Madiba (pronounced muh-dee-buh) - The name used by many South Africans when speaking about former president Nelson Mandela. It is used affectionately, but is actually the name of his clan. It is so widely used that even the media refer to Mandela as Madiba.
| Marmite - A popular spread made from a salty vegetable extract and used on bread or toast. As popular among South Africans as peanut butter is with Americans.
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Naartjie (pronounced nar-chee) - The South African name for a tangerine. This fruit is favoured by rougher elements in the crowd at a rugby game because it is a handy size for throwing and explodes on impact when it strikes the referee. The practice of throwing naartjies at referees is not encouraged, however, and could get you thrown out of the ground.
| Nappy- A baby's diaper, used as in: "John's nappy needs to be changed."
| No way - An expression of surprise and disbelief, as in "We won the game!" - "No way, I can't believe it."
| Now now - This is not intended to comfort but means shortly, as in: "I will be there now now."
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Oke, ou - A colloquial reference to a man, similar to "guy", "chap" or "bloke". For example: "Do you know that oke?" The word "ou" (pronounced oh) can be used interchangeably.
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Pasop (pronounced pus-orp) - This Afrikaans word means "Beware" or "Watch out". Depending on context it can mean different things. If a huge Neanderthal tells you to "pasop", it is wise to leave. Alternatively, it might be used when someone is moving a heavy object and is warning people to keep out of the way in case they drop it.
| | Pavement - South Africans walk on pavements and drive cars on the road (at least that's the idea). The pavement is the sidewalk. For example, a sign might prohibit the use of skateboards, roller blades and bicycles on the pavement. | Platteland (pronounced plutt-uh-lunt) - Countryside where small town or dorps are found. The term is taken from Afrikaans and literally means "flat land". However, in English it could be used to describe areas of the Cape winelands, for example, which might be hilly or even mountainous.
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Robot - South Africans tend to refer to traffic lights as robots. Sometimes they pronounce the word "row-bow". An example of usage would be when giving directions: "Turn left at the second robot."
| | Rock up - To arrive somewhere unannounced or uninvited. It's the kind of thing friends do: "I was going to go out but then my china rocked up." You wouldn't rock up at a formal occasion - chances are you would be denied entrance. | | Rooibos (pronounced roy-borss) - A popular South African tea made in the Cape from the Cyclopia genistoides bush. Rooibos is an Afrikaans word meaning "red bush". When people speak of rooibos they are referring to rooibos tea. | Rooinek (pronounced roy-neck) - Taken from the Afrikaans this translates as "red neck", but does not mean the same as it does in the United States. It was first used by Afrikaners many decades ago to refer to Englishmen, because of the way their white necks would turn pink from sunburn. Today it is often used by Afrikaans speakers as a term of affection towards English speakers, as in: "Hey rooinek, how are you? I haven't seen you for a long time."
| | Rubbish bin (alternatively dustbin or dirt bin) - The name for a garbage can, a term you will not hear used in South Africa. |
Samoosa (pronounced suh-moo-suh) - A small, spicy, triangular-shaped pie that has been deep-fried in oil. Made by the Indian and Malay communities, samoosas are popular with South Africans in general.
| | Sarmie - Colloquial term for a sandwich. If you are going on a picnic and your hosts tell you they have packed sarmies, you will at least know they have remembered to pack something to eat. | Scale - To scale something means to steal it. If someone is scaly then he or she is not a person that you would trust.
| | Shame - Unlike elsewhere in the world, this is an expression that broadly denotes sympathetic feeling. For example, when admiring a baby someone might say: "Ag shame!" to indicate that the baby is cute. | | Skinder, skinner (pronounced skinner) - Gossip, as in: "Hey china, have you heard the latest skinner?" Someone who talks behind someone's back is known as a skinnerbek. Example: "Jislaaik bru, I'm going to donner that skinnerbek for skinnering about me." Translation: "Gee my friend, I'm going to hit that guy for gossiping about me behind my back." | Skop, skiet en donder (pronounced skorp, skeet en donner) - Taken from Afrikaans this literally means "kick, shoot and thunder". It is an expression used to describe a lively action movie - think Jean-Claude van Damme or Steven Seagal.
| Skrik - This word means fright and will often be used as follows: "I caught a big skrik." You'll catch a skrik when there is a sudden noise behind your back or if a car veers in front of you on the highway.
| Slap chips (pronounced slup chips) - French fries, usually soft, oily and vinegar-drenched, bought in a brown paper bag. "Slap" is an Afrikaans word meaning "limp", which is how French fries are generally made here. If that's not how you like them, be sure to order them "crispy".
| Slip slops, slops - Sandals or rubber thongs worn to the beach. These usually have a thin strap between the big toe and the toe next to it. Not to be worn with socks!
| Smokes - Slang for cigarettes, as in "What have I done with my smokes?"
| Snoek (pronounced like book) - This is a popular and tasty fish, often eaten smoked. if you're lucky you may get to experience a "snoek braai" - a real South African treat.
| Spanspek - The South African word for cantaloupe. A request for a cantaloupe is likely to be met with a blank stare or bemused grin, indicating that your waitron has no idea what you are referring to.
| Standard - The equivalent of "grade" in the schooling system. The first two years of a South African child's schooling are spent in Sub-A and Sub-B. Thereafter they progress to Standard One and eventually finish school after completing Standard Ten, which is also known as Matric.
| | Still - Often used to mean "on the other hand", as in "Still ... you never know." It is also used in place of "nonetheless" or "regardless". For example, when indicating that you plan to continue on a course of action even though you have been presented with various arguments as to why you shouldn't, you might say: "Still ... it's my choice and I'll take responsibility for my decisions." | Stroppy - Used to describe a difficult and unco-operative person. For example: "I tried to help my china to his car after a few dops too many, but he was really stroppy and refused my help, falling all over the place instead."
| Struesbob (pronounced s-true-zz-bob) - "As true as God", meaning it's the gospel truth. An example is: "I decided to bet just R10 at the horse races and struesbob I won R2 000."
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Tackies - Running shoes or sneakers. Used in conjunction with the word fat, as in "fat tackies", it describes extra wide tyres. Example: "Look at the fat tackies on that motorbike!"
| Tannie (pronounced tunny) - This Afrikaans word literally means "auntie", but is used by Afrikaners as a sign of respect for any woman who is 10 or more years older than themselves. If a tannie is described as kwaai (pronounced kwhy), it means they are aggressive and not to be trifled with.
| Throw with - Used instead of the correct version "throw at". For example, a South African might say: "I'm going to throw you with a stone", meaning "I'm going to throw a stone at you." This confusion arises because of the Afrikaans "gooi met", which means "throw at" but translates directly as "throw with".
| | Tinkle - If someone asks you to give them a tinkle, don't be concerned. They are simply asking you to phone them. | To die for - An expression popular in the affluent suburbs of Johannesburg and Cape Town, denoting enthusiastic approval for an object or person. For example, "That necklace is to die for" or "Check out that hunk - isn't he to die for?" It is often pronounced "to dah for".
| | Tom - Slang for money. It's the kind of word you might use when pooling your resources with a mate in order to buy something to eat while watching rugby. You'd say: "Hey bru, how much tom do we have between us?" in the hope that you could afford to buy enough biltong to last the duration of the match. | Tune grief - To cause trouble. If you are told not to "tune grief" to the huge Neanderthal, you are being advised not to aggravate and upset him. If you tell someone not to "tune me grief", you are telling him not to look for trouble.
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Van der Merwe (pronounced fun-duh-mer-vuh) - Van der Merwe is the butt of many a South African joke, much like Paddy is in Irish jokes. Sometimes he is just called "Van" (pronounced the English way).
| Vrot (pronounced frot) - Taken from Afrikaans, this word describes something as rotten. For example, "This apple is vrot." Alternatively, it can be used to describe something as smelly. "Jislaaik china, put your tackies back on, they're vrot."
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Windgat (pronounced vint-ghut) - This means a show-off. Taken from the Afrikaans, it literally means "wind hole" and refers to a show-off blowing his own trumpet. Not to be used in polite conversation.
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