 83, 1801.)
" The poorest peasant . . . never fails to lay in ... a
cask of sopie." (Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 375, 1801.)
Sooty albatross. — Phoebetria fuginilosa. See Blue bird.
Sore-back. — Applied to horses when their backs have been
scalded through wearing the saddle-cloth too long, or wrung
by an insufficiently padded saddle.
"Not one of our stud had an abrasion of the skin, let
alone a sore back." (Gilmore's "Days and Nights in the
Desert," p. 195, 1888.)
Sore-eye flower. — Cyrtanthus obliquus is so named at
East London. See Zeer-oog bloemetje. The name is
commonly applied to the various species of Brunsvigia
also.
" A large Cyrtanthus or sore-eye flower (though why so
called we have yet to learn)." ("East London Dispatch,"
p. 5, 27 May, 1910.)
Sorrel. — Hybiscus subda/riffa, L. The fleshy, acid-flavoured
calyx of this plant, which is grown in Natal, is there known
by this name. A decoction makes a very refreshing summer
drink. Among Anglo-Indians it is known as Eoselle.
Sort, To. — To cull over diamondiferous material in the
search for gems.
"Then lonely little camps occurred. . . . These are mostly
occupied by Boers, who carry their stuff home for wives and
462 AFEICANDEEISMS
children to sort." (Boyle's " To the Cape for Diamonds,"
p. Ill, 1873.)
Sorter. — One who performs the above process.
" When nothing is left but the dry little lumps like fine
gravel, and the diamonds, he unhooks the sieve and carries
its contents to a neighbouring table on which it is poured
before the panting sorter." (Boyle's " To the Cape for Dia-
monds," p. 127, 1873.)
Sortings. — The refuse material after it has undergone the
above process. Occasionally a small diamond would be over-
looked by the " sorter" ; the " sortings " were eagerly "re-
sorted " by others in the hope of finding some such overlooked
stone.
" The mounds of sortings are now close by thronged with
busy men, black and white." (Boyle's " To the Cape for
Diamonds," p. Ill, 1873.)
Sorting table. — The table on which the diamondiferous
material is sorted.
" Here and there is a ' canteen ' of dirty canvas, or a
plank-built ' store ' with roof of corrugated iron. But such
habitations are rare. Barer still is the sorting table."
(Boyle's " To the Cape for Diamonds," p. 79, 1873.)
Sour grass. — The terms "sour" and "sweet" as thus
employed refer to the nature and quality of the plant growth
of a given area ; on poor soil it is very woody, and defective
in some essential plant-ash constituent, and is known as
" Sour grass " or " Sour veld ".
" But this fine territory is not considered so valuable for
grazing as much of that within the Colony, for the grass is in
general what is called sour, that is rank and unwholesome for
' cattle '." (Bunbury's " Journal," p. 159, 1848.)
Sour veld. — See Sour grass.
" The whole veldt on either side of the road is what is
called sour veldt (that is, coarse, hard, dry grass), distasteful
to the animals, especially to oxen, perfectly unnourishing."
(Churchill's " Men, Mines, and Animals in South Africa,"
p. 197, 1895.)
" The veld is familiarly classified into sweet (zoet) or good
veld, sour (zuur) or poor veld, and half-and-half (gebroken)
veld." (Burton's " Cape Colony for the Settler," p. 8, 1903.)
South African peat. — Another name for Mist (q.v.).
South African siskin. — Ghrysomitris totta.
AFEICANDEEISMS 463
South-easter. — See The Doctor and Black south-easter.
" Algoa Bay is not much of a shelter, and it is always a
chance whether a sudden South-easter may not come tearing
down upon the shipping. ' ' (Barker's " A Year's Housekeeping
in South Africa," p. 23, 1877.)
" South-easters ... are of three kinds— -(1) ' Table-cloth '
south-easters, (2) ' Blind ' south-easters, (3) ' Black ' south-
easters." ("Addresses, etc., British and SouthAfrican Assoc,"
I. p. 287, 1905.)
Sovereignty, The. — This was the former designation of
the territory that has again come under the British flag in
the Orange River Colony and the Transvaal.
" The Sovereignty, as it is now constituted, comprehends
a large tract of territory situated to the north of the Great
Orange and Vaal Rivers, and stretching out to the east as
far as the north-west of Natal." (Fleming's " Kaffraria,"
p. 120, 1853.)
Spaanspek. — (D. spaansche, Spanish ; spek, bacon, fat.)
Melo Hispanicus, the sweet or musk melon, apparently known
to the Dutch through the Spaniards. It is called " spek "
from the bacon-Kke colour of the fruit when cut.
" Just then Mr. Bartlett came and asked if I would like
to buy any musk melons (sponspeck), figs, pomegranates, or
mealies." (Farini's " Through the Kalahari Desert," p. 61,
1886.)
Span of oxen. — (D. span, a team.) A team of oxen yoked
in pairs for cart, wagon, or plough ; the number varies from
two to twenty-two, but generally, for wagon work, runs to
fourteen or sixteen.
" Such a carriage is commonly drawn by a team or span,
as it is termed in the Colony, of ten or twelve oxen."
(Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 55, 1801.)
Span, To. — (D. spannen, to put horses to a wagon or
carriage.) To yoke or harness animals to a vehicle. " To
inspan " is now more commonly used.
" Meanwhile we prepared the apparatus for spanning oxen
before the wagon." (Moodie's " Records," p. 33, 1841.)
Spandau kop. — (G. Spandau, the great miUtary stronghold
and prison a few miles from Berlin.) A curiously formed
mountain of the Sneeuwberg range, near Graaff Reinet. Its
crown is a curious formation resembling the steep sides and
rounded top of a hay-stack. Locally the name is pronounced
464 APEICANDEEISMS
Span-touw, and according to the folk etymology of the
neighbourhood is derived from the span-touw, the riem with
•which the legs of a cow are fastened which has the habit of
kicking when being milked. But if Lichtenstein's account
of the origin of the name is correct, and there seems to be no
reason to doubt it, then the popular etymology affords another
instance of " striving after meaning ". Lichtenstein's Work
(i. p. 367) contains a very good plate of this curiously shaped
mountain.
" At break of day we saw the Spandau mountain, in
Graaff Eeinet, before us. This mountain, like many others in
the country, till vyithin a few years had no name. An old
Prussian soldier, by name Werner, who lived at Graaff Eeinet
gave it that which it now bears, as a remembrance of his
native country." (Lichtenstein's " Travels," i. p. 367, 1812.)
To our left were Zwart Ruggeus, our right Zwager's Hoek,
While in front we on Spontouw and Tandje's Berg look.
(Hudson's " A Feature in South African Frontier Life," p.
70, 1862.)
Spanish flies. — See Smellers.
" A large number of long-horns commonly termed Spanish
flies. (A weak provincialism.)" (Bairstow's "Nat. Hist.
Notes from South Africa," p. 6, 1883.)
Sparrow rooibel<. — (D. rood, red ; bek, a beak, bill.) A
Natal name for Spermestes nigriceps.
" It is a neat little bird, and its plumage and manner re-
mind one of the English cock-sparrow, from which we call
it the Sparrow roibek." (Woodward's " Birds of Natal," p.
71, 1899.)
Spek. — (D. spek, bacon, fat.) Hippopotamus fat was in
the early days spoken of as " spek ".
" The flesh of the hippopotamus is highly esteemed . . .
and the fat (speck, as it is called by the colonists) is very
excellent." (Andersson's " Lake Ngami," p. 617, 1856.)
Spelc-boom. — (D. spek, bacon, fat ; boom, a tree.) Portu-
lacaria afra, Jacq. The plant is also known as " Elephant's
food " (q.v.) ; it grows large and succulent, with small, fleshy,
sourish leaves, and panicles of small flowers of several shades
of pink.
" Thick Hedges of a kind of Laurel, which they call Speck,
always green, and pretty like the Filaria." ("A Voyage to
Siam by Six Jesuits," p. 51, 1688.)
AFEICANDBEISMS 465
" A small succulent shrub called speck-boom . . . affords
excellent food for sheep and goats." (Fleming's " Southern
Africa," p. 125, 1856.)
Spekboschje. — (D. spek, fat ; bosch, bush, shrub.) Zygo-
phyllum flexuosum, E. and Z. and obher species are so called
in the Eiversdale District.
Spekhout. — Kiggelaria africana, Linn. See Porkwood.
Spekvet. — (D. spek, bacon, fat; vet,iaA,.) A term applied
to both men and animals when very fat.
Spek vreter. — (D. spek, bacon, fat ; vreten, to eat.) Saxi-
cola fa/mMiaris. This bird is accused of picking the grease
out from the boxes of cart-wheels — hence the name.
" The familiar Chat (S. foumiliaris), the Spek vreter (bacon-
eater) of the Boers ... is well distributed throughout South
Africa." (Haagner and Ivy's " Sketches of South African
Bird Life," p. 19, 1908.)
Spelonken. — (D. spelonk ; Lat. spelunca ; Gk. airTjXvy^,
a cave, cavern, den.) An exceedingly mountainous district
in the north of the Transvaal, in the caves of which the
natives were wont to hide in times of war.
Hen bi hem-selue
In spekes and spelonkes. . . .
(Langland's " Piers the Plowman," 6, 15, 270, Skeat's Ed.)
" Pand ich in dem dortigen Distrikt, den die Boeren wegen
seiner vielen Berge die Spelonken nennen, nur wenige weisse
Familien vor, aber viele verfallene Wohnstatten und Ansie-
delungen." (Schiel's " 23 Jahre in Siid-Afrika," p. 349, 1902.)
Spens. — See Dispens.
Spervel. — (D. sperwer, a sparrow-hawk.) Falco minor, the
South African Peregrine, is known by this name among the
Dutch ; it is not a common bird.
"Eggs of the Spervel (Falco minor) also appear in the
collection. These are new to us, and, as may be imagined,
are those of the larger F. Peregrinus in miniature/' (" South
African Magazine," in. p. 127, 1912.)
Spider, American. — A light, strong, four-wheeled carriage,
for one horse or a pair. The name indicates the attenuated
appearance of the vehicle.
" He had actually ventured to drive in a spider, apparently
a kind of buggy, from the Tugela to Gingihlovo." (" Spec-
tator," 24 May, 1879.)
" One afternoon, therefore, I drove over in the spider and
30
466 AFEICANDBEISMS
found him busily engaged waxing a stout fishing line."
(Glanville's " Tales from the Veld," p. 25, 1897.)
Spider, German. — A heavy, home-made wagon with solid
discs of wood for wheels, common in earlier days among the
Germans on the Frontier, and still seen occasionally. The
name is a humorous reference to the clumsy appearance of
these lumbering vehicles.
" Like the wheels of a so-called German spider, made out
of one block." (Kropf's " KafiSr English Dictionary," under
i Gidiva, 1899.)
Spider Orchid. — Bartholina pectinata, B. Brown. A fairly
common orchid of the Cape Peninsula. The name refers to
the somewhat fanciful resemblance of the lip-segments to a
spider's legs.
Spiering. — (D. spiering, smelt — Salmo eperlanus.) Ather-
ina breviceps, a fish not unlike the English smelt.
Spill. — (1) A word in general use throughout South Africa
for a fall from horseback, the upsetting of a cart or wagon,
and indeed any like accident. (2) It is also employed of the
financial failure of a man or firm.
" You think the spill has come at last." (" The Great Gold
Lands of South Africa," p. 49, 1891.)
Spinnekop. — (D. spinnehop, a spider. The word is a
pleonastic compound, spin, a spider, and hop, etymologically
one with the English coh in co6web, and cop in attercqp.) (1)
A spider of any kind. (2) The name was at one time applied
by the Dutch to the British flag, the rays of the double cross
being suggestive of a spider's legs.
" The Spinnekop or spider legs, as they called the British
ensign." (Barrow's "Travels," ii. p. 138, 1804.)
Spitzkopje. — (D. spits, pointed, sharp.) A sharp-pointed
hill. See Compass berg.
" The headquarters of 'Kausopp were at the two spitz-
kopjes to the left of 'Gumaap and opposite Koedoesberg."
(Stow's " Native Eaces of South Africa," p. 396, 1905.)
Splint. — The term apphed on the Diamond Fields to a
fractured diamond.
" In those halcyon days . . . the natives, who are often
unjustly accused of naturally possessing thievish propensities,
established the falsehood of the charge by . . . faithfully
carrying out their master's behests, and never robbing him of
a single splint." (Mathew's "Incwadi Yami," p. 415, 1887.)
APEICANDEEISMS 467
Splinter new. — (D. splinternieuw, brand-new.) Quite
new.
" Those are his ' bias ' (white-faced) horses ; but where
has he come by a splinter new spider Hke that ? " (Watkin's
" From Farm to Forum," p. 55, 1906.)
Spogh, Tq. — (D. pochen, to boast, to vaunt one's self.) To
show off, to make a display.
" There were many handsome, high-fed horses on the
commando, taken from the Grahamstown stables ; and many
a youth spogh'd dashingly enough upon them at starting."
(Dugmore's " Eeminiscences of an Albany Settler," p. 33,
1871.)
Sponsziekte. — (D. spons, a sponge; ziekte, sickness, dis-
ease.) A disease affecting cattle known in England as black
quarter or quarter evil. The South African name refers to
the swellings which are characteristic of the disease ; when
examined after death they are found to be spongy (and dark
red in colour). (See " C.G.H. Agric. Jour.," p. 152, August,
1909.)
" Mr. . . . has cured sponse-ziekte among calves and lung
sickness among cattle." (" Queenstown Free Press," 3 Febru-
ary, 1863.)
Spook. — (D. spook, a ghost, haunting spirit.) A ghost or
apparition.
" At another time I met the spook (ghost) in the form of
a very tall black man." (Andersson's " Lake Ngami," p. 344,
1856.)
Spook vogel. — (D. spook, a ghost; vogel, a bird.) (1)
Laniarius Sta/rki is knovsm by this name among the Dutch.
The weirdness of its mournful note while the bird remains
hidden has given rise to this name. (2) Gallinago nigripennis
is also so called.
" Dr. Exton says that the ' drumming ' noise made by
this bird in its morning and evening flights have earned
for it the name of Spook vogel (ghost-bird) among the Boers
of the far interior." (Layard and Sharpe's "Birds of South
Africa," p. 676, 1875-84.)
Spoor. — (D. spoor, trace, track, footprint.) Footprints,
wheelmarks, or any other trace of man, animal, or vehicle.
The natives are often exceedingly expert at detecting these
traces, and can often see them where the inexperienced eye
can see nothing.
30*
468 AFEICANDEEISMS
"Native policemen . . . were to assist the colonists and
follow the spoor or traces of cattle." (Boyce's "Notes on
South Africa," p. 76, 1838.)
" New comers take time to learn the value of spoor. Show
them fresh spoor and they will scarcely believe that it is that
of the enemy." (Baden Powell's " Matabeleland Campaign,
1896," p. 351, 1897.)
Spoor, To. — (D. sporen, to trace, to track.) To follow up
by means of footmarks or other traces.
" After about an hour's search and spooring we at length
came upon its object." (Fleming's " Southern Africa,"
p. 368, 1856.)
Spoorweg. — (D. spoorweg, railroad, railway.) The rail-
way.
" Truly the spoorweg is a great institution." (Statham's
" Blacks, Boers and British," p. 68, 1881.)
Spot. — (D. spotten, to mock, to jeer.) To poke fun at, to
make game of.
"'Foei, Mr. Baxter,' expostulated the Boer, 'it isn't
right to spot at (make fun of) Bible things.' " (Watkin's
"From Farm to Forum," p. 36, 1906.)
Spreuw. — (D. spruw, a thrush.) Spreo bicolor, Gm.
One of the most widely distributed and most numerously
represented of the Cape birds.
" Thrushes are known in the Colony under the general
name of sprew." (Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 224, 1801.)
Spring-bok. — Antidorcas euchore. Sometimes they are
called " Springers," but " Spring-buck " is now almost uni-
versal. The manner of leaping of this beautiful animal is
peculiar ; it is not a bound forward, but straight upward from
6 to 9 feet. These saltatory performances are called by the
Dutch "pronken," showing off; at each bound the animal
displays a broad plume of pure white hair along the ridge of
the back which at other times is scarcely seen.
" This evening a herd of about 2000 spring-hohs coming
to drink out of the well, made a halt." (Sparrman's "Voy-
age," II. p. 82, 1785.)
" Being covered with grass, it . . . harboured a consider-
able number of Springers." {Ibid., ii. p. 139.)
Springers. — (1) Mugil rrmltilineatus, A. Smith. A species
of mullet that leaps with considerable vigour ; a Ught at night
in a low boat on the water will sometimes bring them leaping
AFEICANDEKISMS 469
on board. (2) In Natal this name is given to Elc^s saurus.
See Cape salmon.
" Tobiwo is what the Dutch call a Springer (flying-fish)
because it leaps out of the water." (Kaempfer's "History
of Japan," 1690-92, Eeprint, i. p. 233.)
" The springer is esteemed for the thick fat coating that
lines the cavity of the abdomen." (Barrow's " Travels,"
I. p. 30, 1801.)
"Our springer they call 'Cape salmon'." ("Natal Mer-
cury Pictorial," p. 154, 5 December, 1906.)
Springhaan. — (D. sprinkhaan, grasshopper, locust.) A
common name in South Africa for all varieties of Locustidce.
" They had not arrived at a sufficient state of maturity
to fly, but sprang with great agility, deriving from this cir-
cumstance the Dutch name of spring-haan." (Steedman's
"Adventures," i. p. 125, 1835.)
Springhaan vogel. — See Locust bird.
" Prodigious swarms of locusts . . . followed by such
dense flights of birds as almost to darken the air. The
Spring haan-vog el as the latter is called by the colonists is
about the size of the swallow." (Harris's "Wild Sports,"
p. 81, 1839.)
Spring hare. — Pedetes caffer, a curious animal, of nocturnal
habits, with long and strong hind-legs, the fore-legs being
diminutive ; its mode of progression when pressed is a series
of great bounds like a kangaroo.
" By the colonists it is called Berg-haas or Springhaas (the
mountain or bounding hare)." (Sparrman's "Voyage," ii.
p. 195, 1785.)
" The spring-hare, as the Dutch call it, is a creature about
2 feet long, shaped hke a kangaroo in body and in tail, but
with a different head ; it burrows and lives in holes all day,
but at night it frisks about and grazes." (Galton's " Tropical
South Africa," p. 281, 1853.)
Spruit — (D. spruit, a sprout, offshoot.) Throughout South
Africa this word is used of those somewhat deep, naturally
worn channels by which the rain-water finds its way to the
rivers. Cf. the analogous use of the Enghsh word " branch "
for a tributary of a river.
" We had to get through one or two ugly spruits."
(Colenso's "Ten Weeks in Natal," p. 83, 1855.)
" About half a mile from the site of the outspan ran a
470 AFEICANDEEISMS
spruit or water course." (Mitford's "Luck of Gerard
Eidgeley," p. 100.)
Spuug kapell. — (D. spuwen or spugen, to. spit; Port.
capello, hood.) The hooded, spitting snake — Naia flava.
See Cape cobra.
Spuug slange. — (D. spuwen or spugen, to spit ; slang, a
serpent, snake.) Sepedon hcemachcBtes. This snake, which
is able to eject a venomous fluid to a distance of three or four
paces, is allied to the cobras or hooded snakes. See Einghals.
" The Spoog slang, or Spitting snake, has been mentioned
to me by the inhabitants of the country, who say it will throw
its poison to the distance of several yards ; and that people
have been blinded by them ; but this never came under my
own inspection." (Paterson's "Narrative," p. 163, 1789.)
" The other was a very rare sort of serpent called here the
spuug-slang (the spurting snake) ." (Lichtenstein's " Travels,"
I. p. 95, 1812.)
Square, To. — A process intimately connected with " palm
oil"; to induce one by financial or other considerations, to
forego hesitancy or opposition to some particular scheme.
" As a sop to the officers of the force, they had altered
their titles into captains and lieutenants and thus squared
them." (Ex O.M.E., "With the Cape Mounted Eifles," p.
156, 1881.)
" They provided the motive power by which the press
might be suborned, opponents squared." (Eobinson's " Life
Time in South Africa," p. 370, 1900.)
Square-face. — A slang name for gin ; it refers to the
square bottles in which it was retailed in all parts of South
Africa.
" Square-face is the invariable stuff, and you take as
much as you like for a glass, though it is thought bad taste to
fill up above the 'pretty'." (Montague's "Campaigning in
South Africa," p. 98, 1880.)
" A Uttle hollands (out here called square-face)." (Bryden's
" Kloof and Karoo," p. 60, 1889.)
Squatter. — One who settles on unoccupied land vyithout
title.
Squat, To. — To settle on unoccupied land.
" The main body of the farmers went on into Natal, but
some squatted along the Vaal, the Vet, and the Modder
Eivers." (Eussell's " Natal," p. 67, 1891.)
APEICANDEEISMS 471
Squeaker. — (1) The name given to a fish common in the
Crocodile and Marico Eivers. (2) It is also given by Natal
boys to the cicada.
" The youthful genius vpho brought two squeakers— tree
cicadas — before school hours and released one in each room."
(" A South African Boy," p. 76, 1897.)
Squint-path. — See Schuins pad.
" The difficult spot which the Dutch call a squint-path,
was passed, and the wagon gained the top of the height."
(Kingston's "Hendricks the Hunter," p. 67, 1894.)
Squirrel, Ground. — Xerus capensis, which lives in burrows
in the open ground of the Karoo.
" There were numbers of little squirrel-hke creatures there
too. Our fellows used to call them ground squirrels and ' tree-
rats,' they were little fellows like meerkats, with bushy tails
ringed in brown, black, and white." (Fitzpatrick's " Jock of
the Bushveld," p. 338, 1907.)
Staanplelt. — (D. staan, to stand ; plaats, place ; plelc, a
spot.) A place by the roadside where riding or draught
animals are allowed a short rest for breathing, generally on
the top of a steep rise, or after a heavy piece of road.
"De ezels waren echter gebleven bij onze staanplek zoo
gingen Andries, P. Dempers en ik hen opzoeken." (Hof-
meyr's " Twintig Jaren in Zoutpansberg," p. 47, 1896.)
Staartriem. — (D. staart, tail, rear; CD. riem, a thong of
untanned hide.) (1) A crupper. (2) The name given by the
Dutch to an article of Hottentot attire which consists of a
triangular piece of hide about a foot long, 2 inches wide at
the top where it joins the girdle, and v?idening to 4 inches.
It is not of the least use, and may be compared in that respect
to the tails of a modern dress coat, being worn in exactly the
same place.
"When speaking in Dutch they call this a Staart-riem,
which in English may be rendered by the word tail-piece."
(Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 397, 1822.)
" Here we find in the Ovaherero, a tribe of men wearing
the staart-riem." (Stow's " Native Eaces of South Africa,"
p. 266, 1905.)
Staat.— The English word " State " means the body
politic ; the word " Staat " in South Africa seems to refer, as
" State " does in America, to the territory — as Orange Free
State- — Oranje Vrij Staat.
472 AFEICANDBEISMS
Staatmaker. — (D. staatmaken, to rely upon.) A mainstay,
used of either a person or animal that can be depended upon
in an emergency.
Stad. — (D. stad, a city, town.) (1) A town, as Kaap Stad.
(2) The term is also employed of a native town in Bechuana-
land and elsewhere.
" A native ' reed-dance ' was going on in the ' stadt,' as
they call the native town." (Baden Powell's " Matabeleland
Campaign, 1896," p. 14, 1897.)
" As the light grew and we began to smoke, we could see
our scouts . . . riding toward a large Kaffir stadt between us
and the fires." (Stuart's " Pictures of War," p. 314, 1901.)
Stampblock. — The wooden mortar in which grain stamp-
ing is done.
" A section of a tree-trunk about a yard high has a hollow
made in the top, like a deep basin, into which the corn is
poured." (Lownde's " Every-day Life in South Africa," p. 87,
1900.)
Stamped mealies. — Mealies that have been subjected to
the process of being stamped.
Stamper. — The wooden pestle employed in stamping.
" The stomopers are pieces of round wood about half a yard
in length, bluntly pointed at the ends and thinner in the
middle." (Lownde's " Every-day Life in South Africa," p. 87,
1900.)
Stamper wood. — Ehretia Hottentotica.
Stampkar or Skamelkar. — (D. stampen, to jolt, toss ;
schommel, a swing ; CD. schommelen, to shake about ; har, a
cart.) A cart without springs is so called by the Dutch.
Stamps or Stampers. — The crushing machines employed
in the gold mining industry.
" Ten heads of stampers, driven by a 12-inch cylinder
engine, would put through 150 tons per week." (Mather's
"Golden South Africa," p. 340, 1888.)
" The Golden Quarry proved the pick of the bunch, and
at the commencement of operations there was sufficient
quartz in sight to keep 100 stamps going for twenty years,
yielding 4-J ounces to the ton." (Wilson's "Behind the
Scenes in the Transvaal," p. 53, 1901.)
Stamp, To. — (D. stampen, to ram, pound ; G. stampfen, to
crush, pound. Minsheu, " Guide to the Tongues," 1617, has
" Stamps. Tobray or beat small.") The process by which the
AFEICANDEEISMS 473
outer skin is removed from mealies. The term is also applied
to the ore-crashing process employed in the gold-mining in-
dustry. Cf. Chaucer's use of the word in the same sense of
"to bray in a mortar ".
" TMse cokes, how they stcmvpe, and streyne, and grinde."
(" The Pardoner's Tale.")
" The stamping of it in small is performed in the following
manner. A block of wood is hollowed out, and this cavity is
filled with rice, which they pound with a wooden pestle, till
it separates from the husk. In the great this stamping is
performed, not only by means of a machine, consisting of a
number of pestles, which are set in motion by a water-wheel,
but likewise by a similar machine which a man treads with
his foot, and during the stamping stirs with a stick in the
hopper, so that the grain can run down." (Thunberg's
"Travels,"iv. p. 85, 1796.)
Stam-vruchte. — (D. stam, trunk ; vrucht, fruit.) The
fruit of Ghrysophyllum magalis-montanum, Sond. ; an edible
berry common on the kopjes around Johannesburg, Pretoria,
Barberton, etc., so called because its flowers and fruits are borne
on very short stalks on the thick stem of the shrub, and not
at the ends of the twigs. It has a pleasantly acid flavour.
Stands. — Building plots in new towns, like Johannesburg
and Buluwayo, are iadvertised and sold as " stands " ; " busi-
ness stands " being positions specially suitable for shops or
stores.
" Real estate has already reached a considerable value, as
may be gauged from the fact that in July, 1893, 848 stands or
town-lots were sold for £17,786." (Wills and CoUingwood's
"Downfall of Lobengula," p. 312, 1894.)
" Town lots, or stands as they are called in South Africa,
had gone up to prices which nothing but a career of swift and
brilliant prosperity could justify." (Bryce's " Impressions,"
p. 274, 1898.)
Star apple. — Boyena lycioides, a creeper bearing deep
yellow, scented flowers, and a fruit dividing into five sections.
The fruit is not edible.
Star of Bethlehem. — In the Eastern Province this name is
given to the flower of Ornithogalum thyrsoides. See Chinker-
ing ching. In Tusser's " Fine Hundred Pointes of Good
Husbandrie," 0, umbellatum is spoken of by this name,
(43, 34.)
474 APEICANDEEISMS
Steekgras. — (D. steeh, point, sting.) Aristida barbicollis,
Trin. and Bupr. The seeds of this grass have sharp barbed
awns attached to them by which they cling to the wool of
sheep, work their way through the skin, and set up consider-
able irritation. Andropogon contortus, mentioned by Wallace,
is also a steekgras, but it is not the common one.
" Andropogon contortus, Willd., the sharp seeds of which,
with their twisted awns, easily pierce the skin." (Wallace's
" Farming Industries of the Cape Colony," p. 99, 1896.)
Steenbok. — (D. steenbok, the Alpine ibex.) Baphicerus
campestris. The word is frequently corrupted to Stembok.
" There are several other small antelopes, as, for example,
the steenbok, rhebok, and bush-buck, which are holding their
own and rather tending to increase since a close time has
been instituted." (Wallace's " Farming Industries of Cape
Colony," p. 246, 1896.)
Steenbrasem. — (D. steen, a stone ; brasem, a bream.)
Pagellus lithnognathus. See Varkbek and Mussel-cracker.
The name is often corrupted to Stembras.
" Fish are very abundant at the Cape, among those most
esteemed are . . . the steenbrassen." (Le Vaillant's " Travels,"
I. p. 18, 1796.)
" The red and white steenbrassems or stone breams, two
species, or perhaps varieties only, of perches." (Barrow's
" Travels," i. p. 30, 1801.)
Steenje. — (D. steen, stone.) Gcmtharus emarginatus.
Steenklaver. — (D. steen, a stone ; klaver, clover.) Meli-
lotus parviflorus. The leaves are apphed to sores as poultices.
Steen klip visch. — (D. steen, stone ; klip, a rock ; visch,
fish.) Ghilodactylus brachydactylus.
Steen visch. — Ghilodactylus fasciatus. This fish is some-
times called by the preceding pecuharly redundant name.
Stekelthee. — {D.stekel, ■prickle; thee, tea.) Borboniapar-
viflora, Lamk. Used, apparently with good effect, in asthma.
Stel. — (D. stellen, to place.) (1) A place, a stand. (2) The
meaning which the word has in the quotations is derived from
the plan, so frequently adopted in South Africa, of placing
traps, or setting spring-guns, for the destruction of beasts of
prey ; the meaning has been transferred from the place to the
trap itself.
" As soon as he (the wolf) has seized the bait and begins
to pull it up from the bottom of the hole, he tightens the
AFEICANDEEISMS 475
string, releases the trigger, and, if the stel is properly set,
receives the bullet in his head." (Barter's " The Dorp and
the Veld," p. 116, 1852.)
" De ' tijger ' (luipaard) wordt er meestal met een stel
gevangen en dan gedood, daar hij zich zelden of nooit op de
vlakte waagt." (Cachet's " De Worstelstrijd der Transvalers,"
p. 845 n., 1882.)
" The lions had killed two zebras close to where we out-
spanned, and we made a strong kraal, expecting a visit from
them, and I set a stell (spring-gun) for them, by the remains
of one of the zebras." (Baldwin's " African Hunting," p. 358,
1894.)
Stellasi. — (D. stellage, a scaffolding, platform.) Low plat-
forms, generally made of open reed-work, upon which fruit is
dried ; a somewhat similar arrangement for the protection of
young tobacco plants is also known by the same name.
Stellenboshed, To be. — To be relegated, as the result of in-
competence, to a position in which little harm can be done.
Julian Ealph gives the origin of the expression.
"It had long been noticed that whenever an officer was
prominently connected with a losing battle or exhibited marked
incompetence in any field of military work, he got a billet at
Stellenbosch. . . . The name therefore obtained a deep signifi-
cance and common usage in the Colony, and to say that a man
had been Stellenbosched was but the ordinary polite mode of
mentioning what might otherwise have had to be said in many
harsher sounding words." (Ealph's " War's Brighter Side,"
p. 106, 1901.)
" In fact they are more probably stellenbosched to the depot,
owing to an absence of any special quality." ("The Army
from Within," p. 59, 1901.)
Stell-roer. — (D. roer, a tube, pipe. In South Africa appHed
to a gun.) A spring- or trap-gun. See Stell.
" The animal had been shot through the body by a stell-
roer, or trap-gun, set by a Hottentot." (Barrow's "Travels,"
I. p. 360, 1801.)
Stick away, To. — A common South African expression
meaning to hide an object or to get into hiding oneself.
" According to the children ' when Alfred was " bang " and
sticking away, he had to watch the roostekoeks '." (Hicks'
" The Cape as I Found It," p. 170, 1900.)
Stick insect. — Various members of the Phasmidce family
476 AFEICANDEEISMS
are popularly known by this appropriate name. In appear-
ance they resemble sticks or twigs, sometimes reaching 10 or
12 inches in length ; so close is the resemblance that they are
only to be distinguished in their native haunts by a trained eye,
and not always by that.
"Besides the insects which imitate grass, another large
class imitate twigs, sticks, and the smaller branches of shrubs.
The commonest of these is a walking twig, 3 or 4 inches long,
covered with bark apparently and spotted all over with mould
like the genuine branch. The imitation of bark here is one
of the most perfect delusions in nature." (Drummond's
" Tropical Africa," p. 173, 1888.)
Stick of peace. — The name given to a baton, or staff, which
Sir Harry Smith carried when formally meeting the Kaffir
chiefs. The purpose of this staff is set forth in the quotation.
" His Excellency (Sir Harry Smith) holds in his hands a
cane, surmounted by a brass knob, which is called the Stick
of peace. The kissing of this stick is a declaration of allegi-
ance." (Godlonton's "Kaffir War, 1850-51," p. 28, 1852.)
Sticks. — (The CD. word is steeks, which seems to be de-
rived from steken, as used in the phrase blijven steken, G.
stecken bleiben, to stick fast ; but in ordinary usage it has
come to mean obstinate, perverse ; cf. G. stockisch, stubborn,
obstinate.) (1) Horses that will not pull or start. (2) The
word is also applied to persons who are obstinate or obstructive,
and is in common use in the Western Province and Midland
Districts.
" There we stand at the bottom of a steep hill, struggling
vnth our horses, who have taken it into their heads not to
move an inch further — they have become steeks, as the Boers
say." (Mackinnon's " South African Traits," p. 163, 1887.)
" The horses of this country are mostly sticks, i.e. they get
sulky at times and will not move when they are put into a
cart." (Warren's " On the Veldt in the Seventies," p. 92, 1902.)
Stick, To. — (1) To jib or refuse to start; to be obstinate,
sulky. (2) The word is used also of a wagon or cart that has
got into a mudhole or that has met with some other obstruc-
tion.
" Sticks was his horse. That estimable quadruped had at
one time been addicted to sticking, an inconvenient vice of
which his present owner had thoroughly cured him." (Mit-
ford's " Bomance of the Cape Frontier," p. 23, 1891.)
AFKICANDEEISMS 477
" For the first week the roads were muddy, and our buck-
wagon got stuck several times — once for about eight hours."
(Balfour's " 1200 Miles in a Waggon," p. 84, 1895.)
Stijfziekte. — (D. stiff, stiff; ziehte, sickness.) (1) Dr. A.
Theiler, C.M.G., Acting Director of Veterinary Eesearch, says
that there are three diseases which go under this name, which
he specifies as follows : (i) The Stijfziekte caused by the
Stijfziekte boschje {Crotolaria burheana) ; (ii) Stijfziekte not
caused by CrotoZana.frequently complicated with joint lesions ;
(iii) The Lamziekte form of Stijfziekte. (2) The name has also
been given to the cattle disease known as " Three days' sick-
ness ". The word, Dr. Theiler says, "describes an affection
of the locomotory organs embracing almost anything inter-
fering with the normal movement of the limbs up to complete
paralysis ". (" S.A. Agric. Journ.," June, July, 1912.)
"Apoplexy in sheep. . . . This sickness is known to be
very fatal among sheep and is what the Dutch usually call
Styff ziekte, for after a few fits the animal always dies."
("Queenstown Free Press," 3 February, 1863.)
" In this Colony the genera Grotalaria, Lessertia, Indigo-
fera, and Tephrocia are under suspicion of producing the le-
guminous poisoning of cattle known locally as stijfziekte."
(Sim's " Forest Flora of Cape Colony," p. 2Q2, 1907.)
" The above facts appear to me to indicate that the dis-
eased condition termed stijfziekte is due to defective nutrition
of the bones of the affected animal, and that this arises from
the absence of a sufficiency of phosphates in the vegetation
upon which the animal feeds." (" Agric. Journ. S.A. Union,"
p. 13, February, 1911.)
Stijfziekte bosje. — (D. stijf, stiff; ziekte, sickness; bos, a
bush.) Crotolaria burkeana, the eating of which is known
to induce one form of the above disease. See Klappers.
" The cause of this stiff-sickness has been experimentally
established by feeding of the so-called stijfziekte boschje (Cro-
tolaria burkeana)." (" S.A. Agric. Journ.," p. 780, June,
1912.)
Stingray. — Trygon pastinaca, L., but the name appears
to be apphed also to one of the Eagle rays or Sea devils —
Myliobatis aquila, L.
Stink ants. — I have not been able to identify these insects.
"I don't think I have ever mentioned the stink-ants to
you ... it is said that if you annoy them in any way, as, for
478 AFEICANDEEISMS
instance, by treading on them, or unwittingly burning them
in the camp fire, they emit a most horrible odour." (Bal-
four's " 1200 Miles in a Waggon," p. 225, 1895.)
Stink blaar. — (D. blad, a leaf.) Datura stramonium,
Linn. This plant has an exceedingly disagreeable smell.
" The soil, which is not deep, is light and red in colour,
growing ... a plant called stink-blaar, Stramonium, which
poisons ostrich chicks." (Wallace's " Farming Industries of
the Cape Colony," p. 37, 1896.)
Stink bosch. — The name given to Azima tetracantha, Lam,
A plant of the Order Salvadoracea, having a very disagree-
able odour.
Stink- bull giraffe. — An old bull giraffe has a strong musk
scent.
" The giraffe Witboy had shot . . . was an old bull,
known, from its peculiarities amongst hunters, as a stinh-
bull." (Schulz and Hammar's "New Africa," p. 331, 1897.)
Stink cat. — Zorilla striata. This by no means pretty
name is sometimes given to the Muishond (q.v.).
"I have shammed dead like a stink-cat when dogs are
about." (Haggard's " Swallow," p. 50, 1899.)
Stinker. — Another of the rather numerous names given
by sealers and whalers to Majaqueus aequinoctialis. See
Black haglet.
Stink fish. — Box salpa. The marine vegetation upon
which this fish lives, gives to it at times a peculiar and not
agreeable smell — hence this name. See Bamboo fish.
" Many of the Cape fish are endowed with the quaintest
Dutch names. Here are a few of them : Kabeljouw, . . .
Stinkvisch, . . . and others." (Bryden's " Gun and Camera
in South Africa," p. 449, 1893.)
Stinkhout. — (D. hout, wood.) Ocotea bullata, E. Mey.
This tree, which has been called the South African teak, is
one of the most valuable of our forest trees ; when freshly
worked the wood emits a somewhat disagreeable odour,
which, however, soon passes off. The wood is grained very
much like French walnut.
" Stink-hout (stink- wood) which resembles the walnut
tree, is a tall tree, and is used for making writing-desks and
chairs." (Thunberg's " Travels," i. p. 169, 1795.)
Stink muishond. — See Muishond and Stink cat.
" I rushed up and saw the dog had hold of a stink-mais-
AFEICANDEEISMS 479
hand, and had already to all appearances killed it." (Brown-
ing's "Fighting and Farming in South Africa," p. 37, 1880.)
Stinkpot. — (1) This name is given by sailors to the Sooty
albatross (q.v.). (2) It is also applied to the bird known as
the Cape hen (q.v.). Those who know what a stinkpot is
will appreciate the forcefulness of the name. Stinkpots
were used in days past to throw on an enemy's deck at close
quarters, and, being filled with offensive and suffocating
combustibles, were fairly effective within their sphere of
action. They are still used by eastern pirates.
Stink vliegen. — (D. vlieg, a fly.) Among the Dutch the
malodorous members of the bug family are known by this
name. These insects — Scutellerida — are sometimes very
attractive in appearance, being adorned with the most brilliant
colours, but the odour which they exhale is repellent.
" StinJc-vUegen appears to be the term among our farmers
for those insects to which entomologists assign the English
term bug." (" C.G.H. Agric. Journ.," p. 224, September,
1897.)
Stippel slang. — (D. stippel, speckle, spot, dot ; slang, a
snake.) Bhamphiophis multimaculatus. Amplorhinus mul-
timaculatus is known as the Kaapsche stippel slang. The
reference is to the spots with which they are marked.
Stock. — The cattle on a farm. See Small stock.
Stock-farm. — A farm specially suited for rearing and
fattening stock, as distinct from an agricultural farm.
Stock-fish. — Merlucius vulgaris, known at Port Elizabeth
as the Hake.
Stock rose. — Sparmannia a/ricana; the fibre of this plant
is of commercial value.
" The supply till then had come from an area of about 25
morgen, naturally covered with Stock rose." (Sim's " Forest
Flora of Cape Colony," p. 149, 1907.)
Stoep. — (D. steep, the steps before a house.) In South
Africa the word is applied to a stone or brick-built platform,
running along the front, and sometimes round the sides of
the house. These " stoeps " are the favourite resort in the
cool of a summer's evening.
" In front of each house ... is a paved platform, usually
8 or 10 feet wide, and raised, commonly, from 2 to 4 feet
above the level of the street. . . . This platform is called the
Stoep (step)." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 71, 1822.)
480 AFEICANDERISMS
Stoep rooms. — Rooms built as wings to a house, but with
entrance and exit opening on to the " stoep " only ; some-
times they are merely the " stoep " ends walled ofif.
" Two very miniature stoeprooms as they are called at the
Cape. (Small rooms stolen out of each end of the verandah.) "
(Prichard's " Friends and Foes in the Transkei," p. 122,
1880.)
Stomach staggers. — A disease from which horses suffer,
the cause of which appears to be the eating of the plant
known as "Ragwort " — Senecio Burchellii and S. latifolius.
" The animal becomes sleepy, staggers in its walk, bores its
head against the wall or similar obstruction. This is
followed by delirium." (Hutcheons.) See also Molteno dis-
ease.
" Stomach staggers, as it is called, may however arise from
an engorged stomach, quite independent of hepatic cirrhosis."
(" Science in South Africa," p. 360, 1905.)
Stompneus. — (D. stomp, blunt ; neus, nose, snout.) See
Stumpnose.
Stomp staart. — (D. si^omp, stump ; staart, a tail.) As
the result of inoculation colonial cattle sometimes lose their
tails ; it is to this disfigurement that the name refers.
" But never mind, Jafta, you can keep your old stomp-staart
this time." (Mitford's " Romance of the Cape Frontier," p.
57, 1891.)
Stomp stertje. — (D. stertje, dim. of staart.) Sylviella
rufescens, a pretty little bird is thus designated.
" The Crombec {Sylviella rufesceris) known to the Boers
as Stomp-stertje (stump-tail) is ash-grey above and tawny-buff
below." (Haagner and Ivy's " Sketches of South African
Bird Life," p. 80, 1908.)
Stone fish or Stone bream. — Scorpis lithophilus, a Natal
fish.
" I found two or three coolies fishing . . . they were
hauling out large numbers of stone-fish averaging 1| lb."
(" Natal Mercury Pictorial," p. 588, 1906.)
Stones. — A slang term sometimes employed when speak-
ing of diamonds. See Khp.
Well, last night from my tent, there was taken
A small parcel o£ stones — just a few.
(Ellis's " South African Sketches," p. 133, 1887.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 481
" The cooling mud has closed round the stones taking the
impress of every angle and facet." (Glanville's " The Pos-
sicker," p. 292, 1891.)
Stootwagen. — (D. stooten, to push.) A hand-cart, per-
ambulator.
Store. — This word is in general use throughout South
Africa, and is apphed to the small shop of the general dealer
as well as to the more pretentious buildings of the large
wholesale firms.
" There are many stores — not shops ; and many store-
keepers— not shopkeepers. People stand on their dignity
here." (Lindley's " After Ophir," p. 14, n.d.)
"The term store which I have just used requires some
explanation ... a sort of primitive ' general shop ' which
some trader has established to supply the wants of those who
live within fifty miles, or who pass along the road." (Bryce's
"Impressions," p. 290, 1898.)
Store clothes. — Clothes bought ready-made, as distinct
from those made to measure.
" Altogether a very or'nary performance, especially as all
were dressed in European store-clothes." (Baden Powell's
" Matabeleland Campaign, 1896," p. 14, 1897.)
Store- keeper. — The proprietor or person in charge of a
store. Store and store-clothes seem to be importations from
America ; but store-keeper appears to be of South African birth.
" Hither the store-keeper brings the least saleable though
not the worst part of his stock." (Barter's " The Dorp and
the Veld," p. 40, 1852.)
" I found a solitary Jewish store-keeper faithfully holding
the Passover." (Trotter's " Old Cape Colony," p. 221, 1903.)
Stormjagers. — Dumplings cooked in fat ; they can be
quickly prepared, and are often made by men living in the
veld. The name and the thing were both well known before
De Wet's men prepared them.
"The burghers utilized the flour supplied to them in
making cakes ; these they cooked in boiHng fat and called them
storm jagers or maagbommen." (De Wet's " Three Years'
War," p. 11, 1903.)
Strand. — (D. strand, a shore, as in English.) A sandy
beach ; e.g. Somerset Strand.
Strandjut. — (D. strandjut or strandjutter, a beach thief, a
wrecker.) Another name for Hyana hrunnea. See Strand
31
482 AFEICANDBEISMS
wolf. At one time it was mistakenly supposed that this
animal was to be found only on the sea-coast.
" From Mr. Flashman, Queenstown, the skin of a Strand-
jut {Eycena fusca)." (" South African Magazine," iii. p.
596, 1869.)
Strandloopers. — (D. loopen, to run.) (1) Hottentots who
had their abodes, and picked up such living as they could,
along the sea-shore. (2) The name is also given to Mgialitis
tricoUaris, the treble-collared sand-plover.
" For a little tobacco the Strandloopers will always fetch
fire-wood for the cooks." (Sutherland's " South African
Tribes," ii. p. 29, 1846.)
" This pretty little plover, the Strandlooper of the colonists,
is common throughout the Colony." (Layard and Sharpe's
"Birds of South Africa," p. 662, 1875-84.)
Strandveld. — (D. strand, shore.) Coast lands, south of
Bredasdorp and Eiversdale.
"While on a visit to Mr. John Van der Byl's farm,
Nacht-wacht, in the Strandveldt we found a young bird just
shot {Halietus vocifer) ." (Layard's " Birds of South Africa,"
p. 47, 1875-84.)
" In the Bredasdorp district it (' lamziekte ') occurs on
the flats of the strand veld and is prevalent along the
mountain ranges in the strand veld." {" S.A. Agric. Journ.,"
p. 35, July, 1912.)
Strandveld locust. — A variety of locust generally found
along the coast.
" The variety is usually termed the Strandveldt locust
(sea-coast), but whether it is entirely confined to the sea-
board regions I have not for a certainty ascertained."
(" Trans. S.A. Phil. Soc," i. Part 3, p. 196, 1880.)
Strand wolf. — Hycena brunnea. Its popular name refers
to " its habit of preying upon the refuse thrown up along the
shore". See Strandjut.
" From its peculiar habit of frequenting the sea-coast, the
Dutch colonists have given this animal the name of Strand
wolf, to distinguish it from the tiger wolf, or spotted hyaena,
and the Aard-wolf or Proteles of zoologists." (Steedman's
" Adventures," ii. p. 112, 1835.)
Strawberry, Everlastinjr. — Helipterumeximium,D.G. An
appropriate name because of the resemblance which the
scarlet capitula bears to this fruit. (Biversdale District.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 483
Strawberry grape. — Sometimes called the Catawba grape,
but whether it is identical with the American Catawba grape
or not seems to be uncertain. It has a peculiay strawberry-
like flavour and is not in great demand.
" I am told that another sort, the strawberry grape, grows
and bears in Uitenhage." (" The South African Exhibition,"
p. 175, 1885.)
Strawberry tree. — Arbutus unedo. This plant, which has
been imported from the Mediterranean, bears edible, but not
very palatable fruits, not unlike strawberries in appearance.
" There are several species of Arbutus, but the only one in
general cultivation is the strawberry tree." (" S.A. Gardening
and Agriculture," p. 143, 1 February, 1912.)
Streak away. To. — A slang expression meaning to
slink off, to sneak away quickly.
" Very soon their firing ceased and we saw them streaking
away over the next hill." (Baden Powell's " Matabeleland
Campaign, 1896," p. 243, 1897.)
Streak down, To. — A slang phrase meaning to slip or slide
down rapidly.
" The amusing part of the performance was the way those
monkeys streaked down the trees and vanished." (Bryden's
"Kloof and Karoo," p. 24, 1889.)
Streepkoppie. — (D. streep, a streak, stripe ; kop, a head.)
(1) Fringillaria capensis. The name refers to two black
stripes which this bird has upon each side of the head, one
passing through the eye, the other beneath it. (2) The name
is also given in the Eastern Province to Emberiza flaviventris.
" Occasionally the streep-koppie knew what it was to fall
into the hands of the Aliwal boys." (" Scientific African,"
p. 88, 1896.)
Streepkop sijsje. — (D. sijsje, a linnet.) Poliospiza gularis.
Streep-visch. — (D. streep, a streak, stripe.) See Seventy-
four.
Street -keeper. — ^A municipal official appointed in most
South African towns whose duty it is to report the condition
of the streets to the Town Council, to impound' straying
cattle, etc.
" A friend of ours says he intends writing ... to ask the
town clerk to send the street-keeper to ask . . . when we are
to have a new gaol." (" The Queenstown Free Press," Sup.,
23 February, 1859.)
31 *
484 AFRICANDEEISMS
Strelitzia. — A genus of the banana fanaily, natives of
South Africa. The name is derived from the late Queen
Catherine, who was a princess of the house of Mecklenburg-
StreUtz. See Wild banana.
Strelitza here in buS and blue appeared in stateliest pride,
Whilst pendant flowers of different hues hung from the round bush side.
(" C.G.H. Lit. Gazette," i. p. 97, 1831.)
" We slept well under the shade of some strelitza trees
(very similar to wild bananas)." (Gardner's " Journey,"
p. 17, 1836.)
Striped grunter. — Chilodactylus grandis. This is the
Natal name for the fish known at East London as the Eiver
Steenbras or Tiger-fish (q.v.).
" The striped grunter, which is occasionally found in the
bay ... is the ' Eiver steenbras ' of the Cape Colony."
(" Natal Mercury Pictorial," p. 668, 1906.)
Striped karanteen. — Box salpa, L. The Natal name for
the fish known at the Cape as the " Bamboo fish " (q.v.).
Strop Bill, Tlie. — (D. strop, halter, rope.) The popular
designation of a bill introduced into the Cape Parliament,
which had it passed would have allowed a farmer to punish
his servants for misconduct by flogging.
Struis. — A not infrequent contraction in the Transvaal of
stroohuis, a straw-house.
"Ik ga ook liever in huis bij eenen blanke, dan in een
Kaffer struis (stroohut) met velerlei ongedierte." (Hofmeyr's
" Twintig Jaren in Zoutpansberg," p. 134, 1890.)
Stuiver. — (D. stuiver, a penny.) A coin of the old Dutch
currency. See Eds., sks., sts.
Stuk. — (D. stuk, a piece.) This word is sometimes used
as an equivalent for " breakfast ". Cf. Eng. " bite," fight re-
freshment.
Stumpnose. — Chrysophrys globiceps, Cuv. A favourite fish
caught in great abundance round the Cape during summer.
" Fish are very abundant out at the Cape, among those
most esteemed . . . are . . . the stomp-neus, and other fish."
(Le Vaillant's " Travels," i. p. 18, 1796.)
" The harbour abounds in fish, amongst which stump nose
and others strangely named, but well-flavoured fish are pro-
minent." (Lucas's " Camp Life and Sport in South Africa,"
p. 30, 1878.)
Sucker fish. — Ghorisochisnms dentex. See Klip-zuiger.
AFEICANDEEISMS 485
" A curious genus of these fish has the ventral fins modi-
fied into an adhesive disk, by which it attaches itself firmly
to rocks, etc., and is therefore knovpn as the sucher-fish."
("East London Dispatch," 11 September, 1905.)
Sugar birds. — This name is shared by the PromeropidcB
and the Nectariniidce, Sun-birds (q.v.).
" You ever and anon startle from its resting-place the rich
plumed sugar-bird." (" C.G.H. Lit. Gazette," p. 138, 2 Sep-
tember, 1833.)
" The long-tailed Sugar birds (Promerops), two species of
which are generally recognized, form a distinct family, the
range of which is confined to South Africa." (" Science in
South Africa," p. 139, 1905.)
Sugar bush. — Protea mellifera and other species of Protea.
They grow in great abundance on the slopes of Table
Mountain ; a syrup is obtained from the flowers. See
Bosjestroop.
" Here and there we come upon knolls covered with the
evergreen Suiher-bos, a graceful shrub." (Barter's " The
Dorp and the Veld," p. 74, 1852.)
" The Protea {Sugar bush) and the wild citron grow here."
(Wood's "Through Matabeleland," p. 41, 1893.)
Sugar flowers. — The flowers of the above shrub.
Sugar tree. — The same as the sugar bush.
" Of these, one called here Sugar-tree, from the great
quantity of saccharine juice in the bottom of its vase-shaped
flowers." (Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 62, 1801.)
Suiker bos. — See under Sugar bush.
Suiker vogel. — (D. suiker, sugar; vogel, a bird.) See
Sugar birds.
Sun birds. — Various birds of the Nectariniidce are thus
named. See Honey eaters and Sugar birds.
" Honey suckers or sun-birds that flit like living gems from
flower to flower." (Eussell's " Natal," p. 36, 1891.)
Sunday River. — This river has its source in the Sneeuw-
bergen and runs into the sea at Algoa Bay.
" Our journey occupied six successive days. On the
second, we forded the Sunday Eiver. . . . The name was
given to it by the old Dutch colonists, because beyond its
eastern bank the sabbath was unknown." (Smith's " South
Africa Delineated," p. 7, 1850.)
Sundew. — Various species of Drosera are thus named.
486 AFEICANDEEISMS
" The Sun dew (Drosera) obtains its nitrogen from insects
which the plant catches and digests by means of the sticky
tentacles which are borne on their leaves and stems."
(Stoneman's "Plants and their Ways in South Africa," p. 73,
1906.)
" Droseracece. — An order of which we have in Natal one
genus only, the well-known Sundew. In the Cape Colony
another genus is found {Boridula), a much larger plant than
the Sundew, which the Dutch are said to hang in their houses
to catch flies." (Wood's " Handbook to the Flora of Natal,"
p. 46, 1907.)
Sun-fish. — Orthagoriscus mola, Bl. See Maan-fish.
Sun under. — The moment of sun-set. See Zon-onder.
" I could creep on after him from sun-up to sun-under.''
(Glanville's " The Fossicker," p. 94, 1891.)
Sun-up. — (1) The moment of sun-rise. (2) This phrase
is also used vnth the meaning of " eastward," e.g. rivers or
streams flowing eastward, or into the Indian Ocean, are said
to flow sun-up. See Zon op.
" Will you consent to marry me to-morrow morning at
sun-up, or am I to be forced to carry the sentence on your old
uncle into effect ? " (Haggard's " Jess," p. 304, 1887.)
" Then suddenly the huge burning disc itself is thrust upon
the sky-line, and it is in South African parlance sun-up."
(Bryden's " Tales of South Africa," p. 107, 1896.)
Surf boat. — The heavy decked boats used at the various
South African ports for landing cargo through the surf.
"Party after party were conveyed safely and rapidly
through the breakers by the surf boats managed by seamen
from the sloop of war." (Pringle's " Narrative," p. 9, 1835.)
Surgeon. — In Natal the fish Acanthurus maloides, G. and
V. has received this name.
Sussie. — The Hout Bay name for Clupea ocellata. See
Sardine.
Swaai. — (D. awaaien, to sway, to swing.) A swing; to
swing.
Swaap. — (G. Schwabe or Schwab, an inhabitant of the old
Duchy of Swabia ; these are sometimes spoken of by other
Germans as being not specially quick-witted; e.g. Mit den
Schwaben Mug werden, to become wise late in life ; and a
piece of folly perpetrated by a grown-up man is termed a
Schwabenstreich, a Swabian's trick ; personal intercourse
AFEICANDEEISMS 487
with the Swabians proves the assumption underlying these
expressions to be false now, even if there were any truth in it
in the past.) A simple person, one not quick-witted, an idiot.
Swan orchid. — Gynorchis compacta. The popular name
of this pretty little terrestrial orchid, which is peculiar to
Natal and somewhat rare.
" Though our epiphytal orchids are not very showy, many
of the terrestrial ones are exceedingly so. They commence
flowering when the spring has set in, and the different species
flower in succession until about the end of March, an excep-
tion being the pretty little Swan orchid {Gynorchis compacta)
which flowers in July and August." ("Natal Official Eail-
way Guide," p. 233, 1903.)
Swazies. — This designation has superseded that by which
this people was known to the early missionaries, viz. the
Baraputse (q.v.).
" The independence of the Swazies within the boundary
hne of Swaziland, as indicated in the first article of this con-
vention will be fully recognized." (" The Times' History of the
War in South Africa," i. p. 388, 1900.)
Swee. — (Kaf. um Swi.) Estrilda dufresnii. It owes its
popular name to its cry of " swee-swee ".
"The Swee waxbill {E. dufresnii) is the best-known
species in the south-eastern province of Cape Colony from
Uitenhage to Port Alfred." (Haagner and Ivy's " Sketches
of South African Bird Life," p. 68, 1908.)
Sweet grass. — The food plants growing on rich alluvial
soil or on land of good quality are succulent and nourishing,
this is termed " Sweet veld " or " Sweet grass " to distinguish
it from " Sour grass " (q.v.).
" The two phrases ' sweet ' and ' sour,' as applied to our
natural pasture land, have no connexion with the usual Bng-
hsh acceptation of the words. Sweet implies rich land pro-
ducing nutritious food, whether natural or cultivated."
(" Science in South Africa," p. 383, 1905.)
Sweethearts. — The hooked seeds of Bidens pilosa, a weed
to be found well-nigh everywhere. See Black jacks.
Sweet melon. — Known also as the Eock, Musk, and Sugar
melon. See Spaanspek.
" The water melons must not be nipped or cut, as required
by Sweet melons." (Eoth's " South African Gardening," p. 78,
1883.)
488 AFEICANDBEISMS
Sweet potato. — See Batata.
" Sweet potatoes are raised here in almost unconsumable
quantities, but principally near the coast, the sandy soil of
which suits thena." (Christopher's "Natal," p. 31, 1850.)
Sweet-veld. — See Sweet-grass.
"Absence of lime is characteristic of 'sour' veld, prob-
ably not only on account of the neutralization of acid where
lime is present, but rather because lime soils are usually well
drained and well supplied with other plant food. Lime is an
essential plant food, very generally lacking in Cape soils;
wherever it does occur marked fertility and sweet-veld results.
Excess of humus does not explain ' sour ' veld, for, while in
some sour-veld districts, like the Knysna, organic matter is
abundant, yet on the whole ' sour ' soils are lamentably de-
ficient in this respect. The application of the terms ' sweet '
and ' sour ' is, then, somewhat unfortunate, but once compre-
hended should give no further difficulty." (" Science in South
Africa," pp. 383-4, 1905.)
Swempi. — (Zulu, in Swempe, a quail ; i Swenvpe, Francoli-
nus coqui; these names are onomatopoetic.) Francolinus
subtorquatus, Smith, is known by this name in Natal and in
the Transvaal. It is a bush and scrub-haunting bird. See
Bush partridge.
" Coquifrancolin, generally known as the Swempi from the
Zulu name, but corrupted into Shrimpi by some." (" South
African Field," p. 141, 30 July, 1909.)
" I was riding with the front line of the advance guard near
Zeerust, when a covey of shwimpi were flushed three or four
times." (" Queenstown Representative," p. 7, 10 July, 1912.)
Swernoot. — (Mansvelt derives this from Schwernother, a
jolly fellow, rascal, dare-devil ; and this from schwere noth,
the falling sickness. When one remembers how large a pro-
portion of the men serving in the early days of South Africa,
under the Dutch East India Company, were Germans, one
can see how such terms as Swaap, Hes, Swernoot, and others
would obtain a footing and secure currency at the Cape.
But I am not convinced that Mansvelt's suggested connexion
between Schwernother and schwere noth is correct. Cf.
Scotch sweir, swere, swear, sweer, lazy, indolent ; noot, Eng-
lish nolt, nowt, a stupid, coarse, or clumsy person ; meta-
phorically from Scotch nowt, English neat, cattle.) A low
term of abuse, meaning a thoroughly bad character.
AFEICANDEEISMS 489
Swets, — (D. zwetsen, to boast, to brag.) In Cape Dutch
the word means to curse, to swear.
Switzerland of South Africa. — A designation sometimes
given to Basutoland on account of its magnificent mountain
scen«ry.
"Basutoland . . . contains such glorious scenery as to
have earned for it the flattering nickname of The Switzerland
of South Africa." (Ealph's "Towards Pretoria," p. x,
1900.)
Taaibosch. — (D. taai, flexible, tough ; bos, a bush.) Bhus
obovata. The name seems to be apphed to several members
of the same family, Bhus villosa, etc.
" The extract may be procured ... if the tree is treated
as recommended for the colonial Taybosch." ("C.G.H. Lit-
erary Gazette," p. 41, March, 1834.)
"They (fish-baskets) were composed of reeds and twigs
of the taaibosch, a wood noted for its toughness." (Stow's
"Native Eaces of South Africa," p. 93, 1905.)
Taaibosch bezie. — (D. bezie or bes, a berry.) The edible
berries of several species of Bhus.
Taaipit. — (D. taai, tough ; pit, a kernel, fruit-stone.) A
term applied to a variety of red peach, the flesh of which ad-
heres closely and tenaciously to the stone. They are some-
times called " Clingstone " peaches. See also Pawe perski.
Taai, The. — (D. taai, language, speech.) The name by
which the Dutch language as used in South Africa is known
among English-speaking Africanders ; this Cape Dutch or
Afrikaans, as it is called, has suffered considerably from the
introduction of various Hottentot and other idioms and words,
and from the phonetic and grammatical abrasion consequent
upon the condition and environment of the early Dutch
settlers ; in recent years, however, considerable efforts have
been made to eliminate the objectionable elements from the
vocabulary, and to restore somewhat of its purity, but cen-
turies of usage are not to be swept away in a hurry.
" They are usually glib-tongued, speak the taai and the
rooi-taal with equal readiness, and are well versed in that
sophistry which misleads the man in the street." (" Graaff
Eeinet Advertiser," 18 October, 1898.)
Taaibond, The. — An organization which aims at main-
taining and extending the use in South Africa of Neder-
landsch.
490 AFMCANDEBISMS
" Imperial jingoism on the one side and the crass igno-
rance of the Taal bond on the other, may postpone the final
settlement of the country." ("Cape Illustrated Magazine,"
p. 370, 1892-3.)
Tabaksrolletje. — (D. tabak, tobacco ; rol, a roll.) A small
snake which rolls itself up in a manner somewhat similar to
that in which the Boers roll their tobacco for market, has
been thus designated.
Tabbertje or Tawerd. — (D. tabbaard, a gown, robe; cf.
Eng. tabard.) A woman's gown.
" De vrouwen dragen tabberds (japonnen) van katoen
of merino." (Cachet's " De Worstelstrijd der Transvalers,"
p. 425, 1882.)
Table Bay. — The bay derives its name from Table Moun-
tain which overlooks it.
" Der Fluss (Salz-) ergiesset sich in die Taf el-Bay."
(Kolben's " Beschreibung," p. 211, 1745.)
" A gallant action performed by an inhabitant of the Cape
named Woltemaade, who, during a dreadful storm, had been
able with the assistance of his horse, to save fourteen seamen
belonging to a vessel shipwrecked in Table Bay ; but that he
himself, the victim of his generous efforts, had perished in his
last attempt." (Le Vaillant's " Travels," i. p. 4, 1796.)
Table cloth. — The formation of the cloud on Table Moun-
tain, or the " spreading of the table cloth," as it is called, is a
world-famed phenomenon, described in almost all books of
South African travel. The usual explanation of the pheno-
menon is that the warm, moisture-laden wind is forced up
the mountain slope, on reaching the cool top some of its
moisture is condensed and appears in the form of a cloud,
which sometimes pours over the brow of the mountain like a
mighty cataract, and is redissolved as it enters the lower and
warmer air again. The effects produced by this rolling mass
of vapour are sometimes indescribably grand.
" The summer season when that well-known appearance
of the fleecy cloud, not inaptly called the Table cloth, envelops
the mountain." (Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 88, 1801.)
" A real Table cloth. The weather has been very boisterous
. . . snow fell heavily on Table Mountain. The ridges on
the face of the mountain are covered with hail and present a
pretty sight." (" Eastern Province Herald," 2 August, 1898.)
Table Mountain. — A literal rendering of the Dutch Tafel
AFEICANDBEISMS 491
Berg. The name refers to the flat, table-like appearance
which the top of the mountain presents to those approaching
it from the sea ; this square, flat-topped formation is a some-
what frequent one among the mountains and kopjes of South
Africa.
" Nah sind drey Berge auf dem Cap, so das Tafels-Thal
formiren. . . . Diese drey Berge sind den Tafel- Lowen-
und Wind- oder Teufels-Berg'. Der erste ist der
Hochste. Die Portugiesen nennen ihn Tovoa de Cabo."
(Kolben's " Beschreibung," p. 206, 1745.)
Tackles. — In the border towns of the Eastern Province
this is the name given to rubber-soled sand-shoes.
Tafel kop. — (D. tafel, a table; kop, a head.) A flat-
topped hill or mountain. See Table Mountain.
" Our second gun which had been placed on a Tafel-kop
did excellent work." (De Wet's " Three Years War," p. 30,
1903.)
Tagatied. — (Kaf. uku Takata, to practise evil towards
another secretly.) An anglicized form of the Kaffir word
meaning to bewitch, to ill-wish.
" A report was soon circulated in the clan, that he had
takatied or ' ill- wished ' the people, as his cattle and gardens
were so fat and productive and theirs so very poor."
(Holden's " Kaffir Eaces," p. 291, 1866.)
Tailins^s. — A term applied to the residuum after the
" ground " or ore has undergone the process of crushing and
washing. In the earlier days of the gold industry these " tail-
ings " were deemed of Httle worth, but when subjected to more
recent methods of recovery, they have yielded good returns.
"The mud or tailings which flows to waste over the
inner rim is led by a shoot to a pit." (Noble's " C.G.H.
Official Handbook," p. 190, 1886.)
"The ore bereft of its free gold, goes under the name
of takings." (" Scientific African," p. 25, December, 1895.)
Tailor bird. — The Grahamstown name of Camaroptera
olivacea. The name refers to the neat way in which this bird
stitches the neighbouring leaves with fibres and cobwebs to
its neatly made nest.
" When we discovered the nest of this httle Warbler we
christened it the Tailor bird. It well earns this title from its
skill in the art of sewing. Its nest is placed in the branches
of a tall weed, to the leaves of which it is cleverly sewn with
492 AFEICANDEEISMS
blades of thin grass on all sides so as to be completely coated."
(Woodward's " Natal Birds," p. 29, 1899.)
Tak. — (D. tak, a bough, branch.) (1) A bough, branch.
(2) The term is also applied to a barricade of branches placed
across a road to show that it is closed to traffic. Takje, the
diminutive, is also in common use.
"A tackey ... is simply a long and stout branch of
mimosa with the thorns all left on at the end." (Martin's
" Home Life on an Ostrich Farm," p. Ill, 1890.)
" Upon the top of this pebble-bed it is customary to put
a layer of brush-wood or takkies well-battened down."
(" Manual of Practical Orchard Work at the Cape," Agric.
Dept., p. 16, 1896.)
Takhaar. — (D. tak, a branch ; haar, hair.) A Cape
Dutch word really meaning " unkempt," uncouth, untrained ;
applied originally to the Transvaalers, but in recent years its
application has been extended to back-veld Boers generally, on
account of their untidy appearance.
" There are several other poems, one of which urges the
Takhaar Boers to ' Fight, fight, fight ! while the aasvogel
screams o'er the lea '." (" Graaff Eeinet Advertiser," 20
November, 1899.)
" With the passing of the old Taak haare the little bit of
picturesqueness will be gone." (Colquhoun's " The Africander
Land," p. 217, 1906.)
Tam. — (D. tarn, tame, domestic.) As used in Cape Dutch
this word has the meaning of exhausted, done up.
Tamaai. — (Mai. tamhah, tambahi, to increase, to make
more or greater.) This word is used in the Western Pro-
vince in the sense of great, large ; e.g. tamaai dag, full day ;
tamaai kerel, a huge fellow.
Tambookie grass. — {Tambookie, the name given by the
colonists to a Kaffir of the Ahatemhu tribe.) (1) The com-
mon Tambookie grass of the Transkei is Gymbopogon validus,
Stapf. , and grows to a height of 6 or 8 feet, and in Swazie-
land, on the Horo Flats, to a much greater height (12 feet),
quite hiding a man on horseback. (2) In the Cape Colony
this name is given to the closely allied Eulalia capensis.
" The Tambuki grass, a handsome grass growing to a
height of 6 or 8 feet, is always held to be an indication of
good soil, and is itself considered to yield the best material
for thatching." (Chapman's " Travels," ii. p. 456, 1868.)
AFEICANDBEISMS 493
" Het Tamboekie gras groeit soms tot een hoogte van acht
of tien voet, met een fraaien pluim of veer aan het einde van
den Stengel." (Cachet's " De Worstelstrijd der Transvalers,"
p. 340 n., 1882.)
Tambookie thorn, on wortel. — Erythrina acanthocarpa is
known by this name in the neighbourhood of Queenstown.
It is also called the Wacht-en-beetje (q.v.).
" Another species to mention is the . . . Tambookie thorn.
This one is peculiar in the possession of an underground
growth thick as a man's thigh composed of the lightest pith."
(" African Monthly," p. 542, October, 1907.)
Tambourine dove. — Tympanistria tympanistria. The
name refers to its oft-repeated and peculiar rattling call.
Tambrijn, Jan Bruin, John Brown. — (? Have these names
their origin in the Mai. tambra, tambarah; tombra, Java,
names given to an edible fish in the Malay Archipelago.)
Gymnocrotaphus curvidens is known by these various desig-
nations along the South African coast.
Tammelijtjes. — (F. tablette, a small table, a plate.) A
sugar confection something like soft toffee, made in flat,
square paper moulds.
" Tamelijtjes (a favourite Cape sv?eet)." (Hilda's " Where
is It? of Eecipes," p. 237, 1904.)
Tampan tick. — (1) Onithodorus savignyi, var. ccecus. A
species of large tick the bite of which is particularly painful
and irritating ; they infest certain localities in large numbers,
and are to be carefully avoided. See Sampan. (2) Argas
persicus is sometimes so called.
"I dreaded the tampan so common in all old huts."
(Livingstone's " South Africa," p. 120, 1861.)
" I had thought myself acquainted with pests that walk by
night, but this journey introduced me to the very king and
tyrant of the obscene realm. He is called the tampan. . . .
I have wrestled with garrapalas in Mexico, I have slain
jiggers in the West Indies, I have fought with ticks in Borneo,
fleas in Egypt, 1— e in Sardinia. These are nought. The
tampan will give them half his armoury of daggers and beat
them badly." (Boyle's " To the Cape for Diamonds," p. 256,
1873.)
Tandpijnwortel.— CD. tand, tooth ; pijn, pain, smart ;
wortel, a root.) Sium Thunbergii, B.C. The root is chewed
to relieve toothache.
494 AFEICANDEEISMS
Tante. — (D. tante, a father's sister, an aunt ; F. tante ;
O.F. ante ; Lat. afnita, a paternal aunt.) It is customary
among the Cape Dutch to speak of or to an elderly woman,
by way of respect, as " Tante ". See Om.
Tarantaal, Tramtaal or Trantaal. — Numida coronata, the
crowned guinea-fowl, is known by this name.
" The missionaries have a few domestic fowls, ducks, geese
and guinea hens or pintadoes, which are called by the quaint
name of Jan tadentaal." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 364,
1822.)
" The guinea-fowl . . . called by the Hottentots taran-
talls." (" Scenes and Occurrences in Albany," p. 99, 1827.)
" Johannes bekundete an zwei heute fruh von ihm ges-
chossenen tarantals (Perlhuhnern), dass er ein schmackhaftes
Gericht zu bereiten verstand." (Wangemann's " Ein Eeise-
Jahr in Siid-Afrika," p. 406, 1868.)
Tarantula. — (It. ta/rantola, from the dance ta/rantella, from
the Italian city Taranto.) A large hairy spider with formid-
able fangs is known by this name all through South Africa.
It belongs to the genus Harpactira. See Baviaan spinnekop.
" The Cape is also infested by . . . the spider called the
tarantula which is extremely dreaded." (Cole's " The Cape
and the Kaffirs," p. 243, 1852.)
" ' That's my living fly-catcher.' ' Why, it's a tarantula.' "
(Glanville's " Kloof Yarns," " The Empire,"' p. 7, 24 Sep-
tember, 1898.)
Tar brush, A dash or touch of. — An expression applied to
persons who are slightly tinged with coloured blood.
" She was a dark handsome woman . . . the dusky tones
of brown in the throat . . . confirmed the rumour that the
handsome Mrs. Croesus had a dash of the tar brush, to use a
South African phrase, in her blood." (Comtesse de Bre-
mont's " The Gentleman Digger," p. 87, 1891.)
" His complexion denoted a decided touch of the tar brush."
(Turnbull's " Tales from Natal," p. 154, 1901.)
Tarrasibosch. — A Bechuanaland name given to Acacia
stolonifera, Burch. (Burtt-Davy, " S.A. Agric. Journ,," July,
1912.) " A common and characteristic bush of the Bechuana-
land region."
Tassal. — Meat cured and dried in the open air by an old-
fashioned method adopted by hunters and travellers up country.
" Tassal. The Boers and travellers find it most nourish-
AFEICANDEEISMS 495
ing in travelling, when fresh meat cannot be procured."
(Hilda's "Where is It? of Eecipes," p. 246, 1904.)
Tchou. — A large succulent root, full of moisture even in
times of drought, when it is dug up and eaten by the natives
to allay thirst.
" They (the porcupines) are also very partial to the tchou."
Teal Eendtje. — (D. eend, a duck.) Nettion capense. The
Cape widgeon.
" The Teal-eendtje is usually confounded with the Smee-
eendtje, in company with which we have shot it." (Layard
and Sharpe's " Birds of South Africa," p. 758, 1875-84.)
Tea water. — The common name among the Dutch for
the infusion which the English always speak of as " tea ".
" He . . . asked me to come into his tent and drink a cup
of tea-water with his vrouw, while he sent out for horses ;
and scarcely had I time to drink of the dismal ' tea-water '
when I was informed that the horses were already saddled."
(Thomson's " Travels," p. 148, 1827.)
"Making sure the sheep-tail fat and tea-water had not
been forgotten, lit his pipe, mounted, and set off with a light
heart upon a journey of hundreds of miles." (" Bast London
Dispatch," p. 6, 26 July, 1912.)
Ten pounder. — The fish known in the Cape Colony as the
Cape salmon — Elops saurus, is known in Natal as the
Springer (q.v.) and also as the " Ten pounder ".
" The springer, too, or ten-pounder as they are called are
much esteemed for their sporting quahties." (" Natal Mer-
cury Pictorial," p. 141, 1905.)
Tent wagon. — A wagon part or whole of which is covered
with a frame upon which canvas is stretched. The hood of
a cape-cart, buggy, etc., is also known as a " tent ".
Texas poppy. — Argemone mexicana. See Mexican poppy
or thistle.
Thaba Bosigo. — (Ses. thaba, a mountain ; bosigo, botso,
blackness, darkness.) A natural stronghold in Basutoland,
of which the Basutos have availed themselves on more than
one occasion, to the disappointment and discomfiture of their
enemies.
" Near Morija rises the mountain of Basutoland, Thaba
Bosigo ! Surely no other spot in the country contains so
much history as this small mountain." (Martin's "Basuto-
land, its Legends and its Customs," p. 71, 1903.)
496 AFEICANDBEISMS
Thaba 'Ndoda. — (Kaf. i Ntaba, a mountain ; in Doda, a
man.) A mountain of the Amatola range, famous in the
history of Kaffir wars.
" The Tabindodo, or Man Mountain, is a very conspicuous
peak in this range, and may be seen, covered with dense
bush, to a distance of thirty or forty miles in almost every
direction." (Godlonton's "Kaffir War, 1850-51," p. 97,
1852.)
Thank you. — In the Dutch-speaking districts of South
Africa the Englishman needs to be careful how he uses this
phrase, since to the Dutch it conveys the meaning of " No,
thank you ". Cf. G. Ich danhe Ihnen, No, thank you.
" There dawned upon my memory the story of the Eng-
lishman in France who would say ' Merci ' when offered re-
freshment, till he nearly died of hunger, and I came to the
conclusion that thank you being literally translated into
Dutch idiom meant 'No, thank you'." (Watkin's "From
Farm to Forum," p. 17, 1906.)
Thebus Berg. — (D. theebus, a tea-box or caddy; berg,
mountain.) It would seem that the peculiar shape of this
mountain, situated on the border of the Middleburg and
Cradock Districts, has occasioned the corruption of an earlier
name, viz., Phoebus Berg, from the original name of the
farm upon which it is situated.
"I need scarcely remind the readers of this Journal that
the name of Thebus, Anglice ' tea-caddy,' has originated from
the peculiar conformation of this mountain." (" Cape
Monthly Magazine," in. p. 115, 1871.)
Thick-bill. — Amblyospiza albifrons is so named in Natal.
" From its huge bill, we usually call this bird the ' Haw-
finch,' as it reminds us of the English bird of this name.
The boys call it Thick-bill" (Woodward's " Natal Birds,"
p. 79, 1899.)
Thick knee. — Another name for the Dikkop (q.v.).
Thin. — A slang use of this word is common throughout
South Africa, meaning " easily seen through," " not suffi-
ciently convincing ".
" All through there appears to have been a general belief
amongst them that they would receive supernatural aid from
the ' Umlimo ' or god, but this belief must be getting a little
thin now." (Selous' " Sunshine and Storm in Ehodesia," p.
56, 1896.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 497
Thirst or Thirst-land. — (1) A large area nearly or quite
devoid of water is so designated. (2) More definitely it is
applied to the territory lying between Mafeking and Palapye
in Bechuanaland, which has to depend chiefly upon pits for
a very meagre supply of very poor water.
" ' Fever is raging amongst us, and a great part have died.
We stand here in the Thirstland by some wells. Our cattle
and sheep are almost all dead . . . but I hope that our God
will save us from this wilderness of hunger, care, and sorrow.'
Extract from a letter written by one of the trek Boers who in
1875 left the Transvaal to seek a new Canaan somewhere to-
wards the west coast." (Hoodie's " Battles," n. p. 334, 1888.)
"In hunting game in the Thirst the cart . . . should
be filled with water, and a start made the previous evening."
(Nicolls and Bglinton's " Sportsman," p. 22, 1892.)
Thirty day fern. — A Riversdale District name for Aspi-
dium capense, Willd. See Seven weeks fern.
Thorn apple. — The fruit of Datura Stramonium.
" D. Stramonium, Linn., the Thorn apple, is a naturahzed
weed at the Cape." (Harvey's "Genera of South African
Plants," p. 258, 1868.)
Thorn redwing. — Francolinus Shelleyi, found in Natal,
Swazieland and Northern Matabeleland.
Thorn veld. — Veld in which mimosa trees abound.
" Thorn veldt, however, produces park-like scenery and
yields valuable fuel." (Sim's " Forest Flora of Cape Colony,"
p. 4, 1907.)
Thousand legs.—Julus terrestris is known by this name
all through South Africa.
" One of those crawling creatures known to children as
thousand legs — the common harmless millipede." (Fitz-
patrick's " The Outspan," p. 59, 1906.)
Three days' rain. — After a protracted drought the rains,
when once they have begun, frequently continue for three
days, hence the expression.
" It may happen, however, that a three days' rain comes
on (this being the extent of time over which these rains usually
last)." (Fleming's " Kaffraria," p. 44, 1853.)
Three days' sickness. — A sickness of short duration affect-
ing cattle; it is sometimes called Stijfziekte (q.v.).
" The scientific term. Ephemeral fever, as well as the lay
term Three days' sickness, are both somewhat appropriate, as
32
498 AFEICANDEEISMS
in the great majority of cases the disease quickly runs its
course and all acute symptoms have disappeared at the end of
three days." (" C.G.H. Agric. Journ.," p. 145, August, 1909.)
Three star. — The common name for the best French
brandy; it refers to the stars stamped on the side of the
cork, one, two, or three according to quality.
" In the up-country towns of the Transvaal . . . common
brandy is retailed at Is. and Three star at Is. 6d. per glass."
(Atcherley's " Trip to Boerland," p. 32, 1879.)
"Presented us with a bottle of Three star brandy, and
one bottle of port wine." (Wood's " Through Matabeleland,"
p. 32, 1893.)
Throw away. To. — A ewe that refuses to take its lamb is
said to "throw away ".
Throw wet, To. — To dash water upon. A Midlands
farmer will say of wheels the spokes of which have become
loosened by the dryness of the atmosphere, "I must throw
them wet," the wetting process causing them to swell and
so to become tight. The expression is a literal rendering of
the Dutch Nat gooien.
Throw with, To. — This is another form of expression
common in the Midland Districts, and also due to the in-
fluence of Dutch : e.g. " He threw me with a stone," " He
threw me over the hedge with a rock ". The omission of the
preposition makes the sentence, to English ears, a very curious
one. Cf . G. Er warf mir ein Loch in den Kopf. He threw
a stone at me and cut my head open.
Tick-bird. — (1) See Bhinoceros bird. (2) Bubulcus ibis
is also so called.
" I remember the straw-hut, the shape of the man's bundle,
the line where the shadow fell upon his foot, and the tic-bird
that came and sat near you." (Haggard's "Swallow," p.
101, 1899.)
Ticltet. — See Pass.
"All ordinary natives have to carry a ticket or pass, so
that they may not be taken up and shot as spies." (Baden
Powell's " Matabeleland Campaign, 1896," p. 75, 1897.)
Tickey. — This is the almost universal Cape designation of
a threepenny piece ; the origin of the word is not quite clear
and various suggestions have been made. By some it is re-
garded as a Kaffir corruption of the English "three-pence,"
i-tiki-peni being, they say, its first form ; this becoming sub-
AFEICANDEEISMS 499
sequently u-no-tihi, which was again shortened to i-tihi ;
the word in this form being adopted by traders and others,
passed into general South African currency. This suggested
derivation seems to me to be untenable for the following
reasons : {a) The intercourse between Kaffirs and Cape Town
was never very great until quite recent years, when the
Harbour Board at Cape Town began to get the natives down
from Kaffirland to work as labourers at the docks, {b) The
word was in more general use in Cape Town for a threepenny
piece, even so late as forty years ago, than it was on the
frontier, (c) In Kaffirland, and in Pondoland even now,
the natives usually speak of a threepenny piece as i peni,
the word for a penny being i duhilitje, the Kaffirized form
of the Dutch dubbeltje. (d) The phonetic changes involved
in turning " three-pence " into tiki are unsupported by any-
thing that we know of Kaffirized English or Dutch words.
Another suggestion is that the word is a Kaffir corruption,
or a Kaffirized form, of the word " ticket," said to have been
the name applied years ago to the " Good-fors " (q.v.) which
did duty for cash when cash was scarce. But — apart from
the preceding observation (&) — the fact that the Kaffir word
for a ticket is to-day, and appears always to have been, i Tikiti,
certainly does not support this conjecture ; the accent is on
the second syllable. (The Kaffir um Tikito was originally
applied to those who, in the Kaffir War of 1878, were re-
cognized as loyal by a ticket. Among the Kaffirs this word
was used as meaning "coward".) I submit the following
suggestions : (a) We have evidence that a word — the em-
phasized part of which is not unlike the word under discussion
— had been introduced among the Hottentots by the Portu-
guese of the sixteenth or seventeenth century, and had obtained
common currency among them for " money " — Pataca, a
Portuguese colonial coin worth about three shillings. Fifty
years ago the coolies in Cape Town were still using the word
for money generally — see " Cape Monthly Magazine," i. p.
39, 1857. (6) According to Yule and Burnell's " Anglo-Indian
Glossary," Art. " Pataca," the word was " also used in Malay-
alam," one of the languages spoken along the Malabar coast,
whence not a few slaves were brought to South Africa, (c) In
the form patac, a small coin, this word was in use in France,
and would most likely be known to the Huguenot refugees in
the Cape : II ne vaut pas un patac, It is not worth a doit.
32*
500 AFEICANDEEISMS
It seems much more probable, all circumstances considered,
that the word " tickey " should have originated in this word,
than that it should come from Kaffir efforts to pronounce
"three" or "three-pence," or that it should come from the
word " ticket ".
" ' When we implored them to the best of our ability by
signs, to sell some of their cattle or sheep . . . they only
uttered two words, which they continued repeating — " Tabac,
pataque ". . . . None of us had either tobacco or pataques,
which was the only money they knew, and which passed
current among them ' (the Hottentots). Extract from a
Siamese narrative of a shipwreck and journey on the African
coast, taken from the account of Tachard's return from the
second expedition to Siam. Amsterdam, 1689." (See " Cape
Monthly Magazine," i. p. 31, 1857.)
" Threepenny bits are the lowest coins which are in general
circulation here . . . they are in great request among the
Kaffirs who call them ticcys." (Hutchinson's "In Tents in
the Transvaal," p. 91, 1879.)
" Eewarded with no smaller sum than threepence, or, to
give it its familiar colonial name — a tickey." (Martin's
"Home Life on an Ostrich Farm," p. 212, 1890.)
Tickey nap. — A game of Napoleon or nap, in which the
stake agreed upon for each trick is a " tickey "
" When I saw them they were playing tickey nap." (Fin-
layson's " A Nobody in Mashonaland," p. 87, n.d.)
Ticks. — Ixodidae. One of the banes of the colonial farmer.
The fact has been established that ticks are the medium by
which the diseases known as red-water, heart-water, and
east-coast fever are conveyed from one area to another. These
pests have for years past been spreading from the coast in-
land, and are now common enough in localities where not
so many years back they were comparatively unknown.
" I had rather be a tick in a sheep, than such a valiant
ignorance." (Shakespeare, " Troilus and Cressida," in. 3.)
" As these tiques or acarides seek chiefly for bad humour
and purulent matter in sick animals, they disappear when the
cattle are in good condition." (Arbousset's " Narrative," p.
68, 1846.)
" There are several kinds of the insect known under the
name of the tick {ixodes) found in Natal." (Mann's " Natal,"
p. 168, 1859.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 501
Tierhout or Teerhout. — Loxostylis alata.
Tiffin. — (This word appears to be a survival of an old
English colloquial or slang term. See Yule and Burnell's
"Anglo-Indian Glossary".) Luncheon, the midday meal.
The word was brought by Anglo-Indians to South Africa.
" The inns sadly need reformation ... we took luncheon,
however, or tiffin, as it is called in Africa, at one of them."
(Barter's " The Dorp and the Veld," p. 9, 1852.)
" A and I finished our tiffin, which we had solemnly
commenced while sticking in the mud, he eating his rice-
pudding, and I taking occasional nibbles at the large apple
pasty." (Eoche's " On Trek in the Transvaal," p. 300, 1878.)
Tiger. — The South African "tiger" is really a leopard,
spotted black and white upon an orange-coloured ground,
and in appearance and habits much like the panther of India
and the jaguar of South America. There is a somewhat
remarkable variety of this leopard (Felis pardus), the colora-
tion and marking of which diverge curiously from the type.
In this variety the black spots seem to have increased in size
until they have fused, and on the back and sides the animal
is uniformly black. It has been found on several occasions
in the neighbourhood of Grahamstown, and a specimen has
been received and described by Dr. Giinther of the British
Museum.
" Das Fleisch vom Tieger oder Leoparden ist sehr weiss."
(Kolben's "Beschreibung," p. 218, 1745.)
"In the zoology of South Africa the leopard is promoted
to the rank of tiger, while the giraffe sinks to an ordinary
camel." (Barter's " The Dorp and the Veld," p. 117, 1852.)
Tiger-cat. — See Tijger-kat and Wild cat.
" The wild cat or tiger-cat, as it is generally called, the
mshlosi of the natives, is, I believe, irreclaimable." (" Queens-
town Free Press," 29 July, 1912.)
Tiger-fisli. — (1) The East London name for Ghilodactylus
grandis, known also as the Eiver and Bank steenbras. (2)
In Port Elizabeth, Pristipoma bennettii has received this
designation. (3) In Natal yet another fish — Therapon Jarbua,
Forsk—ia so called. (4) Then to make "confusion worse
confounded " it appears that in the Transvaal a fresh-water
fish is known by this name.
"I notice under the heading of ' Eemarks ' upon the
bank steenbras, tiger-fish or river steenbras, the following :
502 AFEICANDEEISMS
' Abundant all through the year. Black transverse stripes,
thick lips, and grunts when caught.' " (" Bast London Dis-
patch," 31 October, 1905.)
" The tiger-fish of Port Elizabeth, of the genus Pristipoma,
I think." (" Bast London Dispatch,". 7 August, 1906.)
" As to fish, the king of rivers is no doubt the tiger-fish,
whose huge teeth, long and sharp as needles, placed outside
his mouth, and fitted into sockets, in the opposite jaw, have
a truly formidable appearance and make him a dangerous
enemy indeed to those of the finny tribe with whom he comes
in contact." (" Addresses, etc., B. and S.A.A.AS.," i. p. 365,
1905.)
Tiger -shark. — See Lui haai.
" The name Tiger-shark is a libel on the monarch of the
jungle. It is apphed to a small dog-fish with yellow markings
remotely resembling those of a tiger." (Gilchrist's " History
of the Local Names of Cape Fish," p. 221, 1900.)
Tiger squeaker. — A fish caught in the rivers and streams
of the northern Transvaal.
" Called the Tiger squeaJcer on account of its being
marked in a manner similar to the loach." (Distant's "A
Naturalist in the Transvaal," p. 140, 1892.)
Tiger wolf. — Hyena crocuta, the Spotted hyena.
" There are two kinds of hyenas in South Africa ; the
spotted one, tiger-wolf of the colonists, is commonest and
fiercest ; the striped or strand-wolf is not so large or bold."
(Methuen's "Life in the Wilderness," p. 135, 1848.)
Tijger kat. — Felis serval. Called also Tijger bosch kat.
" They have a third kind of cat in Africa, which ... is
called at the Cape tiger-kat and the tiger bosch-kat. ... I
cannot find but that the tiger-cat is the same animal as M.
Buffon calls the serval-cat." (Sparrman's " Voyage," i. p.
151, 1785.)
Tijger slang. — Tarbophis semiannulatus. The name has
reference to the dark-brown markings (spots) on the snake's
body.
Tikolosh. — (Kaf. u Tikoloshe.) A native superstition
which says that there is a mischievous being, living usually
in water ; he is very short and has a hairy tail, and is always
playing hurtful tricks. He is also known as u Hili and
u Gahe.
" One might be dragged into the watery den of the tiko-
AFRICANDEEISMS 503
losh, or be spirited away by the ' lightning bird '." (" East
London Dispatch," p. 7, 24 November, 1911.)
Tilt, Wagon.— (A.S. teld, a tilt, tent.) The canvas " sail "
with which a wagon is covered.
Ting-ting. — (1) Cisticola terrestris. The name is onomato-
poetic, and represents the metallic note of this bird. (2) The
Eooibekje (q.v.) is also known by this name.
" This little species which is called Ting-ting by the Dutch
colonists is very similar to Cisticola terrestris, but is dis-
tinguished by its very short tail." (Layard and Sharpe's
"Birds of South Africa," p. 279, 1875-84)
Tin house. — A house the exterior of which is composed
entirely of corrugated iron.
" Into Mafeking ? Well, there's a little tin (corrugated
iron) house and a goods' shed to form the station." (Baden
Powell's " Matabeleland Campaign, 1896," p. 10, 1897.)
Tinker bird. — Barbatula pusilla. (1) Both in Natal and
in the Cape Colony this bird is known by this name, but in
some parts of the Cape Colony it is also known as the Anvil
bird (q.v.). (2) In the Transvaal the name is given to B.
extoni.
" The note of this curious little bird so much resembles the
tapping of a hammer on an anvil (having that peculiar
metallic ring) that it is called in Natal the Tinker bird."
(Ayres, quoted in Layard and Sharpe's " Birds of South
Africa," p. 175, 1875-84.)
Tink-tinky. — Cisticola terrestris. See Ting-ting.
" The boys call it the little Tinky from its cry of ' tink,
tink, tink '." (Woodward's " Natal Birds," p. 30, 1899.)
Tip, The. — A slang term applied to information not avail-
able to the public, given confidentially.
Tiptol or Tiptolitje. — Birds of the genus Pycnonotus are
so called.
" These birds (African birds of the genus Pycnonotus)
are of a general dark brown colour above and are known by
various ' local ' or vernacular names, such as Tiptol in the
Eastern Cape, ' Geelgat ' or ' Kuifkop ' of the Dutch, ' Topknot '
or ' Black-head ' in Natal. It is also occasionally called the
'Blackcap'." (Haagner and Ivy's "Sketches of South
African Bird Life," p. 52, 1908.)
Tjap (Hind, chhdp, the impression of a seal, a brand or
stamp ; adopted in Mai. chap, an impression, a mark ; a seal
504 AFEIGANDEEISMS
or signet ; a passport or licence ; chaphan, manchapi, to
impress with a mark. Both Mansvelt and the Patriot Woorde-
boek refer this word to the English word chwp, an abbrevia-
tion of chapman, meaning " fellow," " lad ".) The name
occasionally given to a postage stamp.
" Asking very much for the original or grant itself with
the Emperor's chop or seal." (Kaempfer's " History oi
Japan," iii. p. 342. Eeprint. Originally published, 1727.)
" Chap, sb. 5, earlier form of chop ; Anglo-Ind. stamp, seal,
hcence (Hind, chhdp)." (" Oxford Dictionary," in loc.)
" The word chop is hardly used now among Anglo-Indians
in the sense of seal or stamp. But it got a permanent foot-
ing in the Pigeon-English of the Chinese ports, and thence
has come back to England and India in the phrase 'first
chop,' i.e. of the first brand or quality." (Yule and Burnell's
"Anglo-Indian Glossary," Art. Chop.)
Tjoeki. — (Hind, chauki, a police-station, a lock-up.) This
is the same word and from the same source as the English
slang word " choky," and was probably brought to the Cape
by British troops from India.
Toad fish. — See Blasop.
Toad locust. — One of the AcridiidcB — Methane anderssoni
— found in the Karoo, so named because of its close re-
semblance when in a crouching attitude to a toad.
Toad -plants. — Certain species of Asclepiads are so called
in Natal.
" Among the Asclepiads are some of the most beautiful
as well as some that have been deemed repulsive enough to
be termed loathsome, and stigmatized with the name Toad-
plants." (Chapman's " Travels," ii. p. 454, 1868.)
Toby — The fishermen of Saldanha Bay have given this
name to Hcematopus moquini, the Black oyster-catcher.
Toering. — (Mai. tudung, an umbrella hat, or a hat with a
very broad brim ; the word seems to have been affected in
South Africa by the Dutch word toren, a tower, steeple.)
The curious-looking, pointed hat worn by the Malay coach-
men.
Togt. — (D. tocht, a trade expedition.) A trading journey,
labour by the job.
" The master of the house having purchased a quantity of
arrack . . . was about to set off in the morning on a trip into
the interior ... to dispose of it in barter for oxen and other
AFEICANDBEISMS 505
articles of trade. They call this going op de tocht." (Lat-
robe's "Journal," p. 265, 1818.)
" Horses have been discovered amongst those of ' smouses '
who were returning to' the upper districts after a some-
what successful togt." (" The Queenstown Free Press,"
8 February, 1860.)
" No doubt you would be pleased to shoot some of the
black devils, as they so often put us about by deserting — with-
out even the possibility of our being able to obtain togt even."
(Turnbull's " Tales frori: Natal," p. 120, 1901.)
Togt boys. — In Natal natives are licensed by municipahties
to ply for hire as labourers, messengers, etc., at a stated wage ;
they are provided with a numbered badge and are known as
"togt-boys".
" Durban. A Chinaman refused to supply a small quan-
tity of bread and sugar to a togt boy on Saturday, and when
the latter reached over the counter to take back his half-
sovereign, the Chinaman struck him with a knife and com-
pletely severed his right finger." (" Port Elizabeth Telegraph,"
Weekly Edition, 2 September, 1898.)
Togt ganger. — A man who goes on a trading expedition
up country.
" The plant (Prickly pear) was first spread in the Colony
by transport riders or togt gangers . . . who . . . dropped
the seeds at outspans." (Wallace's "Farming Industries of
the Cape Colony," p. 91, 1896.)
Tok-tokje. — An onomatopoetic expression with several
different significations : (1) It is applied to a beetle of the
genus Psammodes, because of the curious tapping noise which
it makes apparently with its abdomen. (2) It is also apphed
to a small bird. (3) It is the name of a boy's trick — a bullet
is fastened by a piece of thread which is passed through a
door-knocker and pulled from the other side of the street so
that it knocks at the door. It has its variants. See below.
" Quaint beetles crawled out from under the stones and
beat their soft toh-toh-toh on the ground, signalling to pros-
pective mates." (Scully's "Between Sun and Sand," p. 37,
1893.)
" At that time he looked more like a big toch-tockie beetle
than a dog." (Fitzpatrick's " Jock of the Bushveld," p. 61,
1907.)
"The evening generally starts with the pleasant game
506 AFKICANDEEISMS
known as tich-toch. . . . The game is a simple one and is
played somewhat as follows : You . . . select a window the
light in which betokens life behind the drawn blind. You
detach a trusted member of your force who must stealthily
approach this window and securely pin to the wooden frame,
between the panes, one end of a stout thread. The thread is
then pulled taut like a violin string, and a piece of resin is
gently rubbed along it. The weird noise that this simple pro-
cess causes to be heard by those inside the window is some-
thing that must be experienced to be believed. The result is
alarums and excursions within." (" The State," p. 586, De-
cember, 1911.)
Tole. — (Kaf. i Tole, a calf after the horns have appeared.)
A male calf of a few months old.
" You hear an Englishman speak of dobo grass, dongas,
tollies, tsholo, etc., which are pure Kaffir." (" East London
Dispatch," p. 7, 4 September, 1912.)
Toll bosch. — (1) Boyena pubescens. (2) Leucadendron
species are so called because of the resemblance to a boy's
top (D. tol, a top) which the ripe female cones bear.
Tom pike. — The name given by Lower Albany boys to the
whirligig beetle — Gyrinus.
Tondel or Tonder.— (D. tondel, tinder.) (1) Tinder. (2)
The name is also given to a plant — Hernias gigentea — the dry,
woolly leaves of which are sometimes used as tinder. It is
sometimes called " Tondel-6oom," though it is only a low herb.
" The wool of H. gigantea (Tundelboom) is used for tinder."
(Harvey's " Genera of South African Plants," p. 146, 1868.)
" Hermas gigantea, the Tontel bloom, has the leaves pro-
tected by a dense hairy covering on both sides." (Stoneman's
"Plants and their Ways in South Africa," p. 81, 1906.)
Tondel blaren. — (D. tondel, tinder; blad, a leaf.) The
large, woolly leaves above mentioned.
Tondo.— (Kaf. urn Tondolo, a castrated animal.) A cow-
elephant that has lost or failed to develop one of its tusks.
"Especially savage is a Tondo, or one-tusked cow, the
more so, of course, if attended by young." (" Bloemfontein
Post," p. 16, 7 September, 1912.)
Tongblaar. — (D. tong, tongue; CD. blaar, &le&i.) The
Western Province name of a garden weed.
" Tongblaar saad sterk getrek om te drink." (Dijkman's
" Kook, Koek en Eesepten Boek," p. 133, 1898.)
APEICANDBEISMS 507
Tongetje, Klein. — (D, hlein, small ; tong, the tongue.)
This is a double diminutive, and is the name given by the
Dutch to the uvula.
Tongvisch. — (D. tong, a tongue; visch, a fish.) Three
different fishes are known by this name ; tv?o species of
Synaptura and Gynoglossus capensis. See Sole.
Toothache root. — See Tandpijnwortel.
Top-knot or Toppie. — (Early Eng. top, a tuft of hair
on the head; of. G. Zopf, pig-tail.) Pycnonotus layardi.
See Black-head and Snake-bird. The Natal name of this
bird.
" This is one of our commonest birds, popularly called the
Top-knot from its black crest." (Woodward's " Natal Birds,"
p. 20, 1899.)
" Doves cooed and Toppies answered each other obtrusively."
(EusseU's " Old Durban," p. 176, 1899.)
Tornijn haai. — (D. tonijn, the tunny ; haai, a shark.) The
Porpoise shark.
Tortel duif. — (D. tortel duif, turtle dove.) Turtur capi-
cola, the ring-dove.
"Amid the branches hundreds of ring-doves — the tortel
duif of the Boers — coo softly and soothingly in the pleasant
warmth." (Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo," p. 138, 1889.)
Tot — A common South African term for a dram ; some-
times for the tin utensil in which the liquor is occasionally
served.
" My mihtary cloak is rolled on the saddle in front, and
a tin pot, or tot in colonial parlance, adorns the horse's
crupper." (Lucas's " Camp Life and Sport," p. 161, 1878.)
"Whisky was four shillings a tot when I was there."
(Finlayson's " A Nobody in Mashonaland," p. 176, n.d.).
Tottie. — A common abbreviation of the word "Hot-
tentot ".
Passing over the stream by the side of the road.
In a neat little garden's a Tottie abode.
(Hudson's "Features in South African Frontier Life,"
p 25, 1852.)
Toucan. — Lophoceros melanoleucas. This bird — the Eed-
billed hornbill — because its bill gives it some resemblance to
the real South American Toucan, has been named after that
bird. This bird has a curious habit— during the process of
incubation the male bird builds the female into the nest
508 AFEICANDEEISMS
(which is generally in a hole in a tree) by plastering up the
entrance with mud in such a way that she cannot escape,
leaving open only a small hole through which to feed her
while thus imprisoned.
" The Hornbills {Bucerotidm) are often miscalled Toucans
by the colonists, a name properly applicable to a purely
American family, but which share with the true Hornbills the
character of a grotesque and enlarged bill." (" Science in
South Africa," p. 140, 1905.)
Touwtjesvleesch. — (D. touw, rope ; vleesch, flesh, meat.)
Thin strips of mutton, salted and dried.
" Touwtjesvleesch zijn smalle strooken schapenvleesch, goed
gezouten en daarna in de zon gedroogd." (Cachet's " De
Worstelstrijd der Transvalers," p. 106 n., 1882.)
Toverbosch. — (D. tooveren, to enchant, to bewitch ; bosch,
wood, forest.) The Boers have thus designated a forest in
the north of the Transvaal, in which the natives had built
their kraals for " doctoring" purposes and ceremonies.
" Der Wald heisst bei den Boeren Toverbosch, der ' Zauber-
wald,' weil in ihm der grosse Zauberkraal liegt, in welchem
die Zauber- und Eegen-macher Hokuspokus statt findet."
(Schiel's " 23 Jahre in Sud-Afrika," p. 266, 1902.)
Town house. — (1) The municipal head-quarters in Cape
Town (until the erection of the new city hall a few years
back), and in one or two of the older towns of the Cape
Colony, are thus designated (D. stadhuis.) (2) A small
cottage in a town or dorp, belonging to a farmer, but only
occupied by him when in town for business purposes or to
attend nachtmaal.
" The sheep farmers, who make any pretension at all, have
their little town-house in Beaufort, which is occupied, once a
quarter or so, when the nachtmaal or sacrament draws all
good followers of Zwinghus to church." (Boyle's " To the
Cape for Diamonds," p. 67, 1873.)
" Famihes whose farms were built some distance from it,
built town-houses for themselves." (Sellick's " Uitenhage, Past
and Present," p. 5, 1906.)
Tramp, To. — (D. trappen, to tread upon, to trample.)
(1) A curious use of this word prevails in many parts of
South Africa, which appears to be due to the influence of the
Cape Dutch word trap, to ride or drive over ; e.g. an ox that
has been run over by the railway train is said to have been
AFEICANDEEISMS 509
" tramped " by the train ; a gate that has been smashed by a
passing wagon is said to have been " tramped " by the wagon.
(2) The South African housewife's method of getting clothes
" mangled " is also known as " tramping ". See quotation.
"The clothes are damped, folded straight, and piled up
carefully into a large square on a blanket, which is folded
over them. They are then put on the floor and tramped on
. . . when the clothes are supposed to have been tramped
sufficiently they are hung out in the sun to air." (Lownde's
" Bvery-day Life in South Africa," p. 95, 1900.)
Transkei. — The territory across the Kei, just as the Trans-
vaal is the territory across the Vaal.
" He subsequently became quite a celebrity in the Tran-
sJcei." (Prichard's " Friends and Foes in the Transkei," p. 6,
1880.)
Transport. — The conveyance of goods across, or up country,
by wagon.
" Transport in Natal was in 1870 about £2 10s. Od. to
£2 15s. Od. per cwt. and the increase in cost of other articles
may be estimated by this." (Baines' " Gold Kegions of South-
east Africa," p. 9, 1877.)
Transport rider. — One employed in the conveyance of
goods by wagon. See Kurveyor.
" The company thus created a class of transport-riders and
made it worth their while to engage in the transport of copper
ore from the mines to the sea-port." (" Cape Monthly
Magazine," iii. p. 373, 1871.)
Transport riding.— The occupation of driving wagons from
one place to another for the conveyance of merchandise.
"In the western districts transport-riding has been fol-
lowed generally by a poor class of men." (" Cape Monthly
Magazine," iii. p. 372, 1871.)
" Of the farmers . . . the most successful are those who
stuck to farming and did not divide their attention by going
in for transport-riding." (Wallace's " Farming Industries of
the Cape Colony," p. 32, 1896.)
Transport wagon.— The heavy but strongly built vehicle,
which at one time was the sole means for the conveyance of
merchandise from one part of the country to another ; it is
usually drawn by from fourteen to eighteen oxen yoked in
pairs.
Transvaal.— The territory across the Vaal Eiver, occupied
510 AFEICANDEEISMS
by the Boers who trekked from the Orange Free State, when,
in 1848, after the Battle of Boomplaats, the Queen's authority
over the Free State was formally proclaimed.
" By the last mail from the Transvaal, we have received
the mournful tidings of the death of that worthy man "
(Commandant A. W. J. Pretorius). (" Zuid Afrikaan," 25
August, 1853.)
Transvaal berg bast. — Osyris abyssinica.
Transvaal sumach. — Another name for Osyris abyssinica.
Transvaal tobacco. — Tobacco grown in the Transyaal is
very mild, and once the flavour has been acquired, is gener-
ally preferred to any other. It is in large request all through
South Africa.
" The common plant grown in the country by the name
of ' Boer ' or Transvaal tobacco is a coarse bastard variety
from Sumatra." (Wallace's " Farming Industries of the
Cape Colony," p. 477, 1896.)
Trap. — (D. trap, stairs, step.) An arrangement at the back
of a wagon made to serve the double purpose of a step and a
rack.
" Behind the after axle tree is fixed the trap (or step)."
(Burchell's " Travels," I. p. 150, 1822.)
" Below the after part (of the wagon) there was a thing
called a trap, step ; it was like a hurdle, and had kettles and
cooking pots fastened to it." (Backhouse's "Narrative," p.
88, 1844.)
" A lighter heart never beat than hers as she stepped up
the trap into the wagon." (" Queenstown Free Press," 4
December, 1861.)
Trap. — A person employed by the authorities to detect
those engaged in illicit traffic, whether in gold, diamonds, or
liquor. The abuses to which the " System of Trapping " has
opened the way, have made the very name of trap utterly
obnoxious to the general public.
" On Saturday night a trap, a native in the employ of the
police . . , entered a refreshment saloon in Victoria Street."
(" Queenstown Free Press," 13 May, 1884.)
" Amusing tales are told of how the excisemen or traps
sent to try to obtain evidence of illicit dealings were hood-
winked." (Sheffield's " Story of the Settlement," p. 214,
1884.)
Trap-balie. — (D. trappen, to tread ; balie, a tub.) A wine-
AFEICANDEEISMS 511
press. The word is reminiscent of the primitive method
employed in early colonial days to express the juice from the
grapes.
Trap-door spider. — Family Mygalidce. (1) This medium-
sized spider makes a curious tubular nest in the earth, the
entrance to which is closed with an operculum as with a sort
of trap-door ; hence the name. (2) There is another spider
which roofs in a crevice in the bark of a tree, lines the nest with
web and arranges an exquisitely neat, perfectly fitting trap-
door at each end.
" More familiar to Cape colonists is the trap-door spider.
His ' diggings ' are in the form of a perpendicular, cylinder-
shaped box ; the lid, level with the surface of the ground, is so
neatly made that it is quite impossible to detect it when
closed." (Martin's " Home Life on an Ostrich Farm," p.
263, 1890.)
" There is a species, which for convenience I have called
the Tree trap-door spider . . . these build their houses in
trees." (Eev. N. Abraham, " Wesley Naturahst," p. 169,
1887.)
Trap zoetjes. — (D. trappen, to tread; zoetjes, softly,
gently.) (1) Step carefully, walk quietly. (2) A name given
to the chameleon, of the slow movements of which it is de-
scriptive. See Jantje trap-zoetjes.
" Mrs. Disandt's children brought me a cameleon, or, as
the Dutch call it, a trapsoetjes, signifying an animal that walks
cautiously." (Latrobe's " Journal," p. 37, 1818.)
" As many novel competitions are held now-a-days, we
should recommend a race between the Graaff Eeinet train and
a trap-zoetjes (chameleon), and feel inclined to back the
chameleon." (" Midland News," 10 May, 1898.)
Travellers' joy. — Clematis brachiata. The bruised or
broken stems of this plant exhale a volatile principle of con-
siderable pungency, producing sneezing. It is used to remove
the stuffed condition of the nostrils induced by a cold.
The Eev. A. S. Palmer in his " Folk Etymology " says :
" This popular name for the clematis presents a curious
instance of a word originating in a mistaken etymology. The
French name for the plant is viornk, shortened from Latin
viburnum. This being latinized into viorna was interpreted
by Gerarde as vi(am)-ornans, the plant which decks the road
with its flowers and so cheers the traveller on his way, and
512 APRICANDEEISMS
Englished accordingly ' Traveller's joy '." His own account
is as follows : —
" (It) is called commonly Viorna quasi vias ornans, of
decking and adorning waies and hedges, where people travail,
and thereupon I have named it the Traveller' s joie." (Gerarde,
" Herball," p. 739, 1597.)
"Clematis or Traveller's joy seeks fresh fields by means
of the long, hairy styles which bear the ovaries away."
(Stoneman's " Plants and their Ways in South Africa," p.
149, 1906.)
Tree fern. — Hemitelia capensis, Br. This differs from
the Eastern Tree fern (q.v.) in being nearly twice as tall with
the stem only half as thick.
Tree killer. — Ficus natalensis has received this name in
Natal, because the seed, being sometimes deposited in the
forks of branches of other trees, sends down its roots in such
numbers as to enclose and kill its host.
Tree maiden liair. — Popularly supposed to be a fern, this
plant really belongs to the Banunculacece — Thalictrum rhyn-
chocarpum.
" The Tree maiden-hair which is plentiful in the upper
parts of the Amatola forests." ("East London Dispatch,"
p. 7, 17 February, 1911.)
Tree rat. — See Squirrel.
Trek. — The word of command employed by wagon-drivers
when starting oxen.
" At length all was ready and at the word treh the oxen
moved slowly off over the sandy plain." (Barter's " The Dorp
and the Veld," p. 18, 1852.)
Trek, A. — A journey by wagon. " A day's trek," the dis-
tance covered by a day's wagon journey.
" First day's trelc in Lower Albany ... a Dutch term,
generally pronounced ' track,' meaning a journey." (Napier's
" Excursions," ii. p. 1, 1849.)
Trek Boers. — (1) Boers who, without any settled home,
moved from place to place in their wagons, taking family and
stock with them, guided principally by the condition of the
veld. (2) In more recent times the phrase has been applied
to those Boers who, dissatisfied with British rule, in 1833
and during subsequent years, trekked from the Colony across
the Orange River, to what was then practically a terra
incognita.
AFEIOANDBEISMS 513
" The next day we met a Trek Boer, with his cattle, who
informed us that eleven lions had passed the day before in
a troop along the route we were pursuing." (Steedman's
"Adventures," ii. p. 53, 1835.)
" All the most intelligent of the Trek Boers whom I have
seen, look forward with dread to the course the Government
are pursuing." (Godlonton's " Case of the Colonists," p. 14,
1847.)
"An appeal has been published, signed by several in-
fluential gentlemen in Cape Town, for affording help to the
Trehhoers who migrated from the Transvaal in 1875."
(" Queenstown Free Press," 19 September, 1875.)
" Grahamstown men first went through the then unex-
plored regions to Natal and far away beyond up to Delagoa
Bay, long before the nomad trek Boers crossed the Drakens-
berg." (" East London Dispatch," p. 4, 14 August, 1912.)
Trek bokken. — (1) In seasons of protracted drought up
country, the Spring-bucks, in search of veld, have travelled
down into the Colony in enormous herds ; they are then called
Trek-bokken. (2) The designation is sometimes transferred
from the animals to the movement.
" The migration of the spring-boks, or trek-bokken . . .
is much dreaded by the farmers of the Sneeuwberg district."
(Steedman's "Adventures," ii. p. 93, 1835.)
" Mr. Evans informed us that during this last great trek-
bokken he killed, with buck-shot, no less than five bok at one
shot." (Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo," p. 233, 1889.)
Trek duiker. — Graculus capensis. See Cape cormorant
and Duiker.
Trek farmers. — See Trek Boers (1). See quotation under
Trek sheep.
Trek fever. — The insatiable longing which possesses the
man who has once yielded himself to the spirit of wandering
and adventure in the vast areas of the sub-continent is thus
designated. It becomes in some cases almost a mania and
seems to be irresistible.
" When this thing — this instinct, feeling, craving, call it
what you will — awakens, as it periodically does, it becomes a
madness, and they call it trek-fever, and then, as an old friend
used to say, ' You must trek or burst '. There are many
stories based on trek-fever." (Fitzpatrick's " The Outspan,"
p. 3, 1897.)
33
514 AFEICANDEEISMS
Trekgoed. — (D. trekken, to draw, to pull ; goed, goods,
things.) The touw or chain, yokes, yoke-skeys, riems, etc.,
used in inspanning animals to a wagon.
" Was de wagen in goeden staat van reparatie dan moest
er voor trekgoed gezorgd worden." ("De Worstelstrijd der
Transvalers," p. 104, 1882.)
" These accidents especially as far as trek-goed is concerned
always happen when they are least expected." (" Queenstown
Eepresentative," p. 5, 27 January, 1912.)
Trek oxen. — The term applied to oxen trained to the yoke,
as distinguished from pack and slaughter oxen.
" Has two spans of trek-oxen, a large herd of cattle, and
several horses." (Mann's " Natal," p. 141, 1859.)
Treksel. — (D. treksel, an infusion.) In Cape Dutch the
word is employed of the material infused.
" They are also great beggars, generally commencing by
soHciting for 'trexels,' a trexel being a pound of tea or
coffee." (Gordon Cumming's " Adventures," i. p. 141, 1850.)
Trek sheep. — Sheep travelling long distances, either for
pasturage in times of drought or to market for sale, are
known as trek-sheep.
" That the Government be requested to take into immedi-
ate consideration the desirability of amending the railway
tariff for trek-sheep to enable trek farmers to avail themselves
of the railway when moving stock to winter pasture,"
(" East London Dispatch," p. 5, 1 May, 1912.)
Trek, To. — (1) To pull, as oxen at the yoke. (2) To
travel, or set out. The word is used very loosely ; e.g. I must
trek, may mean to travel by wagon or cart, on horseback or
on foot ; the idea of pulling or hauling belonging to the Dutch
trekken, and the provincial German trecken being quite
eliminated.
" The patient oxen strove with all their might to trek
(pull)." (Eev. T. Smith, " Wesleyan Methodist Magazine,"
p. 1106, 1848.)
" After a short meal trekked again, keeping the oxen, as
before, in the yoke till daybreak." (Baines' " Explorations,"
p. 26, 1864.)
" Het is eenigszins moeielijk om niet-Afrikaners een
juisten indruk te geven van hetgeen men in Z.-Afrika verstaat
door het woord trekken. In de gewone beteekenis van het
woord is het een verkorting van ' wegtrekken,' heentrekken
AFEICANDEEISMS 515
van een plaats, een plaats verlaten. Doch men ' trekt ' niet
slechts van een plaats, maar ook naar eene plaats. Trekken
duidt dan aan reizen, met het doel om van v?oonplaats te
veranderen, voor een tijd of voorgoed." (Cachet's " De
Worstelstrijd der Transvalers," p. 40 n., 1882.)
"At half-past three we saddled up and trekked to the
Shangani Eiver." (Baden Povpell's " Matabeleland Cam-
paign, 1896," p. 281, 1897.)
Trek touw. — (D. trekken, to haul, drag; touw,a, rope.) A
strong rope of tvpisted riems, by vfhich the wagon is hauled ;
passing along the length of a span of oxen it is attached to
the disselboom of the wagon, and, having the yokes fastened
to it at suitable intervals, the oxen pull upon it in pairs, one on
each side. A chain is now often used instead of a trektouw.
" To restrain the oxen from straying away in the night,
we placed the wagons in a circle, and connected them to-
gether by the trektouws, to which and to the wheels our cattle
were made fast with riems." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p.
450, 1822.)
" The trek-chain or hide-rope (trek-tow) runs along be-
tween each pair of oxen." (Mann's " Natal," p. 207, 1859.)
Trevers. — See Ewa trewa.
" Satyrium, a very large genus containing many species.
. . . The colonists call them trevers." (Burton's " Cape
Colony To-day," p. 280, 1907.)
Tril visch. — (D. trillen, to tremble, shake ; visch, a fish.)
Jelly fish are known by this name in the "Western Province
Districts.
Tripple, A. — (D. trippelen, to trip along.) A pace which
seems to be peculiar to South African horses, something
between rapid walking and a canter.
" The tripple is a sort of shuffling canter on three legs,
peculiar to the Cape, and a horse that possesses it commands
a higher price than its fellows." (Bryden's "Kloof and
Karoo," p. 14, 1889.)
Trippler, A. — A horse having the above pace.
" Those who possess this accomplishment to perfection are
in high estimation among the Dutch, who call them trippe-
laars." (Barter's " The Dorp and the Veld," p. 37, 1852.)
" Since that event (he) had only ambled about on a trippler
warranted not to shy." (Cole's " The Cape and the Kaffirs,"
p. 259, 1852.)
33*
516 AFEICANDEEISMS
Tripple, To. — To travel at the pace above described.
Tronk, The. — (Port, tronco, the stocks; Mai. trungku, to
imprison.) This vs^ord for a prison or lock-up is common all
through South Africa. Mansvelt says that the word occurs
in the Stellenbosch Archives of 1710 ; he mentions as pos-
sible origins the F. tronc, a box, and the Persian turang, a
prison, with a leaning toward the former ; but it is probable
that the word was introduced into South Africa by the Malays
as suggested above.
" It is true that by the laws of the Colony, a master or
mistress is forbid to punish a slave, but must send him to
the trunk or jail for punishment, by the fiscal or his men."
(Fisher's " The Importance of the Cape of Good Hope," p.
139, 1816.)
" The landdrost showed us the church and the prison,
here called the tronk." (Latrobe's " Journal," p. 77, 1818.)
Trumpeter hornbill. — Bycanistes buccinator. The beak
of this bird (the male) has an enormous casque shaped like a
trumpet, hence the name.
" Of the family of Hornbills {Bucerotida) two genera
are forest-loving birds, the first representative being the
Trumpeter hornbill {Bycanistes buccinator)." (Haagner and
Ivy's " Sketches of South African Bird Life," p. 106,
1908.)
Trumpet lily. — A Natal name for Bichardia africana.
See Lily of the hill and Pig lily.
" In South Africa there are only three genera {Aroidea),
two being in Natal, and the third the common Trumpet lily
or ' Lily of the hill '." (Henslow's " South African Flowering
Plants," p. 273, 1903.)
Trumpets. — The name given in the Cape Peninsula to the
trumpet-shaped calyx of the Ecklonia buccinalis ; when dry
the children cut them to various lengths and blow them hke
trumpets, hence the name. See Zee bambos.
" On 10 November we saw for the first time trumpets, or
sea-bamboo, floating on the ocean ; this is a thick reed with
large pointed leaves, and a calyx resembling the mouth of a
trumpet, whence it has its name." (Stavorinus' " Voyages,"
I. p. 25, 1798.)
Tsaa 1 — (Kaf. uku Tsatsa, to run quickly, to make speed.)
The common South African expression when urging a dog
to attack.
AFRICANDEEISMS 517
" Mr. Fereira . . . encouraged the dogs by the usual cry
oi zaza, zaza." (Latrobe's " Journal," p. 180, 1818.)
" It was very well to punish the dogs, but what was to
happen to the owner of the dogs who stood by urging them
on and crying tsaa?" (Fitzpatrick's "Transvaal from
Within," p. 216, 1900.)
Tsama water melon. — (Hot. tsamas, the wild water-
melon.) Gitrullus vulgaris, var. This plant is a native of
the Kalahari desert, where its fruit often affords the only
supply of water for travellers and their animals crossing that
arid region. The watery contents of this melon are taste-
less.
"Die Tsama (wilde Wasser-melone), welche in guten
Eegen-Jahren dort in Menge wachst, so das der Boden damit
stellenweise wie iibersaet ist, liefert Eeisenden und Jagern
sammt ihren Thieren von Juni bis September und October
das zum Leben nothige Nass." (Kronlein's " Wortschatz
der Khoi-Khoin," p. 263, 1889.)
Tsetse. — (Sech. ntsintsi-a-tsetse, the fly flea.) See Fly.
" During the rainy season especially they are infested by
a large species of gad-fly . . . the bite of which . . . proves
fatal to cattle." (Harris's " Wild Sports," p. 231, 1839.)
" But the impugani (the fly which is known by the name
of tsetse . . . ) is the most dangerous and feared insect in the
country." (Thomas' " Eleven Years in Central South Africa,"
p. 189, 1872.)
Tsetse country or Tsetse fly. — The tracts of country in-
fested by the Glossina morsitans. These do not always remain
the same ; if the game is driven out or the bush cut down, the
fly will leave the neighbourhood, to return again, however,
if and when the conditions are favourable to its existence.
See Fly country.
" We followed it until the herd escaped into the Tsetse-
fly." (Baines' " Gold Regions of South-East Africa," p. 41,
1877.)
" Persons traveUing must seek for the latest information
on this point when approaching the borders of a Tsetse-
country" (Ibid., p. 89.)
Tshokka. — An onomatopoetic name given to the cuttle-
fish ; it refers to the peculiar sound it makes when taken out
of the water.
" Though not a fish the Tschohka may be mentioned. . . .
518 AFEICANDEEISMS
It (the name) is applied to the cuttle-fish or squid, on account
of the peculiar noise it makes when landed." (Gilchrist's
" History of the Local Names of Cape Fish," p. 224, 1900.)
Tsholo. — (Kaf . in Tsholo, a vocal concert ; uku Tsholoza is
used of the singing and hand-clapping of the women at a
native dance.) Occasionally used of a native concert.
" You hear an Englishman speak of dobo grass, dongas,
tollies, tsholo, etc., which are pure Kaffir." (" Bast London
Dispatch," p. 7, 4 September, 1912.)
Tucker. — A slang word for food.
" Fossicking . . . with varying success, at times earning
only his tucker, at others rising to comparative wealth on the
discovery of rich ' pockets '." (Glanville's " The Fossicker,"
p. 241, 1891.)
Tuln. — (D. tuin, a garden ; cf. Eng. ton, town, an enclos-
ure, a farm — as in Wyclif's " Sentehym into his toun to fede
swyn " (Luke xv. 15). In Enghsh the word has extended its
meaning, while in Dutch it still means a piece of ground en-
closed for cultivation.) An enclosed piece of ground, a garden.
" Akkertji, tuin — of bloem — bed." (Mansvelt's " Proeve,"
p. 6, 1884.)
" For long the part between Orange and Wale Streets
was called the Compagnie's Tuijn, Company's Garden."
(Trotter's " Old Cape Colony," p. 26, 1903.)
Tulband. — (D. tulband, a turban.) Lilium martagon, the
flower of which resembles somewhat this oriental style of
head-dress ; it is known in England as the Turk's cap.
Tulp. — (D. tulp, a tulip. This and the preceding word,
Tulband, are both to be traced to the same origin, viz. Pers.
dulband, a turban, which is said to be compounded of dulai
{du, two ; lai, fold) and band, a band.) The name is applied
to a variety of bulbous plants known to be injurious to cattle ;
among them the handsome Homeria collina, Ker., or " tulp-
bloem," and various species of MorcBa.
"Vegetable poisons exist in many parts of Africa, the
tulp in Cape Colony and Natal, the maghauw in the Trans-
vaal." (Baines' "Gold Eegions of South-East Africa," p.
154, 1877.)
" The tubers of some species of Moraa are said to be
poisonous, and the leaves are called by the Dutch and colon-
ists Tulp or ' Tulip,' and are certainly deleterious to cattle."
(Wood's " Handbook to the Flora of Natal," p. 128, 1907.)
Ai^EICANDEEISMS 519
Tulpboom. — (D. tulp, a tulip ; hoom, a tree.) Protea melli-
fera. (Thunberg's " Flora Oapensis," p. 132, 1823.) See
Sugar bush.
Tumble-bug. — Several beetles of the sub-family Scara-
hceincB are so named ; the reference is to their habit of roll-
ing a ball of dung about as a nidus for their young. See
Mistkruier.
"It was probably an exaggerated tumble-bug, a common
beetle." (Finlayson's "A Nobody in Mashonaland," p. 27,
n.d.)
Turkey berry. — Another name for the fruit of Plectronia
ventosa. See Schaapendrolletjes.
Turkey buzzard. — See Brom vogel.
" This is a ground bird and not generally recognized as a
'Hornbill,' being known amongst colonists as the Turkey
Buzzard." (Woodward's "Natal Birds," p. 97, 1899.)
Turksvij. — (D. vijg, a fig.) The Cape Dutch name for the
Prickly pear.
"An orange flowered Opuntia which seems to be natur-
alized here and is called Turkish-fig , is common on some sandy
ground." (Backhouse's " Narrative," p. 128, 1844.)
Turpentine grass. — Cymhopogon excavatus (HocJist.) Stapf.,
and other grasses, are known by this name in Bechuanaland.
Turpentine tree. — Another Transvaal name for Copai/era
mopane, Kirk. See Ironwood tree.
Twaalf-uur. — (D. twaalf, twelve ; uur, hour.) (1) Twelve
o'clock. (2) Often used as synonymous with " dinner-time,"
even when the dinner-hour is other than noon.
Twa-gras. — Aristida brevifolia, Stend., growing in the
upper region of the Karoo.
"Between them and the road could be seen the figure of
a man sitting on a doubled-down tussock of twa-gras."
(Scully's "Between Sun and Sand," p. 131, 1898.)
Tweekop slang. — (D. twee, two; kop, a head; slang, a
snake.) Typhlops bibronii, a small snake which appears to
have a head at each end. See Aard slang. The name is
also applied to the blunt-tailed Glauconidce snakes.
"The little black blind-snakes, tweekop slang en {Glau-
coma)." {" Bast London Dispatch," p. 11, 17 December, 1910.)
Twelve Apostles, The. — The twelve side buttresses of
Table Mountain running between Sea Point and Hout Bay.
" Prom Hout's Bay valley a broad hoek pierces the moun-
620 AFEICANDEEISMS
tain, enclosed on the seaward side by the Twelve Apostles, and
on the other side by the broken irregular ground which is
joined to the peninsular range by the pass above Constantia."
(Noble's " The Cape and its People," p. 240, 1869.)
Twin sisters. — The flowers of Streptoca/rpus rexii are known
by this name in the Eastern Province ; the flowers are usually
in pairs. See Gloxinia.
" That pretty shade-loving flower, popularly knovra as
Twin-sister." (" East London Dispatch," p. 5, 13 June, 1910.)
Twitch. — A local name for several varieties of quick or
couch grass, of which there are no lack in South Africa.
Tyolo. — (Kaf . i Tyolo.) A separate bush, or a clump of
bushes standing alone.
" On the right a bush-clad slope breaks away into tyolos."
(" East London Dispatch," p. 7, 24 November, 1907.)
Tywala. — (Kaf. u Tywala, beer, any fermented liquor.)
A fermented liquor made from Kaffir corn, generally light
enough by itself, but when fortified by Cape smoke, as it
sometimes is, its efl'ect is almost maddening.
" Offering them their ' stirrup cup ' in some chullah, or
maize beer." (Fleming's " Southern Africa," p. 329, 1856.)
" A bundle of imphee and a large bowl of outchualla
(native beer)." (Holden's " Kaffir Eaces," p. 52, 1866.)
" They had been induced to drink utyala or native beer."
{Ihid., p. 63.)
Uglies. — A framework of wire covered with some light
material and attached to the front of the bonnet by which
the wives and daughters of the " Settlers " secured shade for
their eyes and their complexions.
Uilspeel. — (D. uilenspiegel, the owl's mirror ; a wag, jester ;
cf. G. Eulenspiegel, same meaning.) As employed in Cape
Dutch this word means a wag, a braggart, a fool.
" One other volume . . . was a Dutch translation of the
German Uhler-spiegel, a term which has become proverbial
in this country under the guise of Uilspeel, and is still exten-
sively used for one who is an egregious ass." (Sellick's
" Uitenhage, Past and Present," p. vii, 1905.)
Uitlander. — (D. uitlander, an alien, a foreigner.) This
word has become familiar to Englishmen the world over, in
connexion with the events which brought on the recent
Anglo-Boer War ; it means a foreigner and is also employed
as an adjective.
AFBIGANDEEISMS 521
" Spitsvondige redeneeringen, in den Volksraad bijv. van
den een of anderen Uitlander — verloopen advocaat of mis-
lukte predikant misschien — kunnen zij zelden behoorlijk
ontrafelen, doch zij worden door hun gezond verstand geleid,
om den strik te ontkomen, die hun gespannen wordt."
(Cachet's " De Worstelstrijd der Transvalers," p. 420, 1882.)
" It seems to be the prevailing idea vrith the members,
both of the Association and of the League, that hitherto the
election of their Members of Parliament has been too much
in the hands of the uitlander element." (" Queenstown Free
Press," 8 January, 1884.)
" The foreigners v?ho owe no allegiance to the Free State,
will invite any power in that will secure to them the plunder
they have stolen. . . . The Uitlanders have no gold in their
own barren lands, nor love for the Free State as patriots."
(Boon's " Immortal History of South Africa," ii. p. 539, 1885.)
" Viewed from this standpoint the Uitlander grievances
were an inexhaustibly rich and payable mine." (Eeitz's " A
Century of Wrong," p. 61, 1900.)
Uitsmeer. — (D. uit, out of, from ; smeren, to smear.) In
the Patriot Woordeboek this word is explained as meaning
" to whitewash a floor (with cow-dung) ". See Smear.
Ulttrek. — (D. uittrehken, to draw out, extract, undress.)
To pull or draw out, to undress.
Ultwicks. — (G. auswichsen, to thrash soundly; wichsen,
to thrash.) To whip thoroughly, to flog.
Ulundi. — (Zulu, u Lundi, the high place.) The royal
kraal of Cetewayo, which was burned by Lord Chelmsford
after the battle of Ulundi, 4 July, 1879.
Umbrella thorn. — Acacia spirocarpa, Hochst. is so named
in the Transvaal.
Umfaan. — (Zulu, urn Fana, a small boy, a boy.) The term
is apphed in Natal to the Zulu boys who are employed by the
Colonists to look after small children ; indeed, in some parts
of the " Garden Colony " the word has almost become the
equivalent of the English word " nurse ".
" The KafQr umfane (boy), when he becomes an indola
(?indoda) (man), shaves his head and sews to his scalp a
circular coronet of reeds." (Barter's " The Dorp and the
Veld," p. 213, 1852.)
" Your wife ... if she be so lucky as to have floors at all,
will make that lazy ' Jim ' or that provoking Oomfan clean
522 AFBICANDEBISMS
them for her." (Eoche's " On Trek in the Transvaal," p. 39,
1878.)
Umfazi. — (Kaf. um Fazi, a woman, a wife.) The term
applied by the Kaffirs to a married woman.
" In conversation the Kaffir frequently classes his umfaz
(wife) and iqegu or pack-ox together." (Kay's " Caffrarian
Eesearches," p. 142, 1833.)
Umfundis. — (Kaf. um Fundisi, a teacher ; uJcu-fundisa, to
inform the mind.) The word is generally employed by the
natives of or to a missionary or minister, because in the
earliest days of mission work among them, the missionaries
were also the teachers in the schools.
" Never have we been safe, but the Umfundis shall be our
bush." (Kay's " Caffrarian Eesearches," p. 73, 1833.)
Umlungu. — (Kaf. um Lungu, a white man, a civilized per-
son.) A white man, a European.
" It could only have been English umlungos or drunken
men who would have taken the drift on such a night."
(Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo," p. 63, 1889.)
Umsirabiti. — (Kaf. in Tsimbi, iron ; iti, the plural of imiti,
wood.) Millettiacaffra. A well-known wood used for making
knob-kiries.
" The flames of the fire died down and the embers of the
zimboti wood glowed dull red." (" East London Dispatch,"
p. 9, 10 July, 1912.)
Umsobosobo. — (Kaf. um Soho.) The name given by the
natives to the fruit of Solanum nigrum. Though poisonous
in England, the little black berries are eaten with impunity
in South Africa, and made into jam.
" In South Africa where it is a very common weed (it is)
known to most people by its native name, Umsobosobo."
{" East London Dispatch," p. 5, 24 July, 1909.)
Umtamboti. — (Zulu, um Tamboti, a poisonous tree.) Ex-
coecaria africana. The sap of this tree is very virulent ; a
drop in the eye has been known to cause blindness.
Umzimkulu. — (Kaf. umzi, place, residence ; hulu, great.)
A river on the east coast.
Umzimvubu. — (Kaf. umzi, place; im Vubu, the hippopo-
tamus.) The native name of the river known to the colonists
as St. John's Eiver.
Umzinyati. — (Kaf. umzi, place ; in Yati, a buffalo.) A
tributary of the Tugela.
AFEICANDBBISMS 523
Unyoking.— The word in common use all over South
Africa is " outspanning " and for " inyoking " " inspanning ".
" I shall not trouble the reader with the monotonous detail
of an African journey, daily inyoking and unyoking, sand
here and stones there." (Moffat's "South Africa," p. 31.
1846.)
Up country. — An expression in constant use, but without
any real definiteness, except that it may be taken to indicate
any part beyond a fair distance from the capital or from the
coast.
" The sea ! who that has hved up country for some years
does not remember the delight . . . which the first sight of
that broad expanse of water kindles in the breast." (Hob-
son's "At Home in the Transvaal," p. 509, 1884.)
"The transport-wagon for up country . . . costs about
£100." (Wallace's " Farming Industries of the Cape Colony,"
p. 437, 1896.)
Upstals. — (D. opstal, superstructure, premises.) The
buildings, etc., on a Loan Farm (q.v.) which were the pro-
perty of the holder of the lease. See Opstal.
"The buildings . . . the vineyards and fruit groves
planted, called the upstals, were saleable hke any other pro-
perty, and the lease continued to the purchaser." (Barrow's
" Travels," ii. p. 379, 1804.)
Up to. — A slang phrase expressing the idea of obligation,
onus.
" It is up to the Agricultural Department to introduce an
instrument which can be sold at a reasonable cost to tank-
holders and which will help them to gauge the strength of
their tanks." (" East London Dispatch," p. 3, 10 November,
1911.)
Usobantu. — (Kaf. U'so, contraction of Uyise, his father ;
bantu, the people ; lit. " Father of the people ".) This was
the name by which Bishop Colenso was known among the
natives of Natal, to whom he was always a devoted friend.
Utixo. — This term is in general use among the Kaffirs and
Fingoes for the Supreme Being. There appears to be httle
doubt that it was originally the Hottentot word which Kolben
gives in his list of Hottentot words as Tiquoa, and as being
the word for God ; it is still in use among the Korana and
Namaqua Hottentots. The word would seem to have been
adopted by the early missionaries in the translation of the
524 AFEICANDEEISMS
Scriptures into Kaffir, to supply a want which the Kaffir
language did not meet, with the result that now it is used
by most, if not all, of the Kaffir-speaking peoples.
" Nach unzehlichen Nachforschen, und vermittelst vieler
ausdriicklichen Erklarungen, welche mir die Hottentotten
selbsten gethan, habe ich endlich fiir gewiss befunden, dass
sie glauben, es sey ein hochster Gott, der alles verschaffen. . . .
Sie glauben auch dass dieses hochste Wesen unbegreifliche
Vollkommenheiten und Eigenschaften besitze. Sie nennen
es Gounja Ticquoa, das ist: Gott der Gotter." (Kolben's
" Beschreibung," p. 95, 1745.)
" They (the Koosas or Xosas) believe in the existence of a
great Being who created the world, but in their own language
. . . they have no name by which he is called, they have
therefore adopted one from the Gonaquas who call him
ThiJco." (Lichtenstein's " Travels," i. p. 253, 1812.)
" The only name which the Hottentots have for him (the
Deity) ... is Thuike or Utika, an appellation of which the
derivation and meaning are very uncertain." (Philip's "Ee-
searches," i. p. 8, 1828.)
" The Uti'ko of the Hottentots is articulated with the cHck
or cluck peculiar to that language." (Moffat's " South
Africa," p. 68, 1846.)
Uyntjes. — (D. ajuin, an onion.) Moraea edulis. The
bulbous roots of these plants, not unlike the chestnut in
flavour, were an important article of food in the early days
of the Colony, both among the Hottentots and the slaves, and
even now, at the proper season, they are gathered in consider-
able quantities by the coloured and poorer classes of the
Western Province. In the neighbourhood of Kimberley the
Bechuanas pound and cook the bulbs of Gyperus usitatus, and
use them as food, under the same name. The flowering tops
of Aponogeton angustifoUum and A. distachyon are used in
the same way, and are known as Water-uyntjes (q.v.).
" Die Hottentotten ernehren sich meistentheils von Wur-
zeln, dergleichen man zwar an den meisten Orten ihrer
Wohnung hauffig flndet . . . welche Wurzeln sie in ihrer
Sprache W'j heissen ; ingleichen das von den Botanicis also
betittulte Sisyrinchium, dem die Hollander dem Namen
Ajuntjes beylegen. . . . Diese Wurzeln kochftn sie, oder
braten sie in heisser Asche." (Kolben's " Beschreibung," p.
131, 1745.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 525
"The roots, or more properly the bulbs of these (irises),
it is common to roast and eat ; they are called oenkjes and
have nearly the same taste with potatoes." (Sparrman's
" Voyage," i. p. 148, 1785.)
" A friendly invitation to visit their kraal, and at the same
time a present of uyentjes." (Burchell's " Travels," i p
416, 1822.)
" After a vyalk of nine miles east, I captured a iew Bush-
men grubbing for the kind of bulbs known at the Cape as
lunches." (Chapman's " Travels," i. p. 237, 1868.)
" This instrument is grasped by one hand above the stone,
and by the other below, and as a digging tool for uprooting
numljes and ' camberoo ' it would be difficult to devise a
better without the use of metal." (" Trans. S.A. Phil.
Society," ii. Part i. p. 21, 1881.)
Uyntjes-tyd. — (D. ajuin, an onion ; tijd, time.) The
time when these various roots were in season. How much
these plants were esteemed and the large place they occupied
in the domestic economy of the slaves and poorer classes,
may be inferred from their making the uyntjes-tijd a point
from or to which to reckon.
" The Hottentots use the word oenkjes ... for the
reckoning of time, always beginning the new year whenever
the oenkjes push out of the ground, and marking their age
and other events by the number of times in which, in a cer-
tain period, this vegetable has made its appearance." (Sparr-
man's " Voyage," i. p. 148, 1785.)
" The season of the year is indicated by being so many
moons before or after uyntjes-tyd, or the time that the roots
of the iris edulis are in season, a time particularly noticed by
him, as these bulbs once constituted a considerable part of
his vegetable food." (Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 159, 1801.)
Vaal, The. — (D. vaal, sallow, tawny.) A tributary of the
Orange Eiver, so named because of the yellowish-brown
colour of its water. It was known to the natives as the Gij
Gariep ; two others, the Maap, or Modder Eiver, and the
Nu Ga/riep, or Zwaart Eiver, join vdth this to form the
Gariep, or Great Eiver.
" The branch ... is called the Tky-gariep by the natives,
and the Vaal Eiver by the Klaarwater Hottentots, which in
English may here be rendered by Yellow Eiver." (Burchell's
" Travels," i. p. 391, 1822.)
526 AFEICANDEEISMS
" The chief of the Bechuanas, Matabee, established himself
with part of his people on the banks of the Falls Eiver,
where he still remains." (Steedman's " Adventures," ii. p.
43, 1835.)
Vaalbrack. — Atriplex halimus. The Salt bush.
" Sweet grass and small shrubs varied with very good
large bush and trees, as . . . vaalbrach." (Du Toit's
" Ehodesia," p. 32, 1897.)
Vaal bush. — Atriplex halimus, var. capensis ; Tarchonan-
thus camphoratus. An appropriate name given to these and
several other shrubs, because of their whitish foliage.
" Its soil nourishing ... a few struggling bushes of a low,
utterly burnt up appearance known as Vaal bush." (Lind-
ley's "Adamantia," p. 4, 1873.)
" This tract of country, which is covered as far as the eye
can see by a short bush called Vaal bosch, is, however, a
good grass veldt." (" Queenstown Free Press," 6 October,
1855.)
Vaal jackal. — Vulpes chama. See Silver jackal.
Vaal korhaan. — See Knorhaan.
Vaalpens. — (D. vaal, sallow, tawny ; pens, paunch, stom-
ach.) (1) The Dutch designation of a tribe of wild Bushmen,
the Ba-Kalahari, inhabiting the Kalahari desert. (2) The
appellation is sometimes given to natives other than Bushmen,
and is certainly not regarded as a compliment, although its
exact meaning in this application would be difficult to define.
(3) It is sometimes applied by the Free Staters and Cape
Colonists to Transvaalers. Cf. Blikoor. The origin of the
designation as applied to the Ba-Kalahari is set forth in the
quotation below.
" The Bakalaharis, she told me, were descended from the
Matabele Kaffirs and Vaalpens, the latter were a cross be-
tween the Bechuanas and the Kalahari Bushmen." (Farini's
" Through the Kalahari Desert," p. 232, 1886.)
" A remarkable irregular, white blotchiness of the skin
on the natives' abdomens found explanation in the fact that
the natives during the cold nights in which they slept out
vsdthout clothing, built themselves little oblong frameworks
of green wood, 16 inches high, on top of which they make
fires. Sleeping under this for warmth, the burning embers
often fall through the framework on to their naked skins,
raising blisters which when healed left the affected part
white or grey. It is from this circumstance . . . that the
AFEICANDEEISMS 527
Boers have humorously nicknamed the tribes living west of
the Transvaal, Vaalpense, or ' grey-bellies '." (Schulz and
Hammar's " New Africa," p. 71, 1897.)
" A South African Dutchman writes us a somewhat bitter
letter upon the situation. He writes as a Dutch Afrikander,
a Vaalpens in fact." (" Eastern Province Herald," 6 Decem-
ber, 1899.)
" These are the Kattea, or Vaalpens, as they are nick-
named by the Boers, on account of the dusty colour their
abdomen acquires from the habit of creeping into their holes
in the ground — who live in the steppe region of the North
Transvaal, as far as the Limpopo." (" Eeport Brit. Ass. for
the Advancement of Science," p. 513, 1905.)
Vaatdoek. — (D. vaat, table crockery ; doek, a towel, clout ;
vaatdoek, a dish-clout.) A common clout used for the thou-
sand and one things that a damp cloth is needed for in a
kitchen.
" An old lady waited at the table with a clout in her hand,
which I believe is designated by these people a faddock."
(Gilmore's " On Duty," p. 151, 1880.)
" The old Boer got up from his chair, went to the bowl
and began to rub his hands, then his face, wiping them
with this rag, which I afterwards found out was called a
feodhook." (Anderson's " Twenty-five Years in a Waggon,"
I. p. 59, 1887.)
Vaboom. — A contraction of Wagenboom (q.v.).
" Tanning has long been carried on by the use of native
materials. . . . The bark of Acacia horrida was and is most
largely used, other materials employed being . . . the bark
and leaves of various Proteacea (Sugar bushes, Kreupelbooms,
Vdbooms, and Amandel)." (Sim's "Forest Flora of Cape
Colony," p. 59, 1907.)
Vaderland. — (D. vaderland, native country.) The term
applied to cattle imported from Holland in the early days,
and to their progeny. Curiously enough, however, een vader-
landsche schaap means " an Afrikander sheep ". See Father-
land.
" Several brown bulls have been imported, and some black
from Holland, these are called, as well as their produce,
Vaderland or Fatherland." (" Scenes in Cafferland," p. 13,
1827.)
Vaderlandsche. — At one time the popular name, in the
neighbourhood of Cape Town, of the butterfly Papiliodemoleus.
528 AFEICANDBEISMS
" The commoner is . . . Demoleus — the species that re-
joices in the local name of Vaderlandsche, from its general
resemblance to the swallow-tail butterfly of Europe. ' ' (Noble's
" The Cape and its People," p. 97, 1869.)
Vaderlandsriet. — (D. riet, a reed.) Tall reeds growing in
the vleis.
Vaderlands wilge. — (D. wilg, wilgen, willow, osier.) Com-
bretum Kraussii, Hochst. The Transvaal name of this tree.
Valley of desolation. — The name given to a valley of wildly
picturesque scenery near Graaff Eeinet ; in every direction in
this valley nothing is to be seen but enormous masses of
loosely piled trap rock, with here and there huge pillars of
columnar basalt, standing quite alone and running up to a
height of 300 or 400 feet. It is as desolate and inhospitable
looking as one can imagine, and well deserves its name.
" We passed three very pleasant days in Graaff Eeinet,
visiting . . . the well-known Valley of Desolation, a ridge of
rocks from which huge basaltic pillars thrust themselves sky-
wards to heights of 300 or 400 feet, forming a very striking
spectacle." (Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo," p. 46, 1889.)
Vanderhum. — A Cape liqueur.
" Add one wine-glass of best rum to every bottle of Vander-
hum." (Hilda's " Where is it ? of Eecipes," p. 134, 1904.)
Van der Merwe's kruiden. — (D. kruid, herb or simple.)
Osmites hirsuta, Less. An aromatic plant is known by this
name in the neighbourhood of Fransche Hoek.
Varkbek. — D. varken, a pig ; bek, a beak, snout.) The
Steenbrasem (q.v.) is thus designated at Knysna and Mossel
Bay.
Varkbloem, — (D. varken, a pig ; bloem, a flower.) See
Pig-lily.
Varkensblaren. — (D. varken, a pig ; blad, a leaf.) Another
name tor Bichardia africana, Kth. See Pig-lily.
Varkensooren. — (D. varken, a pig ; oor, an ear.) Cotyledon
orbiculata, L. " The fresh juice is of service in epilepsy."
Pappe.
Varkje. — (D. varken, a pig.) The name refers to the
grunting noise which the fish makes when taken out of the
water. See Chor-chor.
Vasmakooi. — (D. vas, fast, securely ; maken, to make ;
ooi, a ewe.) A ewe that has to be fastened up before it will
allow its Iamb to suck.
AFEICANDEEISMS 529
Vast-trap. — (D. trap, step, tread, kick.) The name of a
Hottentot dance.
" The vast-trap was performed by a number of nondescript
characters who provided much amusement by their antics."
(" East London Dispatch," p. 5, 3 January, 1913.)
Vatje. — (D. vat, a cask, barrel ; cf . Eng. vat ; G. Fass.)
(1) A small cask or keg in which to carry drinking water, etc.
It always forms part of the furniture of a wagon when on
trek. (2) The name is sometimes given to a tin canteen
carried by a strap over the shoulder.
" Two large fagie or water-casks." (Gordon Cumming's
" Adventures," i. p. 16, 1850.)
" Take a sup out of my tin fatje (a small canteen slung
across the shoulder)." (Hobson's " At Home in the Trans-
vaal," p. 315, 1884.)
" There's the blamed bung come out of the vaitje and not
a drop left." (Glanville's " Tales from the Veld," p. 150, 1897.)
Vee. — (D. vee, cattle ; A.S. feoh, cattle ; cf. G. Vieh.)
Cattle, but more frequently small stock, as sheep and goats,
as distinct from beesten, cattle. In early days the word Fee
was used in England of cattle. In the story of Genesis and
Exodus (lines 783-785) of about a.d. 1250, to Abraham, we
are told, Pharaoh
Gaf him lond, and agte, and fe,
And leue, thor quiles his wille be,
To wune egipte f olc among.
And in the York Mystery Plays of a somewhat later date we
read of " Herdes that kepes ther/ee ".
But in English the word has lost its original sense of
"property in cattle" and has now come to mean property
held from a superior on certain conditions, and also payment
for certain professional services.
" After the arrival of Mr. McCabe with his vee, the Kaffir
labourers . . . made a feast on two of their master's fattest
sheep." (Barter's " The Dorp and the Veld," p. 215, 1852.)
Vee Boer. — A Boer who farms with cattle.
" On our way we met with one of those graziers called by
the Dutch, a Vie boer." (Steedman's " Adventures," i. p.
146, 1885.)
" These plants were known to the veeboer or schaapboer
as the cause of the troubles they produce long before any
scientific investigation of their properties had been made."
(" S.A. Agric. Jour.," p. 61, 1912.)
34
630 AFEICANDEEISMS
Vee kraal or Vee place. — (1) A kraal or shelter for sheep
or goats. (2) Frequently it is an outstation for flocks whose
feeding ground is at some considerable distance from the home-
stead, though this is very commonly spoken of as a Vee-post.
" As the crisis approached it was deemed prudent to bring
in the flocks and herds from the vee places or outstations."
(Godlonton's " Kaffir War, 1850-1851," p. 182, 1852.)
" To look for half a dozen wretched sheep left out over
night, riding back by the vij kraal to count Umsapu's flock."
(Mitford's "Eenshaw Fanning's Quest," p. 96.)
" An application ... for a vee kraal . . . was considered,
and it was resolved that the Commonage Eanger report on the
subject to the next meeting." (" Queenstown Eepresenta-
tive," p. 8, 26 August, 1912.)
Vel-broeks. — (D. vel, skin ; broeJc, trousers.) Leather or
skin trousers were much worn in the earlier days of the
Colony, and were known among the settlers of 1820 and their
descendants as " Crackers ". The spelling " veldt-broeks " in
the quotation suggests a mistaken etymology ; see Veld-schoen,
and cf. Chaucer's
And seyden, he and all his kin at ones
Ben worthy for to brennen, fel and bones.
("Troilus and Criseyde," Book i. lines 90-91.)
" Many a good hunting story could the old man tell, and
amongst them was one in which the veldt-broeks played an
important part." (Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo," p. 287, 1889.)
Veld. — (D. veld, a field.) This word, as employed in
South Africa, has several different significations : (1) some-
times it is used of the open country ; (2) at another time it
is used of the herbage ; this again may be grass-, karoo-, bush-,
or gebroken-veld ; and if grass-veld it may be sweet- or sour-
grass veld; there is the back-veld, cold-veld, bokkeveld, cold
bokkeveld, warm bokkeveld, nieuwveld, onderveld, roggeveld,
zandveld, etc. ; but whatever its chief characteristic the veld
belongs pecuharly and distinctly to South Africa.
" The Hottentots . . . could obtain from one to two rix-
dollars a day in the Gras Veld, grass field." (Backhouse's
" Narrative," p. 115, 1844.)
" The objection was disposed of by my preference for a
less confined sleeping place on the open veld." (Barter's
"The Dorp and the Veld," p. 43, 1852.)
" The species of bush which grow on the karoo veld are
AFEICANDERISMS 531
nearly all aromatic." (Wallace's " Farming Industries of the
Cape Colony," p. 16, 1896.)
Veld comet. — See Field cornet.
" One day when he was hungry, he went to the drinking
place of a veld-cornet, a kind of country magistrate." (Ar-
bousset's " Narrative," p. 244, 1846.)
Veld craft. — Knowledge of the veld and ability to read its
many signs.
" As . . . Bushman veldcraft we suggest they some day
send out a party to tie up tufts of grass and reverse branches
as they go, by the picking up of which the other scouts fol-
lowing on can stick to the trail." (" East London Dispatch,"
p. 7, 24 November, 1911.)
Veld fever. — This is akin to Trek fever (q.v.).
" Veld fever is a malady, a longing indescribable, which
comes over many South Africans, who have lived much on the
veld, and about the month of April many people feel it in full
force. I suppose it is the same kind of home-sickness that
the Swiss feel for their mountains — ' Heimweh '." (Mrs.
Lionel Phillip's " South African Eecollections," p. 9, 1899.)
Veld fires. — See Grass fires.
" The oppressiveness of the atmosphere was greatly in-
creased by the tremendous veldt fires, which, ravaging the
country far and wide, make it like a huge fiery furnace."
(Andersson's " The Okavango Eiver," p. 49, 1861.)
Veld kost. — (D. host, food, victuals.) Bulbs and other
roots found in the veld, indeed anything that can be picked
up in the veld and used as food.
" What the Dutch call veld kost, country food, as bulbs,
the fruit of the Mesembryanthemum." (AleJiander's "Ex-
pedition," 11. p. 135, 1838.)
Veld kombaars. — (D. kombaars, a coverlet, rug.) A corrup-
tion of Vel kombaars (q.v.).
Veld pauw. — Otis cafra.
Veld paard. — (D. paard, a horse.) A horse that is not
stabled, but runs day and night in the veld.
Veld rat. — Arvicanthis pumilio — the Striped rat, widely
distributed in South Africa.
"The disease (plague) has been observed in veld rats
(Arvicanthus pumilio), cats, and in one dog." ("Eeport
Brit. Ass. for the Advancement of Science," p. 551, 1905.)
Veld schoen.— (D. vel, skin ; schoen, a shoe.) This appears
34*
532 AFEICANDEEISMS
to be a corruption, now, however, in general use, of velschoen,
a skin shoe. Originally these shoes were cut out of raw,
undried hide and fitted to the foot in a single piece ; now the
soles and uppers are cut separately and sewn together in a
rough and ready fashion ; but clumsy as they look, nothing
could be more easy and comfortable for the feet when walk-
ing about the farm. The idea was borrowed from the Hot-
tentots who seem to have adopted this method of protecting
their feet before the advent of Europeans.
" Diejenigen . . . legen Sohlen an von rohen Ochsen-
oder Elephanten-Leder, das Haar einwarts gekehret. Diese
Sohlen sind ganz schlecht gearbeitet, aus einem Stiicke."
(Kolben's " Beschreibung," p. 55, 1745.)
" The Hottentots of our party soon took off the hide which
they cut in small pieces, for the purpose of making velschoen
(hide shoes), as every man is his own shoemaker." (Burchell's
" Travels," i. p. 214, 1822.)
" The most wealthy farmer was considered as well dressed,
in a jacket of cloth, breeches of undressed leather, woollen
stockings, a cotton handkerchief about ^his neck, a coarse
calico shirt, Hottentot veldtschoen." (Noble's " C.G-.H. Official
Handbook," p. 19, 1886.)
Veldschoenblaren. — (D. blad, a leaf ; PI. bladeren.) Hce-
manthus coccineus, L. See April fool.
Veldschoen maak. — (D. maken, to make.) A peculiar
expression meaning that one has gone to reside in town for
the period of his wife's confinement. It had its origin thus :
in order at such a time to have the assistance of a medical
man, the country resident is under the necessity of taking
lodgings in the village or town where the doctor resides ; and
for a prolonged visit to town the husband would make for
himself a new pair of veldschoen.
Veld sickness. — This expression is used of the serious
falling off in condition which results in the larger number of
cases in death, when cattle are brought from sweet into sour
veld. It appears to be due to the lack of some plant ash,
such as phosphate of lime, since animals accustomed to sour
veld are peculiarly liable to Lamziekte (q.v.). See Veld
ziekte.
" Animals brought from sweet veld suffer from what is
termed veld-sickness, which results from insufficient nutrition
and the hard and irritating nature of the food consumed."
AFEICANDEEISMS 533
(Wallace's " Farming Industries of the Cape Colony," p. 82
1896.)
" It has been known during several generations of farmers
that if cattle living on sweet-veld areas are brought to zuur-
veld areas, they are exceedingly likely to die very soon after
their arrival." ("Eeport S.A.A,A.S.," p. 263, 1903.)
Veld sores. — An eruption, affecting the superficial and
often the deeper layer of the skin, having a scaly scab ; if not
due to, they are certainly aggravated by, the dust and dirt
inseparable from camp hfe and campaigning in South Africa,
of which country the eruption appears to be characteristic.
" The health of the camp continued good, but owing to
the insufficient supply of vegetables, there were several cases
of veld-sores." (Eae's " Malaboch Campaign," p. 61, 1898.)
" The other cases are chiefly diarrhoea and colic, dry
pleurisy which disappears in a week, and veld sores which
only require careful dressing." (Freemantle's " A Doctor in
Khaki," p. 378, 1901.)
Veld ziekte. — (D. ziekte, sickness.) The purging to which
sheep are liable after grazing on young grass.
" The other common disease is what is called the veldt-
ziekte, that is a scouring from the sheep feeding on the young
grass that springs up after a rain, which is rank and has no
substance." (Browning's " Fighting and Farming in South
Africa," p. 58, 1880.)
" In the Herbert District old people call lamziekte a veld-
ziekte." {" S.A. Agric. Journ.," p. 34, July, 1912.)
Vel kombaars. — (D. vel, skin ; kombaars, a coverlet.) A
rug composed of prepared skins.
" Three on the right beating a large vel kombaars (or sheep-
skin coverlet), a frequent and very necessary operation."
(Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 360 n., 1822.)
" Wrapped in a thick velkombars (sheepskin covering) we
were not long in wooing tired nature's sweet restorer — balmy
sleep." (" Cape Monthly Magazine," ii. p. 179, 1870.)
Velzak. — (D. vel, skin ; zak, a pouch, bag, or pocket.) A
bag made of skin, used largely by the natives.
" The Bushman generally carried two or three in his vel-
zak." (Stow's " Native Eaces of South Africa," p. 73, 1905.)
Vendue or Vendutie. — (D. vendue, auction; F. vendre ;
Lat. vendere, to sell, vend.) A sale by auction ; the word is
occasionally used by English-speaking colonists.
534 AFEICANDEEISMS
" The usual mode by which merchants effect the sale of
their investments is public auction . . . consequently vendues
or auctions happen daily." (Burchell's "Travels," i. p. 79,
1822.)
" Wanted an inteUigent, willing youth for the Vendue
department." (" Port Elizabeth Telegraph," 9 May, 1882.)
Vendue master. — This is simply the Dutch Vendu-meester
anglicized.
" After being eight months in the service of this father-in-
law of the Vendue master, unable longer to endure the cruel
treatment he received, he had absconded from his service."
(Philip's " Eesearches," i. p. 170, 1828.)
Venkel. — (D. venkel, fennel.) Fceniculum officinale,
known in England as Sweet fennel.
Venus ears. — A name applied to a variety of Haliotis, a
univalve mollusc, with flat, ear-shaped shells, having a row of
holes on the left side, and a beautiful internal mother-of-pearl
luster ; they cling to the rocks like limpets.
Vergunning. — (D. gunnen, to grant, not to grudge; ver-
gunnen, to permit, allow ; vergunning, permission, leave.)
The Transvaal Gold Law permitted the owner of a farm,
which had been proclaimed as a gold-field, to assign to his
friends a certain number of claims, which were known as
Vergunnings or preference claims.
" The number of Vergunnings that a farm owner could
give away had often been a matter of dispute, but between the
decision to proclaim Witfontein, and the publication of that
intention in the official gazette, the High Court had given
an important judgment, which once and for all settled the
number of Vergunnings at sixty." (Wilson's "Behind the
Scenes in the Transvaal," p. 165, 1901.)
Verkleurmannetje. — (D. verkleuren, to change colour, to
turn pale.) (1) A common and by no means inappropriate
name for the chameleon. See Jantji trap-zoetjes. (2) Em-
ployed also of one who is easily made to blush, or to change
his principles.
" FerfcZewrwawneiy'e is the playful soubriquet by which . . .
is known, but even the chameleon has a limit to its powers
of change." (" Graaff Eeinet Advertiser," 6 December, 1897.)
Verneuker. — One who cheats, misleads.
"Do you take me for a Boer verneuker?" (Green's
" Eichard Hartley, Prospector," p. 251, 1905.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 535
" The assistant librarian from the British Museum testified
that verneuJcer meant swindler. It was never used in polite
society before a lady." ("East London Dispatch," p. 5, 23
November, 1911.)
Verneukerie. — The practice of cheating, deceiving.
" Of course these flags of truce are merely exhibited by
the Boers as a piece of verneukerie — a swindle." (Stuart's
"Pictures of the War," p. 95, 1901.)
Verneuk, To. — (D. verneulcen, to violate, dishonour.) To
cheat, deceive ; the word is in common use all through South
Africa in this modified sense.
" How Hendrick enjoyed verneuhing the Boer." (" Cape
Monthly Magazine," iii. p. 46, 1871.)
" Hence arose the practice of verneukering, by which
buyer and seller sought to get the better of each other." (Sir
J. Eobinson's "A Life Time in South Africa," p. 185, 1900.)
Verrot maag. — (D. verrot, rotten, putrid ; maag, stomach,
crop.) A disease affecting ostriches — an inflamed condition
of the stomach with a secretion of a jelly-hke mucus due to
the presence of a Palisade worm {Strongylus Douglasi) which
attaches itself to the roof of the stomach generally near the
gastric glands.
Verulam. — A small town in Natal, prettily situated on the
south bank of the Umhloti Eiver. It was founded by settlers
from St. Albans — hence the name.
Vetkoek. — (D. vet, fat ; koek, a cake.) Dumplings cooked
in fat.
" Auntie can make bread or vetkoek (dampers) with it, just
as you think fit." (Kestell's " Through Shot and Flame," p.
105, 1903.)
Victoria trout. — Another name sometimes given to Elops
saurus. See Cape salmon.
"In Natal the kabeljaauw is known as 'salmon,' and
the Victoria trout, etc. {Elops saurus) as 'springer'."
(" East London Dispatch," p. 6, 3 March, 1909.)
Vierkleur. — (D. vier, four ; Meur, colour.) The name by
which the flag of the Transvaal Eepublic was known.
Die Vierkleur van ons dierbaar land.
Die waai weer o'er Transvaal,
En W96 die Godvergete hand
Wat dit weer neer wil liaal I
(Eeitz's " Afrikaanse Gedigte," p. 7, 1907.)
536 AFEICANDEEISMS
Vierkleur. — An imported plant — a species of Billbergia,
is so called because of the four colours which it exhibits.
Vijl slang. — (D. vijl, a file ; slang, a snake.) Simocepha-
lus capensis. In transverse section the body of this snake is
three-cornered.
Vingerpol. — (D. vinger, a finger ; pol, a shrub.) Euphor-
bia caput-meduscB. A plant with a bunch of finger-like
growths ; it is common in most parts of the Karoo, and is
an exceedingly nourishing food for stock. See Finger-poll.
" The finger-poll is singular even amongst many curious
plants." (Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo," p. 258, 1889.)
" Spent and foundered oxen, left to die upon the road
where they have fallen, have, when fed with finger-poll, re-
gained vitality, got up and resumed their trek." {Ibid., p. 258.)
Vinhaai. — (D. vin, fin ; haai, a shark.) Several species of
Scyllium are so named.
Violet pea. — Baphia racemosa, Hochst. has received this
name in Natal ; the flowers are white, with an orange patch
at the base of the standard, and are strongly violet-scented.
Viooltjes. — (D. viool, a violin.) Ornithogalum thyrsoides.
The name is also applied throughout the Western Districts to
the many species of Lachenalia. It refers to the squeaking
noise which children produce by drawing the flower stalks of
these plants across one another, and also to the manner in
which the noise is produced. Compare the Somersetshire
name Crowdy-kit (Welsh crwth, a fiddle), and the Devonshire
name Fiddles or Fiddlestick, for the plant Scrophularia, names
given for the same reason, viz. the noise produced when two
stalks are rubbed together. See Chinkering ching.
"The 'Chinkerinchee,' ' Chincher-and-ching,' Viooltj e,a,s
that beautiful white-flowering bulb, the Ornithogalum thyr-
soides, is variously called in South Africa." (" C.G.H. Agric.
Journ.," p. 6, July, 1904.)
" In'n nummer van ' The Lancet,' 'n Engels geneeskundig
blad, worden viooltj esblaren aanbevolen als middel tegen
kanker." (" Northern Post," 27 September, 1912.)
Viool visch. — (D. viool, a violin ; visch, a fish.) A species
of sand shark — Bhinobatus annulatus, has received this name
because of its fiddle-like shape. Called also Zand-kruiper (q.v.).
Vlak appel. — The edible fruit of a species of Eugenia is
known by this name in Lower Albany.
Vlak pauw. — See Pauw,
AFEICANDEEISMS 537
Vlakte haas. — (D. vlakte, a plain ; haas, a hare.) Lepus
capensis, the hare of the flats or plains.
" The hares known as the VlacMe-haas {Lepus capensis),
Ehebokhaas {L. saxatilis), and Eoode-haas (L. crassicaudatus)
... are spread all over the country." (" Science in South
Africa," p. 134, 1905.)
Vlakte schildpad. — (D. vlakte, a plain ; schildpad, a tor-
toise.) A tortoise found on the flats.
" There were berg tortoises and vlakte tortoises." (" The
State," p. 643, December, 1911.)
Vlakte tijger. — (D. vlakte, a plain.) This name is given
to both Felis pardus — see Tijger — and to Gyncedurus Juha-
tus. See Luipard.
Vlakte vark. — (D. varken, a pig.) Phacochcerus ethiopicus.
" The Vlackte vark, pig of the plains . . . has a large head,
a large fleshy protuberance behind each eye, and a warty ex-
crescence on each side of the muzzle." (Backhouse's " Nar-
rative," p. 213, 1844.)
VIeet. — (D. vleet, a kind of thornback, from vlieten, to
swim.) A Saldanha Bay name of a fish probably resembling
the Vleet {Baja hatis) of Holland (Gilchrist).
VIei. — (D. vallei, a valley, dale.) A hollow or shallow
depression in which water collects during the rains ; thence
a small lake. The word vallei is in use in Cape Dutch with
the meaning of valley, dale ; while in New York the word
vly means a marsh or swamp.
" A lake called the Vogel Valley, or Bird Lake; the word
valley in the Colony implies . either a lake or a swamp."
(Barrow's "Travels," i. p. 69, 1801.)
"We reach a vlei called Kilamarri, where there is an
abundant supply of water." (Wood's "Through Matabele-
land," p. 11, 1898.)
VIei lory. — (D. vallei, a dale ; Mai. nuri, a parrot.) Gerir-
tropus burchelli and G. superciliosus, two birds which frequent
the thick bush along the banks of rivers and vleis. See Eain-
bird.
" The vlei-lourie, perhaps better known hereabouts as the
'rain-bird,' the natives regarding it as a weather prophet."
(" East London Dispatch," p. 4, 4 December, 1908.)
VIei muis.— (D. muis, a mouse.) Otomys irroratus; so
named because its habitat is generally in marshy localities
near water,
538 AFEICANDEEISMS
Vlei thee. — (D. thee, tea.) The name given in the Eivers-
dale District to Cyclopia tenuifoUa, Lehm.
Vlier. — (D. vlier, elder.) Nuxia florihunda, a handsome
tree with small, white, scented flowers ; it is known as the
Wild peach in the neighbourhood of St. Johns. See Wild elder.
" Vlier {Nuxia florihunda) is only represented by a few
(trees) in the Pirie forest." (Sim's " Forest Flora in Cape
Colony," p. 3, 1907.)
VIoer. — (D. vloer, a floor.) (1) This term is apphed in
Cape Dutch to an ordinary floor. (2) To a threshing floor.
(8) It is also applied to the flat Pans (q.v.) which are speedily
filled by rains, but which quickly dry, leaving a saline in-
crustation all over the surface.
" Not much is known as yet about these great vloers, but
they are probably due to the flooding produced by blown sand
obstructing the rivers, which tend to distribute their silt over
wide areas, and thus to level up their valleys that have a very
gradual fall." (Eoger's "Geology of the Cape Colony," p.
385, 1905.)
Vlug vogel. — (D. vloehen, to curse, swear; vogel, a bird.)
A variety of Knorhaan (q.v.). The reason for the name ap-
pears in the quotation. From the description the bird would
appear to be Otis scolopacea.
" Black and white khoran, a variety nicknamed by the
Boers vlug-vogel (swearing bird) from the peculiar call it
gives when flying up into the air. This call sounds much
like the Dutch invocation ' Ja vrachtig ! ' ' Ja vrachtig ! '
an expression the Boers look upon as profane when applied
in ordinary conversation." (Schulz and Hammar's "New
Africa," p. 371, 1897.)
Voersits or Voersies. — (D. sits, chintz.) Printed calico,
which used to be sold in lengths of 6 or 8 ells (about | of a
yard) for skirts, and in smaller lengths, 3 or 4 ells, for bodices.
The material was imported from Holland.
" They of course can afford to do so when they charge
7s. 6d. for a voerschitz." (" Queenstown Free Press," 24 Feb-
ruary, 1863.)
" Orleans and alpaca cloths, voerschits, and other articles
of clothing . . . generally meet the requirements of the mar-
ket." (Chapman's " Travels," i. p. 10, 1888.)
Voetangel. — (D. voet, a foot ; angel, hook, sting, awn.)
The name given to Euphorbia ferox, a plant growing in the
Karoo.
AFEICANDEEISMS 539
" Of the new species of Euphorbia one deserved special
mention, viz. E. Ferox. This formed rounded lumps about
a foot in diameter, coloured brown like the soil of the Karoo
and provided with a formidable armament of stout pines.
The colonial name voetangel was very appropriate, for, if a
bare-footed person should happen to step on such a plant, he
would certainly not run any further. The plant was not
poisonous." (" Cape Times," p. 8, 22 August, 1912.)
Voetgangers. — (D. voet, a foot ; gang, gait, walk ; lit.
pedestrians.) (1) Locusts in their immature, wingless con-
dition. (2) The British infantry, and later, those of their
compatriots who were reduced to walking, during the recent
war, were so designated by the Boers.
" The flying locusts . . . are less dreaded by the farmer
than the larvae, devoid of wings, vulgarly called by the colonists
voetgangers (foot-goers)." (Pringle's "Narrative," p. 54, 1840.)
" They knew that not only would they have to be voet-
gangers, but also that if they were captured they would be
very severely punished by the English." (De Wet's " Three
Years' War/' p. 410, 1903.)
Voetsak. — (Probably a corruption of the D. voort seg eh !
" be off ! " " away I say ".) The expression is in general use
throughout South Africa to send a dog away.
" If you want to get rid of a dog it is of no use saying
' get out ' ever so crossly ; but when G yells fuhrt-sack
(this is pure phonetic spelling out of my own head) the cur
retreats precipitately." (Lady Barker's " A Year's House-
keeping in South Africa," p. 147, 1877.)
" I jes' drop in to ask you to voetsak all the dogs outer
the place, 'fore I bring him in." (Glanville's " Tales of the
Veld," p. 227,1897.)
Vogelent. — (D. vogel, a bird ; enten, to graft.) The by no
means inappropriate name given to several species of par-
asitic plants belonging to the genera Loranthus and Viscum,
the seeds of which are deposited in the ordure of birds upon
the limbs of trees, where they take root.
"What reminds me most of Cape Town and Table
Mountain is the number of Proteas or Sugar bushes. Here,
however, there grows on them, like the mistletoe, a parasitic
plant that they call Vogelent, which has very handsome red
flowers that contrast beautifully with the snow- whitp blossoms
of the Proteas." (" Scientific African," p. 12, November, 1895.)
Vogelstruis. — (D. vogel, a bird, fowl ; struis, an ostrich.)
540 AFKICANDEEISMS
This is the form of the word in general use in Cape Dutch,
the Dutch word being either Struis or Struisvogel. Struthio
australis. See Ostrich.
Vogelstruis gras. — (D. vogel, a bird, fowl ; struis, an
ostrich.) Eragrostis spinosa is so called.
Volksraad. — (D. volk, people ; raad, council, senate.) (1)
The South African Dutch Eepublics designated their respective
Parliaments thus. (2) It is now the official Dutch name of
the House of Assembly, the lower chamber in the Union
Parliament.
" It was therefore decreed by a resolution of the Volksraad
that no additional natives should be allowed to take up their
residence in the Colony." (Barter's " The Dorp and the
Veld," p. 194, 1852.)
" The elective council or Volksraad was required to as-
semble here." (Bird's " Annals of Natal," i. p. 387, 1888.)
Vomeer bosch. — (G. vomiren ; F. vomir ; Lat. vomo, to
vomit.) Geigeria passerinoides, Ha/rv. The name refers to
the effect which the plant has upon stock when eaten by it.
" Under separate cover, I am sending you a small plant
known as the Vomeer bosch, which I imagine must be an irri-
tant poison, for it causes sheep to vomit very severely, which
ultimately, as a rule, ends in death." (" C.G.H. Agric.
Journ.," p. 716, 1905.)
Vomeer ziekte. — Vomiting sickness. See above.
" We learn with much regret of a new disease now preva-
lent among sheep. . . . The farmers call it vomeer ziekte or
vomiting disease. No well-ascertained cause for its appear-
ance has been discovered, but it is attributed by the farmers
to the eating of a small kind of ' tussock grass ' (called by
them vomeer bosch) when in flower." (" Queenstown Free
Press," 19 December, 1871.)
" Sheep have been dying wholesale of vomeer ziekte, but it
is hoped the rains will clear away the disease." ("The
Queenstown Eepresentative," 18 November, 1907.)
Voorbok. — (D. voor, before ; bok, a goat, antelope.) A goat
— Kapater (q.v.) — is generally used on South African sheep-
farms, instead of a bell-wether as in England ; so accustomed
do the sheep get to following these leaders, that it is difficult
to get them to go anywhere without them.
Voorhuis or Voorkamer. — (D. voor, before ; huis, a house ;
kamer, a chamber.) A sitting-room into which the front
door opens.
APEICANDEEISMS 541
" The party were soon seated together in the large voor-
huis or entrance sitting-room, drinking the never-faiHng tea,-
that, according to South African custom, is always served
immediately after the arrival of visitors." (Hobson's "At
Home in the Transvaal," p. 322, 1884.)
Voorkist. — (D. kist, a chest.) The box on the front of a
wagon.
" A second wagon rolled up, on the voorkist of which I
at once recognized our man." (Barter's " The Dorp and the
Veld," p. 17, 1852.)
Voorloop. — (1) (D. voorloop, alcohol.) In distilling brandy
the first to make its appearance is known as the voorloop.
Voorloop. — (2) (D. voor, before ; loopen, to run.) To lead
a span of oxen by means of the " touw " fastened to the
horns of the front pair.
Voorlooper. — The native or other person employed to lead
a span of oxen, as above ; among English colonists he is
known as the " Leader" (q.v.).
" The driver and leader or voorlooper were both Hotten-
tots." (Barter's " The Dorp and the Veld," p. 49, 1852.)
Voorskootje. — (D. scAoo^, lap, bosom.) An apron, pinafore.
Voorslag. — (D. voor, before ; slag, the lash of a whip.)
The long, thin lash of tough, pliant buck-skin (bush-buck for
preference), at the end of a wagon or carriage whip.
" Putting a new voorslag (lash) to the wagon-whip that
the smack might be clear and loud." (Barter's " The Dorp
and the Veld," p. 43, 1852.)
Voorstel. — (D. stel, place.) The part of the wagon which
receives the disselboom.
" Before reaching the plain . . . the bolt that goes through
the voorstel and shaft broke." (Kay's " Caffrarian Ee-
searches," p. 298, 1833.)
Voortrekker, — This is the term applied to those Boers who
trekked from the Colony into the interior, 1834-36, being
dissatisfied with British rule and with the circumstances at-
tending the abohtion of slavery. The word has much the
same meaning as " Trek boer " (q.v.) in its second signification
of "pioneer Boer".
" Oom Koos will probably once again be our voortrekker
(leader)." (" Queenstown Free Press," 27 September, 1872.)
" Probably some old world voor-trekker first entered upon
this great desert . . . between the years 1670 and 1700."
(Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo," p. 24, 1889.)
542 APEICANDEEISMS
Vos. — (D. vos, a fox.) Ganis mesomelas is so called by the
Dutch. See Fox and Silver jackal.
" Steeds heeft men ' Eeintje de Vos ' beschouwt als een
plaag die met hand en tand moet worden uitgeroeid. In
Amerika weet men echter winst met vosjes te doen door de
vellen diiur te verkopen. Men spreekt zelfs van ' een voor-
dehge jakhals boerderij '." (" The Northern Post," p. 9, 18
July, 1912.)
Vrachter ! — A variant of Vrachtig (q.v.). An exclamation
meaning truly, really.
" ' Vrachter, Landdrost you are right,' said Van Diggelen,
' he is short like the public prosecutor.' " (" Prinsloo of Prins-
loosdorp," p. 50.)
Vrachtig. — A contraction apparently of waarachtij, truly,
certainly. See quotation under vlug-vogel.
Vrek. — (G. verrecken, to die (vulgar).) To die, especially
of animals ; when used of men it is suggestive of contempt.
Vrotpootjes. — (D. verrot, rotten, putrid ; poot, a foot, paw.)
A disease which attacks the roots of beans, potatoes, and other
vegetables. See Eel worms.
" The disease is commonly called in the Colony vrot pootje
. . . and in very sandy soil is due to a fungus, Dermatophora
necatrix, Hartw., and D. glomerata, Viala." (" C.G.H.
Agric. Journ.," p. 213, August, 1898.)
Vrouwenhaar. — (D. vrouw, a woman, wife ; haar, hair.)
(1) Cassyta filiformis, L. " A small, twining, leafless para-
site, . . . and common all over the Colony." (2) According
to Thunberg ("Flora Capensis," p. 736, 1823) the fern
Adiantum cethiopicum is also known by this name.
Vrouwhaar. — See Akkewani.
Vuurhoutje. — (D. vuur, fire ; hout, wood.) Lucifer match.
"It may be as well to mention that the Transvaalers
managed to teach the Hollanders a couple of Dutch words.
' Vuurhoutjes ' and ' haakplek ' have found great favour and are
likely to be taken over." (" Queenstown Free Press," 13
May, 1884)
Waaiertjes. — (D. waaien, to blow ; waaier, a fan.) Scallop-
hke shells found on the coast ; the reference is to the shape
of the flat shell.
Waaizand. — (D. waaien, to blow; zand, sand.) This is
known to the English colonist as driftsand, i.e. sand that is
driven or drifted by the wind.
Wacht-en-beetje. — (D. wachten, to wait; beetje, httle,
AFBICANDEEISMS 543
some.) This name appears to be differently applied in dif-
ferent localities ; sometimes it refers to various species of
Asparagus, the hooked thorns of which are certainly detri-
mental to clothing, person and good temper, if one happens
to get hooked by them. Sometimes, as in the neighbomrhood
of Queenstown, it is applied to Erythrina acanthocarpa — the
Tambookie doom or wortel ; and yet again the famiUar Zizy-
phus mucronata, W., is popularly known all through Kaffraria
and the Eastern Districts as the "wait-a-bit thorn tree".
" A new species of callophyllum which from its catching
fast hold of the traveller with its hooked prickles, and keeping
him from pursuing his journey, is commonly called here
waht-een-betje, or 'wait-a-bit'." (Sparrman's "Voyage," i.
p. 236, 1755.)
" No more serious obstacle impeded our course than a few
Vyacht-um-bige thorns, which coming into contact with our
clothes and flesh, carried considerable portions of both away."
(Fleming's " Southern Africa," p. 362, 1856.)
" Our progress was often impeded by the voct-um-bache
tree which means in Dutch ' wait-a-while ' " (" Harper's
Magazine," p. 568, April, 1898.)
Wacht=en-beetje pock. — See Amaas.
" Kafir pox, a varicelloid disease, beheved to attack only
natives, also known as wacht-en-beitje pocJc (D. 'wait a
bit'), as it delayed them on their road." (Matthew's
"Incwadi Yami," p. 109 n., 1887.)
Wafel. — (F. gaufre ; Eng. wafer ; G. Waffel, a small thin
cake or leaf of paste.) The Cape Dutch name for a variety
of small cake.
" The pans in which wafels are baked are made in a parti-
cular shape." (Hilda's "Where is It? of Eecipes," p. 257,
1904.)
Wagen-boom. — (D. wagen, a wagon ; boom, a tree.)
Protea grandiflora, so called because the wood was largely
employed in the manufacture of wagon wheels. See
Vaboom.
" On the road from this place we passed some large trees
of Wagen-boom {Protea grandiflora), so called by the colonists
because the wood of it has been found suitable for making the
fellies of wagon-wheels." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 123,
1822.)
" This region cannot be unhealthy for the ' sugar-bush '
544 AFRICANDEEISMS
and waggon-boom grow everywhere." (DuToit's "Ehodesia,"
p. 126, 1897.)
Wagen-wiel core, — (D. wiel, a wheel ; oor, an ear.) (1)
A humorous name for large outstanding ears. (2) The phrase
is also jocularly applied to the Free State transport riders.
Wagtail. — See Quick stertje.
" In the country each farmhouse and ' pondok ' (mud-
dwelling of Hottentot labourer) has its well-known pairs of
this engaging bird, and woe to the unlucky urchin who dares
meddle with them or their nests." (Layard's "Birds of
South Africa," p. 548, 1875-84.)
Wait-a-bit. — See Wacht-en-beetje.
Wal. — (D. wal, wall, rampart, bank.) See Dam.
Wallows, Buffaloes' or Elephants'. — This is the name given
in Natal to those curious pits or hollows in the veld which
are known in the Cape Colony as Comitjes (q.v.).
" Various theories have been put forward locally as to the
origin of these wallows. These may be summarized thus :
(1) They mark the sites where elephants and buffaloes used
to roll in byegone days ; (2) They mark the sites where
natives used to dig for iron ore for the manufacture of their
weapons. (3) They represent the ancient ' gold diggings '
of the early Australian prospectors in this country. (4) They
have been produced by percolating waters. After a careful
study of these wallows I regret that I cannot accept any of
these theories. ... I think that these wallows are the work
of the earth-worms alone." (" The South African Journal of
Science," vi. p. 127, 1910.)
Wandering Jew, or Wandering Willie. — The Eastern Pro-
vince name of a creeping plant — a sort of periwinkle.
Wandluis. — (D. wandluis, a bug.) The Dutch name for
the Tampan — Argas persicus.
War loafer. — The quotation explains the phrase.
" War loafers, a name given to the many young English
adventurers, whose only profession was follovying the fortunes
of the battle-field, and who were always wholly dependent on
the numerous and oft-recurring petty wars with the various
belligerent Kaffir tribes." (Couper's " Mixed Humanity," p.
1, n.d.)
Warm Bad or Bad. — (D. warm, warm ; bad, a bath.) The
name applied by the Dutch to the hot springs found in
various parts of South Africa.
AFEICANDEEISMS 545
Wart hog. — PhacoohcBrus cethiopicus, Guv. This animal
closely resembles the true wild hog in appearance ; the name
' refers to the fleshy excrescences or warts on its face. See
Prairie pig.
"As the drawing is much rubbed and as neither of us
have seen either a buffalo or a wwrthog since we came to the
country, the controversy is not likely to be settled one way or
the other." (Balfour's " 1200 Miles in a Waggon," p. 180,
1895.)
Waschbank, — (D. hanh, a bench, bank.) This is a some-
what frequent place-name in South Africa for locahties where
white quartz abounds, because, at a distance, the blocks of
white quartz are supposed to represent clothes laid out in the
sun to dry or bleach.
Wash away. — Frequently, during heavy rains, owing to
the inability of the culverts to carry off the enormous rush of
water, a portion of the permanent way of the railroad will be
broken through and the " ballast " f or a considerable distance
" washed away," hence the phrase.
" The day and the night drag along, however, without
sign of the train, news having come to hand that a wash-
away has occurred." (Tangye's " In New South Africa," p.
155, 1896.)
" At the same time wash-aways on the railway are very
frequent." (Cecil's " On the Eve of War," p. 138, 1900.)
Wasters. — A term applied in South Africa to the class of
man who, whatever his chances, can do no good for himself.
" The class of wasters which public grumbling bred and
fostered, were a distinct outrage upon society." (Mathew's
" Incwadi Yami," p. 123, 1887.)
" Wasters, oh it's a South African word and most expres-
sive— it applies to the specious loafer, who is so common in
this country — the country teems with him in high grades as
well as in low." (Baden Powell's " Matabeleland Campaign,
1896," p. 20, 1897.)
Water aar. — (D. waterader, a spring, fountain ; ader, a
vein, artery.) This is the name given to a strip of veld on
which the herbage and bushes are green when all around is
dry and bare, the greenness being occasioned by a subterranean
water-course. This is the origin of the place name De Aar.
" There was a fountain {wateraa/r) dammed up by the
Kafifirs." (Du Toit's " Ehodesia," p. 43, 1897.)
35
546 AFEICANDEEISMS
Water berry. — The name given in the Eastern Province
to the fruit of Syzygium cordatum, Hochst, which grows in the
near neighbourhood of water, it is called by the Kaffirs urn
Sibi. See Shope.
Water bloemen. — (D. bloem, a flower.) Aponogeton dis-
tachyon, L. A common table dish in some parts of the Western
Province, is so named in the Eiversdale District.
Water boom. — Both Ilex capensis and Eugenia cordata
are so designated, as they always grow near water.
" Two large red milkwood or waterboom trees formed a
natural arch." (Eussell's " Old Durban," p. 116, 1899.)
" Our only useful species is Eugenia cordata, the well-
known Waterboom, the timber of which is valuable for build-
ing purposes, etc." (Wood's "Handbook to the Flora of
Natal," p. 49, 1907.)
Waterboschjes. — (D. bos, bush.)
"In the Beedasdorp district it is said that the disease
(lamziekte) appears in the camps of the sour veld containing
waterboschjes and streekrietjes." {" S.A. Agric. Jour.," p. 38,
July, 1912.)
Water- buck. — Gobus Ellipsiprymnus. See Kring-gat
buck.
Water drager. — (D. drager, a carrier, porter.) (1) A water
carrier. (2) The drone fly is also so-called.
Water finder. — See Aarbosje.
Water lettuce. — The Natal name of Pistia stratiotes.
" The Water lettuce, which is found floating freely in ponds
and still pools, is an interesting and beautiful member of this
family (the Aroidece)." (Chapman's " Travels," ii. p. 456,
1868.)
Water padda. — (D. pad, a toad.) Dactylethra capensis.
Guv. Found in stagnant water and common in the neigh-
bourhood of Cape Town.
Water-right. — The right to take water from a river at a
specified level for purposes of irrigation.
Water root. — This name is given to several different roots
— Barroo, Komaroo (q.v.) — met vdth all through the most
parched plains of the Karoo ; they store up a large quantity
of watery juice, even during the long droughts which some-
times prevail, and are well known to the natives of the
Karoo.
" On my way thither I dismounted on an arid plain to
AFBICANDEEISMS 547
breathe our steeds, and dig up some bulbs of the water-root."
(Gordon Cumming's "Adventures," i. p. 117, 1850.)
Waterschaap.— (D. schaap, a sheep.) Tragelaphus se-
lousi, the Sitatunga of the Barotsi.
Water snake. — Ablabophis rufulus. This snake is an ex-
pert diver.
Water tortoise.— Among the Beptilia of South Africa are
two freshwater tortoises — Sternothaerus sinuatus and Pelo-
medusa galeata : a peculiar feature in the first named is that
the fore part of the plastron is hinged, and when the head and
fore-legs are drawn in the front can be closed up quite
securely.
" There were . . . zand-kruipers, and even water tortoises,
young and old, and they all sat round and praised him "
(" The State," p. 643, December, 1911.)
Water treader. — Podica petersi is so called in Natal.
" The feet of this bird are widely lobed, which enables it
with the aid of its wings to run along the surface of the water,
from which it is sometimes called the Water treader." (Wood-
ward's " Natal Birds," p. 172, 1899.)
Water uyntjes. — (D. ajuin, an onion.) Aponogeton dis-
tachion and A. angustifolium, plants growing in the vleis
about Cape Town in great abundance, the roasted roots of
which are cooked hke a sort of asparagus. See Uyntjes.
" The aponogeton distachyon {waater uyntjes, or water-
lilies) grew in many places, in shallow puddles of water, very
plentifully, and from its white flowers that floated on the
water, exhaled «, most fragrant odour. The roots roasted
were reckoned a great delicacy." (Thunberg's "Travels," i.
p. 156, 1795.)
Water wyzers. — (D. wijzen, to point out, show.) Men
who by means of the divining rod, or in some other way, pro-
fess to be able to point out where underground water may be
found.
"Certain persons who style themselves Water wyzers."
(Macnab's " On Veldt and Farm," p. 194, 1897.)
Wattle and daub house. — This consists of a framework of
strong poles, fixed in the ground and wattled to the top vnth
pliant boughs and saplings ; the whole is then plastered over
thickly within and without with wet clay and roofed with
thatch. This style of cottage was not unknown in Shrop-
shire, England, years ago by the same name ; in other parts
36*
548 AFEICANDEEISMS
of the old country such cottages were known as " stud and
mud " cottages.
" The houses of wattle and daub still standing . . . ap-
peared ... to have been most precipitately abandoned."
(King's " Campaigning in Kaffirland," p. 65, 1856.)
" All about among the hills are gold reefs pegged out, and
near them the wattle and daub houses of miners, all deserted."
(Baden Powell's " Matabeleland Campaign, 1896," p. 405,
1897.)
Wattled crane. — Bugeranus carunculatus. See Bell
crane.
" The face is covered with warts from the base of the
beak to the eyes, while below the throat there are two pendent
lappets, bare in front but feathered on the hinder surface."
(Haagner and Ivy's " Sketches of South African Bird Life," p.
127, 1908.)
Wattled starling^. — See Lelspreeuw and Locust bird.
" The true Locust bird, or Klein springhaan vogel as the
Boers call it, is the celebrated Wattled starling {Greatophora
carunculata)." (Haagner and Ivy's "Sketches of South
African Bird Life," p. 7, 1908.)
Wax berries. — The fruit of Myrica cordifolia and M.
athiopica. So called because by the simple process of boil-
ing in water and skimming, the colonists obtain from them
a wax of good quality.
" In most of the sandy flats are found, in great abundance,
two varieties of the Myrica cerifera, or wax plant, from the
berries of which is procurable by simple boiling, a firm, pure
wax." (Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 19, 1801.)
" I rode over to see the old man, and found him peacefully
employed boiling down wax-berries for the manufacture of
candles. " (Glanville's " Tales from the "Veld," p. 100, 1897.)
Wax creeper or Wax plant. — Hoya camosa, an imported
plant. The name refers to the beautiful wax-like flowers which
this climbing plant bears in thick clusters. The name is also
applied to the native plant Microloma tenuifolium, K. Schurn.
" The treasures of the common are endless, and first and
loveliest among them all is the little wax-creeper, than which,
tiny as it is, I do not think a more perfect flower can be
imagined." (Martin's " Home Life on an Ostrich Farm," p.
20, 1890.)
" On the window there hung a wax plant, which has
APEICANDEEISMS 549
beautiful waxen looking flowers, but a real live plant. " (War-
ren's " On the Veldt in the Seventies," p. 379, 1902.)
Wax heath. — Erica ardens, Andr., a Western Province
name.
Weather. — (D. weder, weather ; G. IFei^er, storm, tempest.)
The Cape Dutch word is weer, but like the German word
Wetter, it is used to signify thunder-storms and bad weather
generally ; this has had its effect on the EngHsh word, which
is often used in South Africa in the same way, e.g. : "We
shall have weather soon " — a storm is at hand ; " That looks
like weather coming " — that looks hke a storm brewing. Cf.
also the Scotch " weatherie," stormy or showery weather.
Weaver bird. — Sitagra capensis. In building its nest this
bird very ingeniously weaves a species of tough grass into a
kidney-shaped structure, the entrance to which is from
beneath. Another bird of the same family, S. gregalis, builds
a nest shaped exactly like a chemist's retort.
" I shall mention those species of the Weaver-bird which
suspend their nests from the branches of trees." (Pringle's
" Narrative," p. 51, 1840.)
Weduwenaars or Wewenaars. — (D. weduwnaar, a
widower.) The hooked seeds of Bidens pilosa are so called by
the Dutch. See Black jacks.
"Klitsgras may be disregarded and weduwenaars don't
excite much remark." (Du Plessis' " In the Heart of Africa,"
p. 139, 1905.)
Wee blaar. — (D. wijd, wide, broad ; CD. hlaar, a leaf.)
A species of Plantago is so named in the Eiversdale District.
In the Grahamstown District it is known as Broad-leaf.
Weenen. — (D. weenen, to weep.) Immediately after the
treacherous murder of Eetief and his party by Dingaan in
1888, a large encampment of the Voortrekkers was surprised
by the Zulu impis at the place now occupied by the township
of Weenen, in Natal, and women and children as well as men
were ruthlessly assegaied. The name Weenen perpetuates the
memory of that awful time.
" The little village, the site of which was soon after chosen
in the neighbourhood, was named Weenen or ' mourning,' and
not only on account of the sorrow for the many murdered
families, but also, I believe, by reason of the lamentation of the
natives in their hopeless retreat along the course of the ' Bush-
man's Eiver '." (Bird's " Annals of Natal," i. p. 233, 1888.)
550 AFBICANDEEISMS
Weer. — (D. weder, weather.) See Weather.
Weer-wolf. — (A.S. wer, a man ; wulf, a wolf ; cf. G.
Wahr-wolf.) A name sometimes given to the Maanhaar
jackal (q.v.).
Weesheer. — (D. wees, an orphan ; heer, a gentleman.) In
Cape Dutch this title is given to the Master of the Supreme
Court, to whom it falls to guard the rights of inheritance of
children, one (or more) of whose parents is dead.
Weg-looper. — (D. weg, away ; loopen, to run.) A deserter
from service.
" Shortly after a party of farmers . . . happened to meet
with one or two of these weg-loopers (runaways), as they called
them." (Kay's " Caffrarian Eesearches," p. 247, 1833.)
Weighting stone. — A rounded stone through which a hole
has been bored for the reception of a digging stick ; the stone
gives weight to the stick and so lessens the labour. It ap-
pears to be a Hottentot instrument and is frequently picked
up in the Karoo and elsewhere.
" The other carried what my Hottentots called a graaf-stok
(a digging stick), to which there was affixed a heavy stone to
increase its force in pecking up bulbous roots. The stone,
which was 5 inches in diameter, had been cut or ground, very
regularly to a round form, and perforated with a hole large
enough to receive the stick and a wedge by which it was fixed
in its place." (Burchell's " Travels," ii. p. 29, 1824.)
" That Bushmen, Corannas, and other tribes of low con-
dition used the gem (diamond) mechanically from immemorial
time, seems to be quite ascertained. They still remember how
their fathers made periodical visits to the rivers of West
Griqualand seeking diamonds to bore their weighting-stones."
(Boyle's " To the Cape for Diamonds," p. 85, 1873.)
Werf. — (D. werf, wharf, quay, yard.) In Cape Dutch this
word is used : (1) of a meadow or paddock ; and (2) by the
farmer when speaking of his farmyard, or the space surround-
ing his dweUing.
" We therefore took leave, pitched the tent on the werft,
and kindled a fire." (Latrobe's " Journal," p. 191, 1818.)
" A Dutchman calls his homestead his werf, that is, his
' wharf ' ; a relic of the old times, I suppose, when Holland
was a greater maritime power than she is now." (Brigg's
" Sunny Fountains " and " Golden Sands," p. 231, 1888.)
Whale birds. — A sailor's name for Procellaria oceanica,
AFEICANDEEISMS 551
Kuhl. The name seems to be applied also, according to Mr.
Andersson, to two or three allied birds — Prion desolatus, etc.
— of similar habits, which frequent the southern and south-
western coast of Africa.
" A large number of Whale-birds may frequently be seen
hovering over a whale as he disports himself ; they fly very
low on such occasions, traversing rapidly the spray and foam
ejected from the whale's nostrils, as if it afforded them some
kind of food ; and probably such is the case." (Andersson 's
" Birds of Damaraland," p. 353, 1872.)
Whip-poor-will. — This name seems to be variously ap-
plied : (1) to Guculus solitarius. See Piet-myn-vrouw ; (2)
to Laniarius gutturalis. See Bakbakiri ; (3) to Caprirrmlgus
capensis. In each case it is onomatopoetic.
" Pleasant to listen to the cry of the buck-my-keerie
(whip-poor-will)." (Godlonton's "Kaffir War, 1850-51," p.
247, 1852.) .
" At dusk the ever constant whippoorwill or goatsucker,
Gaprimulgus capensis, called out his plaintive eight-syllabled
note while flitting with noiseless wing about our camp in
chase of moths." (Schulz and Hammar's •' The New Africa,"
p. 155, 1897.)
" Still another, wakening echoes from other scenes, is the
spell-casting, detached voice of the whip-poor-will." ("East
London Dispatch," 4 August, 1896.)
White ants. — These insects are not true ants, they belong
to the Order Neuroptera, Fam. Termitidcs. Dr. Livingstone,
("Travels in South Africa," p. 539), and also Prof. Drum-
mond (see " Tropical Africa," pp. 123-58), make out a good
case for the generally beneficent results of their operations
and of the part they take in the economy of nature, but those
who have suffered from their depredations will continue to
regard them as being possessed of most destructive powers,
they will attack nearly everything but stone and metal.
" The white ant keeps generally out of sight and works
under galleries constructed by night, to screen them from the
observation of birds." (Livingstone's " Travels," p. 539, 1857.)
White bait. — Engraulis holodon. See Ansjovi.
White crow. — Neophron percnopterus is so named, its
general colour being a dirty white. See Witte kraai.
White karanteen.— The Natal name for the fish Grenidens
Forskalii, C. and V.
552 APEICANDEEISMS
White mangrove. — See Mangrove.
White man's stride. — (1) This phrase refers to the old-
time usage of measuring off farms by a process of striding ;
half an hour's walk in each direction from the centre was
the regulated extent of the farm. (2) The phrase has also
been applied to the extension of the white man's dominion
on the sub-continent.
" If the farmer is supposed to have put his baaken, or
stake, or landmark, a httle too near to that of his neighbour,
the Feld-wagt-meester or peace officer of the division is called
in by the latter to pace the distance, for which he gets three
dollars." (Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 78, 1801.)
" Emigrants accordingly began to flock to South Africa,
and the white-man' s-stride with or without the nominal ac-
quiescence of the native, was gradually extended." (Pringle's
" Narrative," p. 81, 1840.)
" Not many years ago their own Surveyor-General was
mobbed for using a theodolite in the streets of Potchefstroom,
instead of stepping off the distance like the Veld valkt meester
of the good old times." (Baines' " Gold Eegions of South-
east Africa," p. 72, 1877.)
White-neclced crow. — Eeally a raven. CorvuUur albicollis.
The Boers call this bird the Einghals kraai ; they have a
legend, too, that these were the birds which were employed to
feed the prophet Elijah (1 Kings xvii.). They say that after
the birds had fed the prophet, a little of the fat remained on
their necks, in commemoration of which their descendants
have this one conspicuous white patch on their otherwise
black plumage.
" There are in Africa at least two other species of crow,
both having white patches about the neck, but one of them,
if not both, feed on carrion." (Backhouse's " Narrative," p.
202, 1844.)
White pear. — Apodytes dimidiata, E.M. See Witte peer.
" Apodytes dimidiata is the well-known White pear, its
wood being extensively used for felloes, etc." (Wood's
" Handbook to the Flora of Natal," p. 31, 1907.)
White rhinoceros. — Rhinoceros simus — after the elephant
the bulkiest land animal now existing.
" The White rhinoceros was, up till recently, supposed to
be confined to the country south of the Zambezi." (" Science
in South Africa," p. 133, 1905.)
AFEICANDEEISMS 553
White sure-throat. — The name applied in Graaff Eeinet
and elsewhere to Tonsilitis, a painful malady, exceedingly com-
mon in some parts of the country at certain seasons of the year.
Whitewood. — Ilex capensis, the wood of which is white
or grey. In the winter its heavy crop of crimson fruits
makes it quite a conspicuous object.
" Whitewood {Ilex capensis) occurs frequently along the
running forest streams." (Sim's "Forest Flora of Cape
Colony," p. 4, 1907.)
Widow birds. — There are two birds so called : the smaller.
Vidua principalis, robed in sober black and white ; and the
larger, Chera progne, having shoulders of a bright orange
colour.
Wiener's Day. — The general designation of a public
holiday breaking the somewhat long period between the
August bank holiday and Christmas Day. The bill providing
for this holiday was introduced into the Legislative Assembly
by Ludwig Wiener, Esq., M.L.A., hence the popular designa-
tion.
Wijn besjes. — (D. wijn, wine ; bezie, a berry.) Another
name for the fruit of Dovyalis rhamnoides. See Cape cran-
berry.
Wild almond. — Brabeium stellatifolium.
" Brabeium (Kaffir chestnut or Wild almond). . . . The
almond-like fruits, when roasted, make a good substitute for
cocoa, though they are poisonous if eaten raw." (Stoneman's
"Plants and their Ways in South Africa," p. 210, 1906.)
Wild apricot. — Dovyalis tristis.
Wild aspara^s. — Aspa/ragus stipulaceus or A. spinescens,
from the roots of which the natives make a strong thread.
Wild banana. — The name given in Natal to Strelitzia
angusta. In the Transvaal it is applied to Musa Livingstoni-
ana, Kirk. (?)
" Wild banana (Strelitzia angusta) and wild date palms
(Phcerdx reclinata) give quite a tropical aspect to the
scenery." (Brook's " Natal," p. 166, 1876.)
Wild bosganna. — (D. bos, bush ; Ganna (q.v.). Cleome
rubella, Burch. The Bechuanaland name.
Wild cardamon. — Xanthoxylon capense. So named be-
cause of its aromatic and pungent properties.
" The fruit is known to the colonists as the wild Ca/rdamon,
and, on account of its aromatic qualities, prescribed for
554 APHICANDBBISMS
flatulency and paralysis. " (Pappe's " Florae Capensis Medicse
Prodromus," p. 8, 1868.)
Wild carrot. — Daucus carota, Linn.
" Biennials. — D. carota, Linn, (the Wild carrot), is oc-
casionally found near cultivation." (Harvey's " Genera of
South African Plants," p. 145, 1868.)
" The terminal umbels of Wild carrot, which are the first
to open, are indefinite." (Stoneman's "Plants and their
Ways in South Africa," p. 113, 1906.)
Wild cat. — See Tiger cat.
Wild celery. — (1) Bubon galbanum, L., so called because
its leaves bear a great resemblance to those of the garden
plant. It is also known, and not without sufficient reason,
as the " Blistering bush ". (2) In the Eastern Districts this
name is given to Apium graveolens, Linn.
" In a previous number (1900) of this journal we drew
the attention of our readers to a half shrubby plant which
grows on the slopes of the mountain and causes unpleasant
blisters on the hands that come into contact with it. The
other day a friend of ours had a more than usual dose of
blistering. . . . The awkward feature of this danger is that
one does not notice any effect on the hand until about 30 or
40 hours after one has touched the plant. Its name is
Bubon, which may be easily remembered, or if anybody
prefers the colonial name Wild celery, that also is not diffi-
cult, for the leaves resemble those of the garden plant."
(" Mountain Club Annual, Cape Town," p. 24, 1903.)
Wild chestnut. — Galodendron capense, Thun., is so called
in the Eastern Province.
" The beautiful lilac flowers of the wild chestnut are
opening two or three months before their time." ("East
London Dispatch," p. 5, 3 July, 1909.)
Wild coffee. — Kraussia lanceolata. This name is given
to Phoendx reclinata, J acq., also. In Natal the name is
applied to Gardenia citriodora, Hook. ; for many years the
berries have been used, by natives and small farmers on the
south coast, as a substitute for coffee.
" The name Wild coffee appears to be given rather from
the close resemblance of the peeled seed (of Phoenix reclinatd)
to ' coffee beans ' than from any use made of them." (Sim's
" Forest Flora of Cape Colony," p. 341-42, 1907.)
" Two good bee plants here (Lady Frere) are the tree
APRICANDEBISMS 555
oudenhout and the wild coffee, both flowering in the spring."
(" Agric. Journ. S.A. Union," p. 717, June, 1911.)
Wild cotton or Wilde kapok. — Asclepias fruticosa, Linn.,
and other species are known as " Wild cotton ". In Natal and
Portuguese East Africa, this name has been given to Ipomoea
albivenia, Sweet., a climber with large, pure white flowers.
The seeds are covered with silky white hairs.
" The Bushmen employed several kinds of wood in mak-
ing them (fire-sticks) . . . that sometimes called Melkbosch
by the Dutch, a species of Asclepias, the wild-cotton of the
Settlers." (Stow's "The Native Eaces of South Africa,"
p. 60, 1905.)
Wild currant. — The Eastern Province name of Bhus
villosa, L. See Eozyntjes.
Wild custard -apple. — The Transvaal name of Anona
senegalensis, Pers.
Wild dagga. — Leonotis leonurus, called also the Ked
dagga. See Dagga.
" Wilde dacha (a kind of wild hemp which grows in rich
ground near the coast)." (Hoodie's " Ten Years in South
Africa," ii. p. 169, 1835.)
Wild dog. — Lycaonpictus — the Cape Hunting dog. These
ferocious animals hunt in packs, and often upon a plan so well
arranged as to suggest reason rather than instinct. The pack
will divide and separate, one half will then head the game in
the direction of the other half, these will then take up the
chase and work on similar lines until the exhausted quarry is
secured. These animals resemble dogs in their dentition,
but, hke the hyenas, they have only four toes on each foot ;
it appears to be an intermediate Jink between these two
animals.
" These wild dogs are some of the most ferocious beasts
of prey that either the African colonists or the Hottentot
hoards are exposed to." (Sparrman's "Voyage," i. p. 157,
1785.)
" A pack of wild dogs, or ' wilde Honden ' of the Dutch
colonists, in single file, were pursuing a Wildebeest or Gnoo."
(Leyland's " Adventures," p. 71, 1866.)
Wilde als. — (D. wilde, wild ; alsem, wormwood.) The
Cape Dutch name for the Wild wormwood — Artemisia Afra,
Jacq.
" The virtues of it were heightened by wilde alsies (a kind
556 APEICANDEEISMS
of wormwood) being infused in it." (Sparrman's " Voyage,"
II. p. 173, 1785.)
" As soon as it began to heal I employed a wash made of
a strong decoction of Wilde alsem (Wild wormwood)." (Bur-
chell's " Travels," i. p. 480, 1822.)
" The Wildeals bush is famous for its medicinal quahties
— well known to the Boers as a restorative." (" East London
Dispatch," p. 3, 29 July, 1910.)
Wilde amandel. — (D. amandel, an almond.) In the
Eiversdale District Brabeium stellati folium, L., is so called,
but elsewhere the name is given to Pappea capensis, E. and
Z. See Kaambesje.
Wildebeest or Qnu. — (D. wilde, wild; beest, an ox.) (1)
Connochcetes taurinus, the Blue wildebeest, fairly common in
the northern parts of the sub-continent. (2) G. gnu, the
Black wildebeest, very scarce, only to be found on a few farms
in the Orange Eiver Colony.
" I heard a great bustle among the people residing on the
spot, who were shouting Veld a beast, and on looking out I
found that a herd of gnus had joined the oxen as they were
driven homewards." (Steedman's "Adventures," ii. p. 11,
1835.)
Wildebeest veld, — A part of the country in the Caledon
Eiver District was so called by the Dutch.
" The Dutch Boers designated it wilde-beest veld, it being
nearly the whole year round literally covered with large
game. Mr. , it must be admitted, has at length turned
his wilde-beest veld to good account." (" Queenstown Free
Press," 20 May, 1875.)
Wilde copaiva. — (Port, and Sp. copaiba; Braz. cupauba.)
In the south-west districts of the Cape Province several species
of Bulbine are so called.
Wilde garst. — (D. wilde, wild ; gerst, barley.) Hordeum
capense (Thunberg's " Flora Capensis," p. 119, 1828) =
Hordeum secalinum, Schreb.
Wilde granaat or Qranaats. — The edible fruit of Colpoon
capense is commonly known by this name in Albany.
Wilde bond.— See Wild dog.
Wilde kalkoen. — (D. wilde, wild; kalJcoen, a turkey.)
Geronticus calvus — the Bald ibis.
Wilde kastanje. — (D. kastanje, chestnut.) See Wild
AFEICANDBEISMS 557
chestnut. This name is given also to Brabeium stellatifolium.
See Wild almond.
" G. capense is a noble tree, a native of the Eastern District
and Natal. . . . The Wilde kastanien of the colonists." (Har-
vey's " Genera of South African Plants," p. 42, 1868.)
" Brabeium . . . colonial name Wild castanjes or Caf&re
chestnut, native of the Western Districts." {Ibid., p. 332.)
Wilde kat. — Felis caffra. See Bull-head.
" The Gaffer cat (Felis caffra) found with slight modifica-
tions all over Africa, is probably the ancestor of the ordinary
European domestic cat, which appears to have been derived
from Egypt, where those animals were formerly held in great
reverence." (" Science in South Africa," p. 126, 1905.)
Wilde keurbootn. — A shrub bearing light-purple flowers,
growing on river banks and in moist places — Virgilia capensis.
Wilde knoflook. — (D. knoflook, ga.ihc.) Tulbaghia alliacea,
Thun. This bulb, which smells like garlic, is boiled in milk
and used as a vermifuge.
Wild elder. — Nuxia floribunda. See Vlier.
Wilde macaauw. — Plectropterus gambensis, the wild
Muscovy or Spur-winged goose, a large bird measuring 3 feet
in length.
" See baas, loilge maccow ; but it took a great deal of
patient staring before we could detect what our man evidently
saw." (Gilmore's " The Hunter's Arcadia," p. 59, 1886.)
" The Spur- winged goose {Plectropterus gambensis) known
to the Boers as the Wilde macaauw (wild muscovy)." (Haagner
and Ivy's " Sketches of South African Bird Life," p. 149, 1908.)
Wilde moerbe. — (D. moerbezie, mulberry.) Trimeria
alnifolia.
Wilde paard. — (D. paard, a horse.) Equus zebra having
its habitat in almost inaccessible mountain ranges, has not
been wiped off the face of the earth as its relative the quagga
appears to have been — several hundred are still known to
exist in the Cape Colony. See Zebra.
" The Zebra is usually termed WHde-paard or wild-horse
by the colonists." (Pringle's " Poems," p. 93 n., 1828.)
" There are in South Africa three varieties of the genus
Equus, the true Zebra or Wilde paard; Burchell's zebra or
the bonte quagga ; and the quagga properly so called. " (Bar-
ter's " The Dorp and the Veld," p. 112, 1852.)
558 AFEICANDEEISMS
" In Kaokoland, in the north of German South-west
Africa, there exists a Zebra recently described by Herr Matchie,
of the Berlin Museum, as distinct {Equus hartmarmm) which
very closely resembles the Cape Colony mountain zebra."
(" Science in South Africa," p. 132, 1905.)
Wilde paard. — See Zebra-fish.
" Sargus cervinus . . . also called wi^dejpaord." ("East
London Dispatch," 26 June, 1906.)
Wilde pisang. — (Mai. pisang, the cultivated banana or
plantain.) Another name for Musa Living stoniana, Kiih. {?)
See Wild banana.
Wilde pruimen. — (D. prwi/m, a prune, plum.) See Kaam-
besjes.
" The wilde pruimen (wild plum) . . . and many another
shrub, blossomed on every side." (Bryden's "Kloof and
Karoo," p. 130, 1889.)
Wilde ramenas. — (D. ramenas, the black radish. ) Gunnera
perpensa, L. A decoction of the root of this plant is used for
dyspepsia.
"The leaves of the wilde rabas (Gunnera perpensa, L.)
are often used." (Moodie's " Ten Years in South Africa," i.
p. 233, 1835.)
Wilde vijgeboom. — (D. vijg, a fig ; boom, a tree.) Ficus
capensis. (Thunberg's " Flora Capensis," p. 34, 1823.)
Wilde vlier. — (D. vlier, elder.) Chilianthus oleaceus. See
SaHe.
Wilde zuring. — (D. zuring, sorrel.) Oxalis cernua.
(Thunberg's " Flora Capensis," p. 537, 1823) (Wilde syring.)
See Wild sorrel.
Wild fan palm. — Hyphmne ventricosa, Kirk., is so named
in the Transvaal.
Wild fig. — Ficus natalensis, and .F. capensis. The former
is also known in Natal as the Tree-killer (q.v.). See Wilde
vijgeboom.
"It is seldom that the Cape chestnut and the Wild fig
become altogether devoid of leaves." (" East London Dis-
patch," p. 7, 12 April, 1912.)
Wild fuchsia. — Halleria elliptica. See Kinderbesje. In
the Transvaal H. lucida,L.
Wild garlic. — See Wilde knoflook.
" There is the ' duba ' (wilde garlic, Tulbaghia alliacea)
which is pounded up with fat and clay, and kept in the tip of
AFEICANDEEISMS 569
a goat's horn. If a young man touch a young woman with
this it will make her think of him night and day." (Scully's
" The White Hecatomb," p. 197, 1897.)
Wild grapes. — The fruit of Bhoicissus capensis (Willd.),
Planch., which makes a preserve like black currants in
flavour.
" Eatable berries occur, among others on . . . Gissus
capensis {wild grape)." (Marloth's "Annual Address, S.A.
Phil. Soc," p. 11, 29 August, 1894.)
" The creepers, such as the monkey-rope or wild grape,
hang carelessly from the branches." ("Cape Times," p. 9,
17 September, 1912.)
Wild honeysucl<le. — Tecoma capensis, Lind. This in-
digenous shrub bears flowers of a brilliant scarlet, resembling
somewhat in shape the flowers of the English honeysuckle.
Wild katjepiring. — (Mai. kacha-piring, Gardenia florida.)
Gardenia Thunbergia. See Buffelsbal.
Wild lemon. — Xymalos monospora is known by this name
in the Eastern Province.
" Natural regeneration seldom occurs under heavy canopy,
and hardly at all under certain trees, particularly Wild lemon
(Xymalos)." (Sim's "Forest Flora of Cape Colony," p. 3,
1907.)
Wild medlar. — Vanqueria infausta, Burch. The name
given ^0 this plant in Natal.
"A loild medlar. The native will not eat this fruit if
they intend going on a journey, believing it will surely turn
out disastrous." (Chapman's " Travels," i. p. 298, 1868.)
Wild mulberry. — See Cape mulberry.
Wild peach. — (1) Kiggelaria dregeana, Turcz. See Eed
ebony. (2) Nuxia florihunda is so called in the neighbour-
hood of St. Johns. See Vlier.
Wild pig. — See Bush vark.
Wild plum. — The handsome, edible fruit of Ximenia
caffra, Sond., of a bright plum colour ; it is very acid but of
a pleasant flavour and is common in the Transvaal and
Natal.
Wild plum. — The Transvaal name for Dombeya rotundi-
folia.
" In Transvaal ... it is known as Wild plum, on ac-
count of the similarity of the flowering bash to a plum tree."
(Sim's " Forest Flora of Cape Colony," p. 146, 1907.)
560 AFEICANDEEISMS
Wild pomeg^ranate. — Burchellia capensis, B.Br. The
berry, crowned by the calyx, is not unlike a small pome-
granate.
"Chief of which are the Burchellia {wild pomegranate)."
("East London Dispatch," p. 5, 27 May, 1910.)
Wild rosemary. — Eriocephalus umhellulatus, D.G. The
name has reference to the scent of the plant which is not un-
like that of the rosemary.
" The name of kapock-bird was given to a very small
bird that forms its nest . . . from the down {pappus erio-
cephali) of the wild rosemary tree (wilderosmaryn)." (Thun-
berg's "Travels," i. p. 136,' 1795.)
Wild sage. — (1) Salvia africana, L. " Like those of the
common sage, the leaves of this species are fragrant, astringent,
and bitter." (Pappe.) {2) Tarchonanthus camphoratus. See
Camphor-hout.
Wild senna. — Cassia arachoides, Burch.
Wild seringra. — (D. sering, lilac.) The Transvaal name
for BurJcea africana, Willd.
"We have . . . the wild seringa {Burkea africana), A.M-
can wattle {Peltophorum africanum) and swart beukenhout
{Faurea saligna)." {" Addresses and Papers, Brit, and S.A.
A.A.S.," m. p. 537,1905.)
Wild sorrel. — The name given to several varieties of
OxalidcB. See Wilde zuring.
" The open veld is aglow in places with the scarlet blossoms
of Watsonias and the dainty pink of wild sorrels." ("East
London Dispatch," p. 7, 12 April, 1912.)
Wild tobacco plant. — Nicotiana glauca, an importation,
now naturalized ; it seems to be eaten by goats with impunity,
while in both the green and dry condition it is certain death
to young ostriches.
"They seemed chiefly to seek their food amongst the
tobacco trees now growing so abundantly in the bed and on
the banks of the Swakop." (Andersson's " Birds of Damara-
land," p. 73, 1872.)
" On the banks of the river Eiet are the weeping willow,
wild tobacco plant, and various shrubs that I do not know."
(Warren's " On the Veldt in the Seventies," p. 57, 1902.)
Wild turkey. — (1) A literal rendering of the Dutch " wilde
kalkoen," a mistaken name given to Ibis calva. (2) This
name is also given to the Brom vogel — Bucorax cafer (q.v.).
AFEICANDEEISMS 561
" A deep blue Ibis with red head, called from this peculi-
arity, though improperly, by the English at the Cape, wild
turkey, and by the Dutch farmers wilde kalkoen, which means
the same thing." (Arbousset's "Narrative," p. 190, 1846.)
Wild violet. — Aptosivmm depressum, L. This is a species
of ScropkulariacecB common in the Karoo.
Wild wormwood. — See "Wilde alsies.
Willowvale bell. — Gcalekaland local name for the pretty
Sandersonia aurcmtiaca, Hook.
Wilzand. — (D. welzand, a quicksand.) Sortietimes cor-
rupted to Wilde zand. A quicksand.
" After riding for about an hour we came to a place which
is called the Welzand or quicksand." (Stavorinus' " Voyage,"
II. p. 50, 1798.)
" Besides this Welzand there is another smaller passage
which is equally dangerous." {Ibid., p. 52.)
Wind-berg. — An earlier name borne by the mountain on
the Cape Peninsula now known as the Devil's Peak.
" Der Wind- oder Teuiels-Berg hat den Namen ohne
Zweifel von den Sud-Ost Winden die auf ihme regieren . . .
Von dem Gipfel des Wind-Berges hat man eine schone
Aussicht,man entdecket das Tieger-Gebiirge.die benachbarten
Heiden, etc." (Kolben's " Beschreibung," p. 210, 1746.)
" The picturesque Devil's Peak (or Wind Berg of the old
Dutch mariners), 3315 feet in height." (Noble's "Official
Handbook of the Cape of Good Hope," p. 77, 1886.)
Windtoy. — Casio axillaris, Boul.
" The spelling Windtoy is given by Pappe, Castelnau, and
Blerker, but as pronounced by Malay fishermen sounds more
like Wind-ei, which would mean in Dutch a wind-egg, the
colour of which is somewhat similar to that of this fish.
This derivation I, however, suggest with some hesitation."
(Gilchrist's " History of the Local Names of Cape Fish," p.
222, 1900.)
Winkel. — (D. winkel, a shop.) A small retail shop or store.
" Our object being now to recruit our teams and lighten
the wagon of all redundant stores, we lost not a moment in
opening a winkle or store." (Harris's "Wild Sports," p.
332, 1839.)
" Here and there ... a tiny Winkle or shop (in one of
these I found a solitary Jewish store-keeper faithfully holding
the Passover)." (Trotter's " Old Cape Colony," p. 221, 1903.)
36
562 APEICANDEEISMS
Winkler. — (D. winkelier, a shop-keeper.) The proprietor
of a small retail shop or store.
" Winkel wagons had come out to the camp and the
winhlers, or private traders, sold everything they had."
(King's " Campaigning in Kaffirland," p. 139, 1855.)
" Only think, every dirty little Jew winkler calling him
' Oom '." (Mitford's " Aletta," p. 183, 1900.)
Wipstaart mier. — (D. wipstaarten, to wag the tail ; mier,
an ant.) A variety of ant.
Wire worm. — This name is given (1) to the larva of a
beetle of the Elateridce family ; (2) to one of the Annelida ;
and (3) to some of the milipedes (Diplopoda).
Wit boom. — (D. wit, white, pale ; boom, a tree.) Gap-
paris oleoides and other species — the name refers to the
hght colour of the bark.
Wit-borst kraai. — (D. wit, white, pale ; borst, breast ;
kraai, a crow.) See Parson crow.
Witclicraft. — This word is employed in South Africa to
denote a peculiar class of native crime ; uni Takati, generally
rendered " witch " or " wizard," means simply an " evil
doer," in ordinary use it refers to those who are suspected of
doing secret injury to others. The native believes that by
the use of certain " medicines," such an one may destroy
health and even life, may cause lightning to blast, or rain, or
drought to destroy the crops, and so on ; and all this and
many other forms of " evil doing " are included in the term
" witchcraft ".
" It should be observed, however, that the EngHsh word
witchcraft very imperfectly expresses the offence of the um
Takati, which word is used to denote generally a criminal of
the grosser kind, more especially one who is supposed to have
attempted, or actually caused, the death of another, oftentimes
his chief, by poisoning." (Colenso's " Ten Weeks in Natal,"
p. 61, 1855.)
Witch doctor. — See Doctor.
" The same Kona, some years before, having fallen sick,
a witch-doctor was consulted according to custom to ascertain
the individual under whose evil influence he was suffering."
(King's " Campaigning in Kaffirland," p. 94, 1855.)
Witch weed. — A native of the Transvaal which bids fair
to become a nuisance to mealie growers in that part of the
country. See Eooi-bloem.
AFRICANDEEISMS 563
" The Witchweeds known to the natives as Isona, which are
found in meahe fields and are parasitical on the roots of the
mealies and other species of the grass family." (Wood's
" Handbook to the Flora of Natal," p. 92, 1907.)
" The plant disease ... is that known as witch-weed or
rooi-bloemtje." (" East London Dispatch," p. 6, 13 April,
1911.)
Witgat. — Zygophyllum dichotomum.
" A tall tree called Witgat by the colonists." (" Flora
Capensis," Vol. i. p. 362, 1859-60.)
Wit-gat boom. — (D. wit, white, pale ; gat, a hole, opening ;
boom, a tree.) See Shepherd's tree.
" Kert pointed out a whithaat boom (white ass (!) tree) :
' There,' said he, ' that's where I found the 100 carat
diamond, close to that tree '." (Farini's " Through the Kala-
hari Desert," p. Ill, 1886.).
Witgat spreeuw. — (D. wit, white ; gat, opening, vent ;
spreeuw, a starling.) Spreo bicolor. This bird feeds princi-
pally upon insects, but does great damage among the ripe
fruit of the orchards.
With. — (1) A curious use of this word is of frequent oc-
currence in various parts of South Africa ; it is employed
without the substantive which it should govern, e.g. " Can I
come with?" ("you" being omitted). "Are they going
with? " (" us," " you," or " them," being omitted). This ap-
pears to be entirely due to the influence of the Cape Dutch
word sam, together. (2) Another curious usage of the same
preposition is often heard in the Midland Districts, which is
also due to the influence of the Dutch idiom : " He threw me
over the hedge with a rock, " meaning " He threw a stone
over the hedge at me and hit me ".
Wit hout boom. — (D. wit, white ; hout, wood ; boom, a
tree.) Marua caffra. The name refers to the whiteness of
the wood.
Wit hout olijn, or Witolijn. — Chilianthus arboreus, A.D.G.,
is so called in the Eiversdale District.
Wit kruis valk. — (D. wit, white ; Jcruis, a cross ; valJc, a
hawk, falcon.) Circus maurus.
Witte boom. — (D. wit, white, pale ; boom, a tree.) Leu-
cadendron argenteum the famous Silver tree is sometimes so
called.
" The foot both of the Devil's Hill and Table Mountain is
36*
564 AFRICANDERISMS
well clothed with witte-boom (Protea argentea), oak, and other
trees." (Latrobe's " Journal," p. 35, 1818.)
Witte els. — (D. wit, white ; els, alder.) Platylophus tri-
foUatus.
Witte ijzerhout. — (D. ijzerhout, ironwood.) Toddalia
lanceolata ; the wood of this tree is white, tough, and elastic,
and is largely used by wagon makers.
Witte kraai. — (D. wit, white, pale ; Tcraai, a crow.) Neo-
phron percnopterus, the Egyptian vulture is so named by the
Dutch. See White crow.
Witte melkhout. — (D. melJc, milk ; hout, wood.) Sider-
oxylon inerme, the timber of which is much esteemed for boat
building, mill, and bridge purposes. See Jackals-besje.
Witte oogie. — (D. wit, white; cog, an eye.) Zosterops
capensis. A common name among the Dutch for this
small bird, angHcized into "white eye". See also " Glas
oogie " and " Karre oogie ".
" Little white eyes, greenish in colour, with white circles
round each eye." (Trotter's "Old Cape Colony," p. 216,
1903.)
Witte peer. — (D. peer, pear.) (1) Apodytes dimidiata, a
valuable timber tree growing to a large size. (2) Eiggelaria
africana is also known by this name.
Witte salie. — (D. salie, sage.) Nuxia congesta. The
wood of this tree is white, close-grained, and solid. See
Bogwood.
Witte sperwel. — (D. wit, white ; sperwer, a sparrow-
hawk.) See Blauw valk.
Witte visch. — The Dutch name for Barbus capensis. See
Barber.
Witte visch-vanger. — (D. wit, white ; visch, a fish ;
vangen, to catch.) Halicetus vocifer.
" This eagle has a good deal of white about it, and is
called witte visch-vanger (white fish eater) by the Cape
Dutch." (Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo," p. 151, 1889.)
Wit-zeere keel. — (D. wit, white ; zeer, sore, painful ; heel,
throat.) See White sore throat.
" De grootste sterfte is onder kinderen aan kroep en wit-
zeere keel {Diphtheritis gangrenosa)." (Cachet's " De
Worstelstrijd der Transvalers," p. 349, 1882.)
Wolf. — The South African name of Hycena crocuta, the
Spotted hyena ; unlike the true wolf, however, which hunts
AFEICANDEEISMS 565
in packs, this animal is solitary, as is also the Strand wolf
(q.v.).
" A spotted, or ' laughing hyena ' . . . the great muscular
power of this animal, which is called by the colonists the
wolf, renders it exceedingly formidable; the diflSculty of
determining the sex being the most remarkable feature it
possesses." (Harris's " Wild Sports," p. 244, 1839.)
" As I have used the term wolf so frequently, it is right
I should inform the reader that the animal properly so called
does not exist in South Africa." (Barter's " The Dorp and
the Veld," p. 117, 1852.)
Wolf huis. — (D. huis, a house, dwelling.) A variety of
trap built for the purpose of taking the hyenas which were
so troublesome in early days.
" At fixed intervals all along their route can still be seen
little buildings, in the shape of a domestic oven, and if one
questions . . . the meaning of the said erections he will be
told that they were wolf-huizen (wolf-houses) built by the
old trekkers." (SelHck's "Uitenhage Past and Present,"
p. iv, 1905.)
"In 'those days they (the farmers) built a wolvehuis to
trap hyenas, but do not appear to have even dreamt of
Government paying for the tails." (" East London Dispatch,"
p. 6, 29 July, 1912.)
Wolkoorn. — (D. wol, wool ; koorn, corn.) The name given
to a variety of wheat grown in South Africa.
" The wheats sown this year are largely Eietti, and the
early Cape variety known as Wolhoorn." (" C.G.H. Agric.
Jour.," XXIII. p. 535, 1903.)
Wolveboon. — (D. wolf, a wolf ; boon, a bean.) Hyaenanche
globosa. Lamb. " The highly poisonous fruit of this shrub is
used to destroy hyenas or other beasts of prey, and seems
to contain strychnium." Pappe. The name refers to the
use to which the fruit is put. The plant occurs only in the
Gift bergen near Van Ehynsdorp.
Wolve gift.— (D. wolf, a wolf; gift, poison.) (1) The
Cape Dutch name for strychnine. (2) AcoJcanthera venenata,
G. Don. is also so called.
Wonder blad. — (D. blad, a leaf.)
"Here we find the stunted Mesembryanthemums ; . . .
and the remarkable Wonder blad." (" Trans. S.A. Phil. Soc,"
I. Part I. p. 24, 1878.)
566 AFEICANDEEISMS
Wonderboom. — (D. wonder, admiration, that which excites
admiration ; boom, a tree.) The name given to a remarkable
tree growing near Pretoria, described as Ficus cordata, but
since described as F. Pretoria by J. Burtt-Davy, the Govern-
ment botanist. (Vide " Trans. Eoyal Soc. of South Africa,"
p. 366, II. Part 4, 1912.)
" The Wonderboom is a remarkable tree. It forms a large
hemispherical mass covered with evergreen leaves and small
figs. Its diameter from N.N.E. to S.S.W. is 162i feet, and
from E. to W. 141^ feet. Its height, as estimated by means
of triangles of KaflSr whips, was 67 feet." (" Addresses and
Papers, Brit, and S.A.A.A. Science," p. 539, iii. 1905.)
" No date in history records the planting of the famous
Wonderboom of Pretoria. As its branches have spread out they
have sent down their stem-like roots, which support the
branches like columns." (Stoneman's " Plants and their
Ways in South Africa," p. 4, 1906.)
Wooden orange. — See Clapper.
" The half-eaten pip of a wooden-orange struck me in the
face as I lay back again to see what was going on above."
(Fitzpatrick's " Jock of the Bushveld," p. 359, 1907.)
Wooden tongue. — The name refers to the wooden hardness
which the tongue of an animal acquires when affected by
this disease. See Eay fungus disease. Big jaw, and Lumpy jaw.
Wool grass. — The name given in Bechuanaland to
Anthephora pubescens, Nees. (Burtt-Davy, " S.A. Agric.
Jour.," July, 1912.)
Wool spider. — The thorny seed case of Harpagophytum
procumbens is so called because of its supposed resemblance
to a huge spider, and because it hooks on to the wool of sheep
so easily. See Grapple plant and Haak doom.
" Fig. 167 shows the wool spider of the ' Grapphng plant '
{Uncaria procumbens)." (Stoneman's " Plants and their Ways
in South Africa," p. 150, 1906.)
Worm-kruid. — (D. hruid, herb, simple.) Matricaria mul-
tiflora, Fenzl.,VL?,BdL as a vermifuge.
" This plant, called Worm hruid, grows very abundantly
in sandy soil, close to the sea-shore." (Pappe's " Florae
Capensis Medicae Prodromus," p. 23, 1868.)
Wortels. — (D. wortel, a root, carrot ; cf. Eng. origeard,
orchard.) Carrots and parsnips are thus designated ; some-
times distinguished as geel — (yellow) and wit — (white) wortels.
AFEICANDEEISMS 567
Wurgziekte — (D. wurg, quinsy, inflammation of the
throat ; cf. G. wurgen, to choke, throttle ; ziekte, sickness.)
The Cape Dutch name for the dreaded diphtheria.
" WurgsiiJcte, of Benoude Siikte, of kroup." (Dijkman's
" Kook, Koek en Eesepten Boek," p. 165, 1898.)
Wurm, Worm. — These words are hoth used in the Midland
Districts, and also in the Western Province, when speaking of
caterpillars as well as of the true worms.
Xanthium spinosum. — This weed is a source of constant
trouble to the sheep and goat farmers ; its bur attaches itself
to the wool or hair of the animal, mats it together, and largely
lessens its market value. See Boetibossi.
Xosa. — The name of a great Kaffir chief, whose people,
dwelling on the eastern frontier of the Colony, are still known
as the Ama-Xosa.
" Of the ramifications of the parent stock from Xosa to
Gconda nothing is knovsm, and it would seem that the
remembrance of the direct line has been preserved chiefly
through the perpetuation of the national name, and a desire
on the part of the antiquarians of Kaffirland to be able to
trace it to its source." (" Maclean, Compendium of Kaffir
Laws and Customs," p. 10, 1858.)
Yag, or Yah, To. — (D.jachten, to hurry, to pursue eagerly.)
To urge animals to a quicker pace ; to drive animals in a cer-
tain direction. The two Dutch words jagen anijachten are
etymologically the same, and as used in Cape Dutch their
meanings overlap, if they are not confused. See Jag.
" It is usual to yah the elephant, that is, ride with him,
before firing." (" Andersson's " The Lion and the Elephant,"
p. 329, 1873.)
" On the plain we had the good fortune to fall in with
several herds of spring buck. ... A party of Dutch Boers
jagging them and firing above, drove a herd in our direction,
giving us some splendid shots." (King's " Campaigning in
Kaffirland," p. 80, 1855.)
Yellow bell. — The popular name in Natal of a flower
allied to the saffron crocus.
"A specimen is found here in the so-called Yellow bell."
(Chapman's " Travels," ii. p 458, 1868.)
Yellow eye. — Serinus flaviventris is so-called by the boys
in Natal.
Yellow fish. — A South African river fish.
568 AFEIGANDEEISMS
" In the Mooi Eiver good fishing is to be obtained.
Yellow-fish and Siluridm, erroneously here called barbel, are
abundant and grow to a great size." (Gilmore's " On Duty,"
p. 132, 1880.)
Yellow flag. — A variety of Iris.
" Another of the same genus is the yellow flag from the
kloof streams." (" East London Dispatch," p. 5, 27 May,
1910.)
Yellow ground. — The ground in the Pipe (q.v.) of the
Kimberley Diamond Mine lying on top of the Blue ground (q.v.)
was so called by the diggers because of its colour. This
" Yellow ground " appears to be nothing other than the " Blue
ground " altered in colour and cohesiveness by the action of
the sun and atmosphere.
"If ... he came to yellow ground, a substance something
like greenish compact wood ashes, he would continue his
work for some time, in the full expectation of being rewarded
in the end by a good find." (Matthew's "Incwadi Yami," p.
142, 1887.)
Yellow Kaffir fink. — Pyromelana capensis.
" We have noticed that this bird puffs out the yellow
feathers of its back like the Puff-ball shrike, and it then
looks very pretty." (Woodward's " Natal Birds," p. 71,
1899.)
Yellow sea snake. — Hydrus platurus. See Geel Zee
slang.
Yellow snake. — Naiaflava, an exceedingly poisonous snake,
distributed all through South Africa.
" The Yellow snake is frequently found here. Though ex-
tremely poisonous their size and bright yellow colour renders
it easy to avoid them. They are from 4 to 8 feet in length."
(Paterson's " Narrative," pp. 163-4, 1789.)
Yellow spreeuw. — In some parts of the Eastern Province
Oriolus larvatus is known by this name. (Albany.)
" We may hear the beautiful flute-like notes of the Black-
headed oriole, locally known as the Yellow spreeuw." (" The
African Monthly," iv. p. 269, 1909.)
Yellow stripe rock cod. — Aulacocephalus temminokii, BleeJc,
is so designated in Natal.
Yellow tail. — Another name given to Seriola lalandii. See
Albacore.
" Cape salmon {Elops Saurus), shad {Temnodon saltator'^,
AFEICANDEEISMS 569
yellow tail {Seriola lalandii), and such-like fish." ("East
London Dispatch," 18 September, 1905.)
Yellow tulp. — Homeria pallida, Baker. See Tulp. "A
common and characteristic plant of large areas of sandy soil
in the southern Bechuanaland region." Very poisonous to
stock.
Yellow wood. — Podocarpus TMinbergii. One of the most
useful of the indigenous trees of South Africa ; it is sometimes
called the South African cedar.
Deep in the forest lies hid a green dell,
Where fresh from the Book of Elks blue waters swell ;
And fast by that fountain a Yellow wood tree
Which shelters the spot that is dearest to me.
("Pringle's Poems," p. 101, 1828.)
Yesterday, to-day, and to=morrow. — A flowering plant is
so named in Natal because the newly opened flower is white,
later it assumes a pale purple colour, and before falling off it
is a deep purple, all three being upon the plant at the same
time.
Yokescheis. — (D. schei, a transom.) Pieces of wood pass-
ing through the yoke on each side of the animal's neck,
fastened together beneath the neck by a strip of hide, they
are employed to keep the animal in its place at the yoke.
" The yokes are straight and pierced with two pairs of
mortices to receive the juh-schei, which fits in loosely, and
answers to what in English husbandry are called the hows."
(Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 151, 1822.)
" The accidental but important discovery of portions of a
broken yoke key here, enabled one of the Hottentots to
decide . . . whether the outward bound tracks upon which
we were proceeding, were those of Dutch or of Griqua
wagons." (Harris's " Wild Sports," p. 289, 1829.)
" Others in plaiting goat skins into wagon-whips, making
yoke skeis and training young oxen." (Baines' " Explorations
in South West Africa," p. 383, 1864.)
Yoking. — See Inspanning and Unyoking.
Zachtjes. — Softly, gently. See Soetjes.
Zand kruiper. — (D. zand, sand ; kruipen, to creep.) (1)
See Viool fish. According to Kaempfer this name was ap-
phed by the Dutch in Japan to quite another fish. (2) The
name is also applied to a variety of tortoise.
" Jeso, by the Dutch call'd Sandkruper, is a middling fish
570 AFEICANDEEISMS
between a smelt and an eel." (Kaempfer's " History of
Japan, 1690-92," Eeprint, i. p. 233.)
There were berg tortoises, and vlakte tortoises, and zcmd-
hruipers, and even water tortoises." (" The State," p. 643,
December, 1911.)
Zand slang. — (D. zand, sand ; slang, a snake.) Both
Psamophis trigranmms (Namaqualand) and P. jalloe are
known by this name.
Zand kweek gras. — Schrmdtia bulbosa, Stapf. " A com-
mon and characteristic grass of the southern Bechuanaland
region."
Zand mol. — (D. mol, a mole.) See Sand mole and Duin
mol.
" The giant among these burrowing mole-like animals is
known as the sand mole or zand mol." (" The State," p. 231,
September, 1912.)
Zanzibaree. — (Pers. " Zang%-ia/r, Eegion of the Blacks, was
known to the ancients in the forms Zingis and Zingium.
The Arab softening of the g made the name into Zanjibdr,
and this the Portuguese made into Zanzibar ". (Yule and
Burnell's " Anglo-Indian Glossary ".) The name Zanzibar
appears to have been applied formerly to a considerable por-
tion of the east coast of Africa, as well as to the island on
which the Sultan of Zanzibar lives, to which the name is
now generally restricted.) This was the designation given in
South Africa to those natives of the East African coast who
found their way to the Colony, in earUer days as slaves, in
later days as rescued slaves, etc.
And with my power did maroli to Zanzibar
The western (I) part of Afrio, where I viewed
The Ethiopian Sea, rivers, and lakes. . . .
(Marlowe's " Tamburlane the Great," ii. Part i. c. 3,
1586.)
" From hence we went for the Isle of Zanzibar on the
coast of Melinde, whereat wee stayed and wintered untill the
beginning of February following." (Henry May, " Hak-
luyt," IV. p. 58, 1592.)
Zarp. — A slang name given to the police of the Transvaal
Eepublic ; it is formed from the initials of their official desig-
nation— Zuid Afrikaansche Bepubliek Politie — South African
Eepublic Police. The word had become generally current
before the recent Anglo-Boer war.
AFEICANDEEISMS 571
"On the right is an average specimen of the Zarp or
policeman examining mine Kaffir passes." (" Cape Argus,"
Weekly Edition, p. 18, 8 December, 1897.)
Zebra,— See Wilde paard. P. Tachard, "Voyage to
Siam," p. 65, 1688, describes a marvellous specimen : " As
for the asses they are of all colours, they have a long blew
list on the back that reaches from head to tail, and the rest
of the body hke the horse, full of pretty broad streaks, blew,
yellow, green, black, and white, all very lively." Needless to
say this variety requires to be re-discovered.
" The word Zebra is of Galle deviation, the Abyssinian
name being Zeora or Zecora. (" The Scientific African," p.
79, 1897.)
Zebra fish. — Sargus cervinus. The name has reference
to several well-defined stripes running across the body of this
fish. See Wilde paard and Gold stripes.
" A few fish are being taken from the Buffalo . . . silvers
and grunters, and occasionally a small skate or zebra."
(" East London Dispatch," p. 7, 29 July, 1905.)
Zebra waxbill. — Estrilda subflava.
Zee bamboes. — (D. zee, sea ; bamboes, bamboo.) EcMonia
bucdnalis ; the name given to this alga by the Dutch. See
Trumpets.
" The Dutch call this plant Zee bambos (sea bamboos), and
boys, after cutting its stalk to a convenient length when dry,
sometimes amuse themselves in blowing it as a horn or
trumpet." (Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 28, 1822.)
Zee basje. — The Cape Peninsula name of the fish known
at Mossel Bay as the Zeverrim (q.v.).
Zee boon. — (D. zee, sea; boon, a bean.) The bean of
Pursmtha scandens, which is often washed up on our shores.
The plant is a native of the tropics.
Zee kastanjes. — (D. zee, sea ; kastanje, a chestnut.)
Several species of Echinus are so named.
Zee kat. — (D. zee, sea ; Jcat, cat.) The octopus. See
Cat-fish.
Zee-kat schulp. — (D. schulp, a shell.) The beautiful shell
of the female paper nautilus, Argonauta argo, found on our
coasts.
Zee koe. — See Sea-cow.
Zeekoe gat. — (D. gat, a hole, opening.) Deep reaches in
a river, which, because in time of drought they still contained
572 AFEICANDEEISMS
water, were the favourite haunts of the huge hippopotamus
or sea-cow.
" These ponds called Zeekoe-gatten (Sea-cow holes) are
generally supposed to have been made by hippopotami."
(Burchell's " Travels," i. p. 263, 1822.)
" At this period the Eiver of Baboons was a mere rill,
gurgling gently along its course, or gathering here and there
into natural tanks, called in the language of the country
zeekoe-gats." (Pringle's " Narrative," p. 11, 1840.)
Zeekoe spek. — (D. spek, bacon, fat.) The fat of the hippo-
potamus is considered a great delicacy, and in the earlier
days of the Colony was an important article in Cape cookery.
" The ribs are covered with a thick layer of fat, celebrated
as the greatest delicacy, and known to the colonists as a
rarity by the name of zeekoe spek (sea-cow pork)." (Bur-
chell's " Travels," i. p. 411, 1822.)
" The fat (Zeekoe spek) being in high estimation in the
Dutch cuisine." (Barter's " The Dorp and the Veld," p. 42,
1852.)
Zee korall. — (D. zee, sea ; koraal, coral.) Salicornia fruti-
cosa. (Thunberg's " Flora Capensis," p. 1, 1823.)
Zee kroon.— (D. zee, sea ; kroon, a crown.) The name
given by the Cape fishermen to Gorgonocephalus verrucosa,
because of its branching arms.
Zeer oog bloemetje. — (D. zeer, sore ; oog, eye ; bloem, a
flower.) Various species of AmarylUdece, Ammocharis fal-
cata, Herb., Amaryllis belladonna, L., Brunsvigia sp. and
Buphane disticha. Herb. , are so called because they happen to
flower at the season of the year when ophthalmia or " sore
eyes " is prevalent, and are popularly supposed to be in some
way connected with the disease. See Sore-eye flower.
Zeer oog sprinkhaan. — (D. zeer, sore ; oog, an eye ; sprink-
haan, locust.) This seems to be Phymateus morbillosus.
" The large queen locust, occurring sparsely all over the
whole country, and well known as the Zeer oog sprinkaan."
(" Trans. S.A. Phil. Soc," p. C, viii. Part i. 1893.)
Zee schildpad. — (D. zee, sea ; schildpad, a tortoise.) A
mafrine turtle ; these are occasionally found on the South
African coast.
Zee schuitn. — (D. zee, sea ; schuim, foam, froth, scum.)
The flat, oval, calcareous cuttle bone (ps sepice) has received
this name.
AFEICANDEEISMS 573
Zee slak.— (D. slah, snail, slug.) The Eiversdale name
of a shell-fish.
Zee slang.— (D. zee, sea ; slang, a snake.) Bdellostoma
cirrhatum, one of the Cydostomdta, is known by this name,
because of its snake-hke appearance. See also Sea snake.
Zeetak.— (D. zee, the sea, ocean ; taJc, a bough, branch.)
Gorgonia flammea is formed all round the South African~coast,
and has received this name from the Dutch. See Eed coral.
" The ' red-coral ' or zee-tak {Gorgonia flammea) so fre-
quently thrown upon the shore." ("The South African
Journal of Science," vii. p. 216, 1911.)
Zee vark. — (D. zee, sea ; varken, hog, pig, swine.) Diodon
hystrix. See Porcupine-fish.
Zeker. — (D. zeker, sure, certain ; cf. G. sicher, safe, secure ;
and Scotch sicker, with the same meaning.) Certain, secure ;
the word is also used as an adverb.
Toddlin' down on Willie's mill,
Settin' my staff wi' a' my skill,
To keep me sicker.
Burns's " Death and Dr. Hornbook ".
Zeven jaartjes. — (D. zeven, seven ; jaar, a year.) The
Cape Dutch name for the flowers known to the English
colonists as " Everlastings " (q.v.).
"De zeven jaartjes (Helichrysum) met witte, gale, rose en
bruingekleurde bloemen, die minstens zeven jaren nadat zij
geplukt zijn hare frissche kleuren behouden. Men vlecht ze
tot kransen, maakt er bouquetten, enz." (Cachet's "De
Worstelstrijd der Transvaler," p. 342 n., 1882.)
"So auch sewe-jaartjiisylmmoitelleii." ("Die Sprache
der Buren," p. 50, 1901.)
" The Sieben Jahre that are exported annually in thousands
of tons to Germany and France, and America, and are sup-
posed to last seven years." (" Cape Times," p. 8, 3 September,
1904.)
Zeverrim. — The Mossel Bay name for Pagellus mormyrus.
See Zee basje.
" We have hitherto considered names for which deriva-
tions can be suggested. . . . There are a few, however, for
which no plausible derivation can be discovered. These are
bafaro, assous, zeverrim, katonkel, Joseph, and itg variations,
574 AFEICANDEEISMS
oortje, forfarin, sanchord." (Gilchrist's "History of the
Local Names of Cape Fish," p. 224, 1900.)
Zibiba. — (Z. isi Biba, " A mixture of many bitter or poison-
ous things, used as an antidote for snake bites ". (Dohne,
" Zulu-Kaffir Diet." in loc.) A native remedy for snake bite.
"Here in South Africa the native population for genera-
tions has had unquestioning faith in the antidotal effects of
a substance known as zibiba." (Fitzsimon's "Snakes of
South Africa," vi. 1912.)
Ziekte troost. — (D. ziekentroost, comfort for the sick.) See
Platdoorn.
" Hier groei oek nog iits anders in di veld, dat genoem
v?ord siehentroost of platdoorn." (Dijkman's " Kook, Koek
en Eesepten Boek," p. 147, 1898.)
Zijde bast. — (D. zijde, silk ; bast, bark, rind.) Oymnosporia
acuminata. See Silkbark.
Zijde bloem. — (D. zijde, silk ; bloem, a flower.) (Ixia
secunda. Thunberg's " Flora Capensis," p. 57, 1823.)
Geissorhiza secunda, Eer.
Zinkins. — (D. zinhings, rheum.) See Sinkings.
" There is another disease . . . called the Zinkins affecting
one side of the face with pain and swelling." (Hoodie's " Ten
Years in South Africa," i. p. 42, 1835.)
Zit kamer. — (D. zitten, to sit ; kamer, a room, chamber.)
The " sitting-room " or parlour of a Dutch house.
" He saw his mother standing at the door of the zitkamer,
looking under the protecting palm of her hand over the level
plains." (" The Argus Christmas Annual," p. 12, 1904.)
Zoel. — (D. zoel, close, sultry ; Gr. schioul.) Sultry, damp
heat.
Zoet doom. — (D. zoet, sweet, lovely.) The Transvaal
name for Acacia horrida.
" The only compensation seems to be afforded by the
zoetdoorn (one of the Acacias). These trees started flowering
early in the season." (" S.A. Agric. Jour.," p. 790, June,
1912.)
Zoethout bosje. — (D. zoethout, liquorice ; bos, a bush.)
Bafnia amplexicaulis, Thunb. The roots of this bush have a
taste much like liquorice, and are used as a remedy for coughs
and colds.
Zolder. — A loft, up-stairs. See under Brand-zolder.
Zon onder and Zon op. — See Sun under and Sun up.
" De wagen kwam bijna zononder te Worcester aan."
AFEICANDEEISMS 575
(Hofmeyr's " Twintig Jaren in Zoutpansberg," p. 44,
1890.)
" In fact, it is a common belief that eels and fresh-water
tortoises are only found in streams flowing zon op, i.e. into the
Indian Ocean." ("Trans. S.A. Phil. Soc," viii. p. xcvi.
Part I. 1893.)
Zoute bosch. — (D. zout, salt.) Atriplex halimus. See
Vaalbrach.
" Here we find . . . several kinds of ' air-plants,' ' canne
doet's,' or aloes, and the Zoute bosche." ("Trans. S.A.
Phil. Soc," I. Part i. p. 24, 1878.)
Zuiker bekjes. — (D. zuiJcer, sugar ; bek, beak, nose.)
The name given by the Dutch to the Sugar birds. Nectari-
Zuiker bosch. — See Sugar-bush and Tulpboom.
Zuikerkan. — (D. zuiker, sugar ; kan, a mug, pot.) Gladi-
olus Watsonius. (Thunberg's " Flora Capensis," p. 41, 1823.)
Zulu. — (Kaf. u Zulu, " Literally a vagabond, an exile.
This is the national name of the people belonging to the Zulu
tribe," (Dohne). Others interpret the word as meaning
"a being from above"; i Zulu, the sky, the heaven.) The
earlier orthography was Zoola or Zoolah.
Zulus. — A name by which certain cattle bred in Zululand
are known ; they are somewhat small in build, but are hardy
and equal to almost any amount of work.
" A span of large oxen of the large Fatherland breed, which
though highly prized are surpassed for all working purposes
by the light and hardy Zulus." (Barter's "The Dorp and
the Veld," p. 155, 1852.)
Zuring. — (D. zuring, sorrel.) Various species of Oxalidece
are so termed by the Dutch ; the leaves were used to clean
and stain the " Crackers " (q.v.) which the colonists of earlier
days wore.
" If they could afford to sport cuffs or facings of jackal's
or tiger's fur, so much the better, they might then calculate
on making quite a sensation among the fair sex, especially if
the zumin ( ? zuring) had done its Saturday duty, and had
given the proper bright yellow to the ' crackers '. " (Dugmore's
" Eeminiscences of an Albany Settler," p. 17, 1871.)
" Leather pantaloons, these were euphoniously termed
' crackers ' from the peculiar noise which they made when
in motion. ... I remember that they used to clean them
576 APEICANDEEISMS
with sour grass — a kind of sorrel." (Lucas's " The Zulus
and the British Frontier," p. 88, 1879.)
Zuringkies. — (D. zuring, sorrel.) Both Oxalis cernua aiaA
Bumex acetosella are known by this name, the reference
being to the pleasantly acid taste of the leaves and stalks.
Zuurbesjes. — (D.^wwr, sour; 6es, a berry.) (1) The fruit of
Dovyalis rhamnoides, Burch. (2) The name is also applied
to various other acid berries — D. rotundifolia and Harpe-
phyllum caffrum.
" There is also now ripe in the woods a small, oval, red
berry called Zuur hezy, sour berry ; it is of moderate and
sweetish flavour, when thoroughly matured, and is produced
by a thick bush, having small leaves, and opposite, straight,
green thorns." (Backhouse's " Narrative," p. 206, 1844.)
" The tree (Harpephyllum caffrum) is called by the in-
habitants Eschenhout ; the edible fruit Zuurhesges (!) " (" Flora
Capensis," Vol. i. p. 525, 1859-60.)
Zuur-karree. •— iJAws tridactyla is so called in Bechuana-
land.
Zuurlimoensop. — (D. zuur, sour ; limoen, a lemon ; sop,
in Cape Dutch means soup or broth.) (1) Lemon juice.
(2) A deceit or intrigue.
Zuurpol. — (D. zuur, sour ; pol, a shrub.) EUonurus a/rgent-
eus, Nees. A widely spread grass, but common in the Eastern
District and Natal.
" Many Free State farmers are of opinion that the grass-
veld in which cattle contract the disease (lamziekte) princi-
pally consists of ' rooigras,' zuurpol, and ' beestegras '."
(" S.A. Agric. Jour.," p. 39, July, 1912.)
Zuurtje. — (D. zier, an atom, trifle, small thing.) Part of
an orange or lemon.
Zuur vijg. — (D. zuur, sour ; vijg, a fig.) A small Mesem-
bryanthemum, the fruit of which is only eaten when dried.
Zuurveld. — See Sourveld.
' " The head-quarter encampment in the Zuurveld shall
be designated and acknowledged by the name of Grahams-
town in testimony of His Excellency the Governor, Sir John
Francis Cradock's respect for the services of Colonel Graham,
through whose able exertions the Kaffirs were expelled from
the territory. " (" Official Dispatch," dated 14 August, 1812.)
Zwaar, — (D. zwar, heavy ; cf. G. schwer ; the Scotch have
the word sweer with a somewhat similar meaning ; e.g.
APEICANDEEISMS ' 577
" Sweer to bed and sweer up in the morning.") (Allan Kam-
say's " Scotch Proverbs ".) Heavy, difficult.
Zwager or Zwa'ar. — (D. zwager, a brother-in-law ; cf.
Gr. Schwager ; and Scotch swagers, men married to sisters.)
A brother-in-law.
Zwart. — (D. zwart, black.) Applied contemptuously to
natives.
" You wish to eat goat's flesh do you schelm ? Accursed
zwaart (black) is that the kind of meat you are desirous of
making." (Kay's " Caffrarian Eesearches," p. 246, 1833.)
Zwart aasvogel. — (D. zwart, black ; aas, carrion ; vogel,
a bird, fowl.) Otogyps auricularis. See Koning aasvogel.
" It is generally known as the black vulture." (Wood-
ward's " Natal Birds," p. 137, 1899.)
Zwart bast. — (D. zwart, black; bast, bark.) Boyena
lucida. The bark of this tree is black under the skin. Ac-
cording to Dr. Pappe, " Silva Capensis," Gardenia Eothmannia
is also so called.
Zwart- bast boom. — The name apphed in the Transvaal
to Myrsine melanophloeos, Mez.
Zwart bij-vanger. — (D. zwart, black ; bij, a bee ; vangen,
to catch.) Dicrocercus forficatus. See Bij-vanger.
" Our drongo shrike or zwart bij-vanger, the common
black bird present in every bush." (" East London Dispatch,"
p. 4, 4 December, 1908.)
Zwart canariebijter. — (D. zwart, black ; bijten, to bite.)
Dryoscopus ferrugineous. See Bonte canariebijter.
Zwart-goed. — (D. zwart, black ; goed, goods, things, stuff.)
A phrase in common use among the Dutch, and applied by
them to their Hottentot or Kaffir servants ; the phrase has
come down from the old slave-owning days.
"The sable part of my congregation was all decently
attired, and several upon chairs, a circumstance that rarely
occurs in a Boer's house, the zwaarte goederen, ' black goods '
as they are frequently termed, being generally required to sit
on the floor." (Kay's "Caffrarian Eesearches," p. 442,
1833.)
" In addressing that hon'ble house he would beg of him
. . . not to speak of the zwart goed (black things) as menschen
(beings endowed with souls), but simply as ' Kaffers '.
(" Queenstown Free Press," 31 March, 1863.)
" Their sturdy vrouws were not one whit less self-reliant
578 AFEICANDEEISMS
than themselves, and ruled their extensive and unkempt
broods, and 'baased up' the zwaart-goed." (Mitford's
" Expiation of Wynne Palliser," p. 245, 1896.)
Zwart-haak. — (D. zwart, black; haak, a hook.) A
species of thorn tree, Acaaia detinens.
" Sweet grass and small shrubs varied with very good
large bush and trees, as knoppiesdoorn, zwart-haak." (Du
Toifs "Ehodesia," p. 32, 1897.)
Zwart hout. — (D. zwart, black ; hout, wood.) Gymno-
sporia peduncularis. The heart- wood of this tree is nearly
black when mature. Gardenia Bothmannia is also go called
in the Transvaal.
Zwartkop's Bay. — Another name for Algoa bay (q.v.).
" Zwartkop's Bay, indeed, seems to hold out very consider-
able advantages in the fishing trade." (Barrow's " Travels,"
I. p. 132, 1801.)
Zwart kraai. — (D. zwart, black ; kraai, a crow.) Hetero-
corax capensis.
Zwart muishond. — Herpestes pulverulentus. See Bruin
kommetje-gat kat.
Zwart ruggens. — (D. zwart, black; rug, a back; cf.
G. Bilck ; Eng. ridge.) The country between Graaff Eeinet
and Uitenhage, lying to the west of the railway, is thus
designated, because of the succession of rolling ridges covered
with darkly coloured herbage, by which it is characterized.
These are supposed to bear some resemblance to the backs of
cattle crowded into a narrow space.
" This part of the district is called the Zwaart ruggens, or
Black ridges." (Barrow's " Travels," i. p. 119, 1801.)
Zwart slang. — (D. zwart, black ; slang, a snake.) Pseudas-
pis cana, the Mole snake, mottled when young, but uniformly
black when full grown ; a somewhat common snake in the
karoo.
"Different species of what the Dutch term 'schaap
stiker ' or ' sheep-sticker "... the zwart slang or ' black
snake,' etc., are occasionally met with." (Andersson's " Lake
Ngami," p. 303, 1856.)
Zwart-voorlijf. — (D. zwart, black ; voorlijf, the fore part
of the body ; cf. G. Leib.) The name given by the Dutch to
a supposed variety of lion, distinguished by the dark colour
of the body, as compared with the Geel-voorliff (q.v.) variety.
" This appearance has given rise to a prevailing opinion
AFEICANDEEISMS 579
among the Boers, that there are two distinct varieties of lions,
which they distinguish by the respective names of Schivart-
forelife and ' Chiel forehfe,' this idea is, however, erroneous."
(Gordon Cumming's "Adventures," i. p. 195, 1850.)
Zwart-wit-pens. — (D. zwart, black ; wit, white ; pens, a
paunch, stomach.) Hippotragus niger, or the Sable antelope.
The name refers to the black and white markings on the under
part of the animal, lit. " black and white belly ". See Harris-
buck.
" A Boer tobacco pouch of the skin of the swart-ven-pens."
(Haggard's " King Solomon's Mines," p. 25, 1887.)
" The Sable antelope, zwart-wit-pens, i.e. ' black and white
belly '." (Bryden's " Kloof and Karoo," p. 284, 1889.)
Zwart Zee slang. — (D. zwart, black ; zee, sea ; slang, a
snake.) Hydrus platurus. See Black Sea snake.
Zwartzuur. — (D. zwart, black ; zuur, sour.) A homely
Cape dish, one of the ingredients of which should be the blood
of a duck.
ABERDEEN : THE ONIVEBBITY PBBSS