Mine Boy

Mine Boy Glossary

kaffir

an offensive, chiefly South African term of insult for a black African

colored people

South African people who are descendants of individuals from two distinct ethnicities, including Khoisan, Bantu, Afrikaner, Whites, Austronesian, East Asian or South Asian

scale

a measurement of beer; a glass

brandish

wave or flourish (something, especially a weapon) as a threat or in anger or excitement

henchman

a faithful follower or political supporter, especially one prepared to engage in crime or dishonest practices by way of service

brood

think deeply about something that makes one unhappy

plodding

slow-moving and unexciting; (of a person) thorough and hard-working but lacking in imagination or intelligence

tinge

to color slightly; a slight trace of a feeling or quality

commonplace

a usual or ordinary thing

faraway

distant in space or time; seeming remote from the immediate surroundings; dreamy

macadamized road

a road covered in macadam, a broken stone of even size used in successively compacted layers for surfacing roads and paths, and typically bound with tar or bitumen

induna

a policeman employed by the mine, whose duty it is to keep order among mine workers

knobkerry

a short stick with a knobbed head, traditionally used as a weapon by the indigenous peoples of South Africa

assagais

a slender, iron-tipped, hardwood spear used chiefly by southern African peoples

akimbo

with hands on the hips and elbows turned outward

verandah

a roofed platform along the outside of a house, level with the ground floor

paraffin

a flammable, whitish, translucent, waxy solid consisting of a mixture of saturated hydrocarbons, obtained by distillation from petroleum or shale and used in candles, cosmetics, polishes, and sealing and waterproofing compounds

nonplussed

(of a person) surprised and confused so much that they are unsure how to react

comeliness

(typically of a woman) pleasant to look at; attractive

Skokiaan Queens

women who deal in illicit liquor

Bantu

a member of an indigenous people of central and southern Africa that speaks a Bantu language. The term became offensive during under the apartheid regime.

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