South Africanisms....made in South Africa.

Here is a working list of words that I have heard here that for me have different meanings. I think some of these words are originally South African and others come from the UK or other sources and have either been adopted or adapted into the South African vernacular.

This list is not complete but a work in progress and it is not to say that these words would have the same meaning for all South Africans. I will give the word first and then the word I would normally use followed by an example.

Hoot = honk, ex. like a car

Tick = check, ex. as in “checking” a box to vote or while taking a test

Boot = trunk, ex. of a car not an elephant

Geyser = hot water heater (pronounced like geezer and really made me laugh first time I heard it), ex. used to heat the water in your house

Wedgie = type or style of women’s shoes (not where you pull someone’s boxers, briefs, etc. up to an uncomfortable position), ex. fashionable shoes with high heels.

Robot = traffic light, ex. the robot was broken so it became a four way stop