Cape Flats Expressions


This page was inspired by an email I received from Pam Russel (imported to and bred in Cape Town!). It contains some peculiar expressions that people use on the Cape Flats. Many of them are quite crude, but I make no apologies for this- it is typical of the way people speak on the Cape Flats and is not considered unusual at all.

Some of these expressions cannot be translated into English and often, it is quite difficult to explain what they actually mean, because they mean different things, depending on the context in which they are used-- but I will do my best to make sense of them.


EXPRESSION LITERAL TRANSLATION TRANSLATED FROM THE VERNACULAR INTENDED MEANING

Djy moet jou nwata gedagtes
You and your stupid/foolish ideas
"nwata" usually denotes worthlessness
I disagree/you are being stupid

Hy's oraait kak vedala

something like "he has become seriously old"
"dala" is derived from Xhosa, meaning old, as in "madala" (old man) but in this context it is also used to mean having a battle/fight with yourself
He caused himself to look (physically) older (run-down)

Slat my dood met 'n pap snoek
Hit me dead with a soft snoek (snoek=fish)
As in English
I am overwhelmed (surprised/shocked)

Ek sal jou witbiene maak
I'll turn you into white bones
Only your skeleton will be left
I'll kill you

Djy's nes 'n doos, wiet djy
You are like a box, you know
You're acting like a vagina, you know
You're acting stupidly/you are worthless/you are unpredictable

Djy! Hou vir jou in
You! Keep yourself in
You! Stop it
Behave/control yourself

Kryp in jou moer, man
Crawl into your mother's womb, man
Go back to where you came from
Piss Off

Sy's (Hy's) lekker poenankies
?
?
She's (he's) cute (mostly refers to babies)

Djy's lekker deurie naai
You are pleasantly affected by sex
You have sex on the brain
You are mistaken/misguided

Hy't hom stukkend gelag
He laughed himself broken
He laughed so much that he broke down
He collapsed with laughter

Sy kekkel heeldag op sy kop
She clucks (as in chicken) on his head all day
She doesn't stop nagging him
She's a real nag

Hy's kens gekekkel
He's been clucked childish
Because of all the nagging, he's become like a child
He can no longer think straight/he submits to his wife's will
Note: this expression is also applied to women and in both cases it has the connotation that the person being referred to is a little crazy

'is sopnat
it's as wet as soup
it is soaking wet
This is (everything is) great/in order

Moet my nie vir 'n pop vattie
Don't take me for a doll
Don't think I'm dumb or stupid
I'm not easily fooled