You Better Read This, Hey !
- What is a Braai?
It is the first thing you will be invited to when you visit South Africa. A Braai is a backyard barbeque and it will take place whatever the weather. So you will have to go, even if it's raining like mad and "hang of" a cold. At a Braai you will be introduced to a substance known as mieliepap. Read further for explanations of "pap" and the term "hang of". - Ag:
This is one of the most useful South African words. Pronounced like "ach" in the German "achtung", it can be used to start a reply when you are asked a tricky question, as in : "Ag I don't know". Or a sense of resignation : "Ag, I'll have some more pap then". It can stand alone too as a signal of irritation or of pleasure. - Ag Shame:
This inane comment or conversation fall-back word, is used frequently when sighting something small or cute or on being told of someone's misfortune, such as : "Ag shame, look at that cute baby", or "Ag shame, I hear your car was hijacked", or in general terms : "Ag shame, look at that lekker* braai fire. Read further to have the word "lekker" explained. - Biltong:
Similar to jerky, it is dried, salted meat and can be made from beef, ostrich, antelope or anything that was once alive and fairly large. It is usual for expatriate South Africans to say "What I really miss is my biltong, man". - Bioscope:
Pronounced "byscope" - its use is going out of fashion and in some urban areas, regrettably it is being replaced by "movies" and "flicks". Sometime it is reduced to "bio" or "scopes", but you may still be asked if you would like to go to the byscope. - Blooming:
Pronounced "blimming", it is roughly equivalent to "helluva", as in : "Ag, that pap I had at the braai made me blimming sick". For emphasis, "blooming" can be replaced by "bladdy", which in turn, is a corruption of the Australian "bloody". - Café:
This is the generic term for convenience stores and it is pronounced "caff" or "cayf". Traditionally operated by people of Portuguese, Greek or Asian ancestry, it is a good place to buy smokes (q.v.), biltong or the Alka Seltzer you will need after trying the pap at the braai. - Dirtbin:
Self-explanatory, this is a garbage can. It is also called a "rubbish bin". If you refer to rubbish as "garbage", you will be considered blooming pretentious. - Doll:
A term of affection between males and females, used mostly in the Johannesburg area. A corrupted form of "darling", it will be heard thus : "Your turn to take out the dirtbin, Doll". "But I took it out last time, Doll". "Well, take the bladdy thing out again, Doll".
Now that you know what a braai is, here are some other words and phrases you will encounter in South Africa, used by folk of all persuasions, genders and ethnic adherences. You do need to know what they mean. Really.