10 June Weekly Roundup

It was a calm relatively cool Wednesday. Parts of South Africa was enjoying the last of the sunny warmth as winter etched ever closer to our nose, toes and fingertips... The euphoria of the 2010 World Cup has for some prolonged the miserable cold.

And then as the hour struck 12, there was an explosion of noise... from Somerset to Sandton, every person was of of the impression that they were able to hold the blue notes like Miles Davis or Kenny G - trouble was that it was not a saxophone they were blowing into... It was the Vuvuzelaaaaargh!!!!

The latest is as per the pic on the left, Mr. Blatter wanting to add more to the FIFA coffers before he leaves SA in mid July. Apparently the Pay for Blow tax has a lot of employees in the worlds oldest profession very worked up!!!

Heres some interesting facts: In its annual financial report, published in March, FIFA said it had made a profit of 196 million dollars in 2009 and amassed 1.061 billion dollars in reserves. And then there is the matter of SARS not taxing FIFA on customs, duties and VAT - FIFA is blowing their horns straight to the bank!!!!

Having said that- I am delighted that the WC has taken place here on African soil! Think about it... in the 16 years of democracy- if the billions was not spent on improving infrastructure, just how many politicians and Tendrepreneurs pockets would it have lined?????

Tomorrow's opening match has overshadowed the Mrs. Zuma's bodyguard escapades, the Portugese journo's who were robbed this week or the price of fish!!! Not even Shakira's honest hips would put a damper on this proud moment...

Get ready as we celebrate the World Cup - the winning national team gets to hold the cup, but only FIFA will be drinking from it...

Peace

South Africanisms

Following is an A-Z glossary of other typical terms or expressions found in South African English, which is heavily influenced by the country's 10 other languages.

Ayoba – A slang word for cool that has been made into a World Cup refrain by sponsor MTN, which has incorporated "ayoba" into all its advertising, e.g. "We don't say 'ole', we say 'ayoba!'"

Babalas – Hangover, taken from the Zulu word 'isibhabalazi'. Usually treated with a sachet of Grandpa (a local headache powder).

Cooldrink – A chilled soda or a euphemism for a bribe. e.g. "If you buy me cooldrink, I'll forget about that speeding fine."

Dagga – (pronounced dach-ha) Marijuana.

Eish! – (pronounced aysh) An expression of surprise/resignation, e.g. "Eish, I'm so broke."

Fong Kong – A Chinese counterfeit, e.g. a fong kong football jersey or takkies (runners).

Geyser – It's got to do with hot water alright, but it's the hot water tank in a house, not a spring.

Howzit/heita – (pronounced heyta) "How are you?" in English and a mix of Afrikaans and Xhosa.

Is it/izzit? – An expression of surprise, used even when the preceding statement did not include the verb "to be", e.g. "Brazil first play North Korea" or "I have a toothache." Response: "Is it?"

Just now/now now – Denote varying levels of urgency. Phoning someone "now now" is sooner than "now" or "just now" but not as soon as "right now."

Kugel – A middle-class Jewish girl or woman from northern Johannesburg, who speaks with a nasal voice and is preoccupied with her appearance

Lekker – From the Afrikaans word for delicious, meaning nice or fun, e.g. "We had a lekker time last night."

Muti – A catch-all term for African medicinal remedies and rituals. Footballers can use muti to bring bad luck on a rival team.

Ne is it not so? – Used liberally by Afrikaans speakers for emphasis, e.g. "I went to the shop, ne, and I bought some milk, ne, and then I came home, ne...

Ouma – Afrikaans word for grandmother or old woman. Also the name of a brand of rusk.

Pap & stiff – Porridge made of maize. Pap 'n vleis (meat stew, pronounced flies) is the staple dish in townships.

Robot – Traffic lights, which you "jump" rather than go through, e.g. "Jump the robot and take a short (first) right." Jump a red robot though, and you will have to buy cooldrink.

Sharp sharp – Understood, agreed, sorted.

Tsotsi – A gangster or thug. Also the title of an Oscar-winning South African film about a robber in Johannesburg.

Umqombothi (pronounced um-kom-bow-tee, from Xhosa) – Popular cheap beer made of sorghum and maize.

Vuvuzela – Plastic trumpets blown by South African fans, which are being talked up as the 12th man of the host team because they have the effect of deafening their opponents

Woza – "Come" or "come on" in Zulu, e.g. "Woza 2010!"

Xhosa – One of South Africa's biggest ethnic groups and a language of the same name that is sprinkled with clicks. The "xh" in Xhosa is pronounced as a click.

Yebo – "Yes" in Zulu.

Zulu – South Africa's most populous nation and widely-spoken language.