by Carol Gibbs
little madam (literal) – white girl
meerkat
mongoose
mêtjies
matches
met ’n handline daar in Kalkbaai se harbour
(snoek) caught with a handline in Kalk Bay harbour
moenie hier rondstaan en tande tel nie
don’t stand around with a mouth full of teeth (literal), don’t stand around gawping, make yourself useful
moenie huil nie
don’t cry
moenie kak gesels nie
don’t talk shit (literal), don’t talk rubbish
moer
assault, beat up
moer coffee
percolated coffee made from ground beans
mombakkies
a mask
mos
of course
Mossienes
Sparrows’ Nest, referring to a densely inhabited area muis onder die kombers a supper dish, meatballs wrapped in cabbage leaves
my kind
my child
N
Natives
black people – common terminology during apartheid years
Nee
no
O
o brandewyn, laat my staan
oh brandy, leave me alone
ooo God-ta
oh my God
oogappel
apple of (one’s) eye, a favourite
oi vey
oh dear – Yiddish expression of dismay
ook maar mens
also only human
Ons Heilandse Vader, die Jirre
Our Holy Father, the Lord
Oom Paul halfpond
Uncle Paul (Kruger) half pound
oppas
be careful, watch out
oppas, ek het my Afrikaanse tande in vandag. Ek is vuil met my bek maar my koek is op sy plek!
Be careful I have my Afrikaans teeth in (literal), meaning I might have a foul mouth but my nether regions know how to behave
ossewa
ox wagon
Ouma en Oupa
… traditional Afrikaans ditty
… sit op die stoep
… sitting on the stoep, Grandpa lets out a loud fart. Grandma asks, what’s the matter? And Grandpa says, my bum is sore.
ou mans balle
old man’s balls (testicles)
P
pakkie
small packet or parcel
pap
flabby, soft
pasella
free, bonsella
pens en pootjies
tripe and trotters
peperkorrels
peppercorns, describing hair
perlemoen
abalone (shell fish)
pienkes
pink ones
pikkies
little ones
plankies
small planks
poep
fart, shit
poepdronk
farting drunk
poephol
anus, arsehole
present
gift
R
regmaker
hangover cure
riempie chairs
chairs with leather thong seats
rooinek
red neck (literal) – derogatory name for an Englishman
ry met die rooiperd
ride with the red horse (literal), refers to image of Pegasus used by Mobil Oil
S
saam gesteel, saam dedeel
stolen together, shared together (literal), equally guilty
‘Sarie Marais’
traditional Afrikaans song from the Transvaal
Schlaf wohl du Himmelsknabe
Sleep well heavenly babe (masculine form)
schweinhund
pig dog (literal) – insult
sis, man
expression of disgust
skattebol
treasure – term of endearment
sit murg in jou pype
puts marrow in your pipes (literal), makes you strong
skei
yoke pin
skinner
gossip
skollie
ruffian, hooligan
skoppie
dust pan
skywe
cigarettes
sloot
furrow, ditch
snoek horn
horn used by snoek seller (fish merchant) to advertise his wares
snoep
stingy
sodies
marbles from the necks of soda water bottles
soengroet
kiss hello or goodbye
so gemaak en so gelaat staan
they’re made that way and they’ll stay that way
son of maan
sun or moon
soos ’n hond agter vrot vleis
like a dog going after bad meat
spanspek
sweet melon
spookasem
ghost’s breath (literal), something insubstantial
steek ’n dop
have a drink
spots
wartime slang for alcoholic drinks
stoep
verandah
stokkie
little stick (lit) – a young boy’s erect penis
stokvis
hake, stock fish
stoofpatats
baked sweet potatoes
Stoot die bogger
Push the bugger (literally), derived from the similar-sounding name of a Studebaker motorcar
stukkie
small piece
stygie
tail-bone, coccyx
T
tamatiebredie
tomato stew
tammeletjie
toffee
Ta-ra-ra boomderay, Mavis het ’n vark gery
Ta-ra-ra boomderay, Mavis rode a pig, children’s nonsense song
Thula
hush, used in lullabye
tokoloshe
mischievous and malicious spirit
toktokkie
knock-knock (literal) – game played after dark aimed at scaring the occupants of the house
tolletjie
cotton reel
tolletjiestafel
table with legs made from cottonreels
tonteldoos
tinder box for lighting a spark
totsiens
until we see each other (literal) – goodbye
totsiens tot weersiens
until we meet again (literal) – goodbye
U
uit
out (literal), get out
uit die blou van onze hemel
from the blue of our heavens – excerpt from the South African national anthem (words by CJ Langenhoven)
V
vaaljapie
new or rough wine
versigtig
careful
verskriklik
frightening
vlei
body of water
voeg ’n bietjie water by
add a bit of water (literal), water down the alcohol
volk
nation
voetsek
away with you, get lost
voortrekker
pioneer who went ahead to find a place to settle
vrot
rotten
W
Waar’s jou maniere? In jou sak?
Where are your manners? In your pocket?
waterblommetjiebredie
water lily stew (literal) – lamb stew made with seasonal water plants
was julle hande
wash your hands
wat is ’n huis sonder ’n vader?
What is a house without a father?
we-lah-ke-pelah
childish taunt werk want die nag kom nader
wat maak jy?
what are you doing?
wat nie dood maak nie maak vet
what doesn’t kill fa
ttens
werk want die nag kom nader
work as night is approaching, excerpt from a hymn
wie’s hulle?
who are they?
The sequel to All Things Bright and Broken continues where the first book ends …
I am crying softly into my pillow so I don’t wake Desiree. She says she’s excited, but I’m sure she also has an awful feeling in her stomach just like me. What will happen to Mommy when we’re gone? Who will protect her when Daddy finds her hiding in the wardrobe or under the bed? That’s our job. I’m not strong, but I hold onto him when he pulls at my mommy’s clothes. I can shout if the Black Maria is about and if I shout extra loud Aunty Dolly hears us from across the road.
Somehow, Mommy has scraped the money together for our new school uniforms. What will it be like to be away from home for a whole term at a time?
“The van is out of commission. We’ll have to phone for a taxi.”
We clamber in with all our luggage and our fluttering hearts. My tummy is churning, but I’m smiling and I’ve almost forgotten my worries about Mommy. Daddy has told everyone he is sending us to boarding school so we can learn Afrikaans. It sounds reasonable to the rest of the world, but we know we’re going away so I can stop wetting the bed and we can all stop shivering and shaking on brandy nights.
Suddenly the warning bell rings. The guard waves his green flag and blows his whistle. Now we know this is real. We’re off to boarding school, whether we like it or not, and there’s no turning back now.