biltong—lean meat, salted and dried in strips
bioscope—an early form of motion-picture projector, which came into use during the early twentieth century
Blacks—an ethnic label for dark-skinned people of pure African origin. One of the four main racial groups (Blacks, Coloureds, Indians, Whites) defined politically during the apartheid era. Used interchangeably with the term “native” during certain periods of South African history.
Boer—inhabitant of the Transvaal and the Free State in the time of the Anglo-Boer War; a white, Afrikaans-speaking person
Boer War/Anglo-Boer War—The Second Boer War was fought from October 11, 1899, to May 31, 1902, by the United Kingdom against the South African Republic (Transvaal Republic) and the Orange Free State. The war ended in victory for Britain and the annexation of both republics.
Brandwag, Die (The Sentinel)—a weekly Afrikaans magazine discontinued in 1965
bushveld—a subtropical woodland ecoregion of southern Africa that encompasses most of the Limpopo Province and a small part of the North West Province of South Africa
bywoner—sharecropper
Coloured—an ethnic label for people of mixed ethnic origin who possess ancestry from Europe, Asia, and various Khoisan and Bantu ethnic groups of southern Africa. Not all Coloured people share the same ethnic background. During the apartheid era, in order to keep divisions and maintain a race-focused society, the government used the term Coloured to describe one of the four main racial groups identified by law: Blacks, Whites, Coloureds, and Indians.
coolie—during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a term for a locally sourced unskilled labourer, mainly from the Indian subcontinent or South China; used pejoratively in midcentury South Africa to describe inhabitants of Indian descent
dominee—reverend, clergyman; also a form of address
dung floor—a mixture of sand and soil, with cow dung added to make the mixture hard and smooth
Eyetie—a derogatory term for an Italian that came into use during World War II, when Italy joined forces with Germany
Khaki—British soldier; derisive term for any Englishman
kloof—a steep-sided wooded ravine or valley
kraal—an enclosure for cattle or other livestock surrounded by a stone wall or other fencing, roughly circular in form
longdrop—an outdoor nonflush toilet with a long shaft dug into the ground underneath to collect waste
lowveld—the name given to the area that lies at an elevation of between five hundred and two thousand feet in the South African provinces of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal
matric (matriculation)—the final year of high school and the qualification received on graduating from high school
mealie—maize
Nagmaal—Holy Communion
native—pre-apartheid term for dark-skinned people of pure African origin. The term was loosely defined in the 1903 Intercolonial Conference as “embracing the present and future status of all aboriginal natives of South Africa.”
oom—uncle; also a form of address for any older man
ouma—grandmother
oupa—grandfather
phthisis—pulmonary tuberculosis or a similarly progressive systemic disease
Red Tabs—South Africans who volunteered to fight Hitler’s African armies, so called because of the red strips of cloth attached to their uniforms
riempie—a thin strip of softened leather used for the backs and seats of chairs and benches, for shoelaces, and as string
rusk—a hard, dry biscuit
serenade—Young men from university in midcentury South Africa would often strum a guitar and sing below the girls’ residences and serenade, usually for the benefit of their love interests, and the girls would perch in the windows and flicker their lights in appreciation. Later, this practice evolved into an annual competition between universities across South Africa.
tickey—On February 14, 1961, South Africa adopted a decimal currency, replacing the pound with the Rand. The term tickey is applied to both the 3d and 2½c coins.
Tommy—an ordinary soldier in the British army; any Englishman
Tukkies—informal name for the University of Pretoria or its students
Vaderland, Die (The Fatherland)—Johannesburg-based daily Afrikaans newspaper, 1936–1988
Van Riebeeck, Jan—Dutch colonial administrator and founder of Cape Town
veldskoen—a rough shoe of untanned hide
Voortrekkers—Dutch pioneers who journeyed to the Transvaal in the 1830s to escape British rule
Wits—The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, is the third-oldest South African university in continuous operation. Wits has its roots in the mining industry and was founded in 1896 as the South African School of Mines in Kimberley.